Camcorder for filming fishing trips.

[PiratesPride]

Just looking for a little adive here as I know virtually nothing about this.

I wouldnt mind filming some fishing trips this summer and getting some videos together as many of you here do, however I dont know where to start.

I need a camera but cant afford to spend alot of money on one.

What would be the best bang for the buck? I dont need high def or anything terribly fancy, just something that works good enough, somewhat easy to use, and a camera that would allow me to get videos on my computer somewhat easily.

Also before I bother with any of this I want to make sure I'm not going to fry this thing the first time out. Can you get waterproof cases for cameras where its still able to film but remain protected or would that be somthing I would have to fabricate myself?

We fish a 20ft jones brothers cape fisherman up to 25-30 miles offshore of Wrightsville beach and its not uncommon to get a little spray or the occasional bucket of water thrown over the bow. I wouldnt mind being able to mount this thing somewhere on the console or something to get some continous footage of running and fighting fish and what not without someone having to hold it the whole time and also without having to worry about keeping it dry and out of harms way.

I know thats alot of questions, I'm just trying to see if its worth the effort.

Thanks for any help,

Will

[gottaflylee]

Will, get an inexpensive on to start. Boats, salt water and video cameras don't mix...

Get a good "water proof" box, (see me first) and a wide angle lens for it along with a big battery...

[sushi42]

I've been filming fishing trips offshore and inshore for quite a long time now. I can tell you I've been lucky with the camera I have but it's now outdated. All my film is on 8mm. So I have had to burn the image onto a dvd in order to share with friends.

Have a lot of bluefin footage that was taken in a few different boats but two of those boats were 20 ft. vessels. I found that placing the camera on the cc while fighting fish with the zoom setting all the way back, meaning field of view is large(not zoomed in) worked out well. You are able to pick up everything that is going on in the boat and when the fish get close someone can grab the cam and do a little close-up filming. Don't ask me about editing, I am actually hanging with a bud today for a little film editing 101!

I know a lot of guys on this site are running the Sanyo Xacti. Pretty inexpensive and the quality of the video is very good. There are a few videos on this site that were produced using that camera. I will be getting one for this season. I've heard it is very utilitarian to use and one battery charge lasts all day long which is a big plus when filming on the water exploits. As for salt and water, you just have to do your part in keeping that crap off the camera. If you don't you will be buying another unit before you can say "fish on"! Wahoonbox has an excellent video on here where his camera falls off the helm dash and it's RIP after that. Oh, and I go the extra mile packing mine in a duffel bag wrapped in a couple of big beach towels to soften the blow from the waves and chop that you will experience in smaller vessels. Good luck, hope to see some videos from you soon.
Sushi42-

[Avenger]

Can't help you with which camera, but one of our members made camera stands that fit a rod holder. I don't think he's selling them anymore, but it shouldn't be too difficult to fabricate your own. This is the link:

Camera Mount

I don't know the layout of your boat, but if you have overhead rocket launchers or a spot where you can put a clamp-on rod holder this might be a solution for you.

Video editing; most people here seem to be using Pinnacle Studio, which I have, and my experiences with it have generally been good. However, just to get your feet wet Windows XP and later comes with Movie Maker built right in.

Good luck with your productions. I'm looking forward to seeing the results.