5 Reasons not to Purchase a Point of View Camera to Film your Hunt
By Tracy Breen
When it comes to filming a hunt, there are many opinions. Fill a room full of cameramen and they will all share an opinion on which editing software is best, which camera arm is best, and how to position a treestand perfectly for filming a hunt. The opinions will vary and some will disagree with each other. One thing all camera guys will likely agree on is that point of view cameras aren’t a good investment for those who want to capture great footage.
Grant Woods from GrowingDeer TV spends countless hours in a tree every fall with a camera man over his shoulder. Over the years, they have come to one conclusion: point of view cameras are good for one thing: getting footage of the hunter taking the shot. That’s about it. “Point of view camera companies do a great job of marketing the cameras so many people buy them but besides being lightweight and easy to use, they aren’t a good camera to record a hunt with,” Woods said.
Below are a few reasons Woods believes hunters wanting to film a hunt should not purchase a point of view camera.
POINT OF VIEW CAMERAS CAN’T CAPTURE THE DETAIL
“These cameras are not detail oriented. You can see very little of what is going on at twenty or thirty yards with one of these cameras, which is where most shots are taken with a bow. You can hardly see the deer in the footage,” Woods said. We film hunts so we can watch the footage and see the action after the hunt. With a point of view camera, you can’t really watch and enjoy the footage.
SEEING SHOT PLACEMENT IS DIFFICULT
Filming hunts has changed the way we recover deer. Make no mistake: filming hunts has increased the number of deer that are recovered. “With a real camera, I can watch the footage after a hunt and see where an arrow hit exactly. Based on the shot placement, I can decide if I want to try to recover the animal right away or give it time. I can see if I hit the deer in the lungs, a little back, or a little high. Filming has changed the game for us. It is difficult to see exactly where you hit a deer when using a point of view camera,” Woods explained. “One of the greatest benefits of filming a hunt is being able to watch the kill shot over and over after the fact. That is lost when filming with a point of view camera.”
THE AUDIO ISN’T VERY GOOD
“Point of view cameras do not capture very good audio, therefore if you are talking with your buddy in the tree or want to hear what is going on around you after the fact, the camera won’t do it. If person is on a dirt bike or using a loud machine, it will capture that kind of noise but subtle noises like birds chirping, people talking and other noises we hear in the woods won’t be captured well,” Woods explained.
POINT OF VIEW CAMERAS WERE NOT DESIGNED FOR FILMING HUNTS
“Point of view cameras were not designed and manufactured to capture the type of video footage a hunter wants or needs to produce a quality production. They are perfect for action sports but not hunting. When someone wants to film a hunt, they should invest in a camera that can do a good job of filming a hunt,” Woods said.
POINT OF VIEW CAMERAS ARE PRICEY
“Point of view cameras are pretty expensive for what you get. They really aren’t a good value. For about the same amount of money, a person can buy a real camera that they can use to produce a quality video they would want their friends and family to watch,” Woods advised.
Do you own a point of view camera and regret the purchase? Are you considering purchasing a camera to hunt with this fall? Save your money and invest in a camera that can actually capture high quality footage you would enjoy watching with a bowl of popcorn and a cold drink.