I would recommend 30 seconds tops because it eats alot of memory and battery. I enjoy video clips because it gives you some different angles you might not get with a regular picture. I only set mine up to take videos at night, that might be something for you to consider. In the day time mode any little thing can set off the video clip like a bird or strong wind. At night it seems to cut down alot of unwanted videos but you do get the occassional raccoon.