I would recoment a Sony PD-170.

A lot of guys are getting Canon GL2s, but in my opinion, to get a GL2 set up for quality footage you are going to end up spending as much if not more than the cost of the PD170 (Audio adapters, etc.)

Also, the quality is definately noticable between the two.

The only down side to the PD170 is the 12X zoom as opposed to the canon's 20X

They are both good cameras to get started with!

PD170 is definitely a good one to start with, good call Mike. I completely agree about the GL2. They are attractive because of price at the start, but you need alot of accessories to get up to snuff with one.

As for the mics, you will definitely run both out in the woods. Ambient mic for nature sounds, lavs for voice. I usually have the ambient mic in my ear, and the lav mic earphone just hanging until interviews, cut-aways etc. With both in all the time, really hard to tell where the sounds are coming from (grunting, leaves crunching) Sounds liek they are coming from the center of your brain with both ear phones in!

Agree with that. A GL-2 is going to get you going...we did two video's and quite a bit of our tv with one, and still have it. A used cam like a GL-2, an XL-1S, or Sony PD-170 or vx-2100 would be the ones I would look at. The Sony's def have a leg up on the low light capabilities. We just picked up an XL-1S used for a decent price used and are very happy with it. That is what the hog clip I posted up in this section was filmed with.

Haha, no kidding!

Also, try turning on a GL2 with a deer right below you [X(](rreeeaaaaarrr reeeeahhh!) The only thing youll be getting footage of is a white tail! [:-]

I may be able to get a local deal on the Canon XL-1S fully rigged for shooting hunts. The only thing I think I would need is the wireless mics. I'm also going to check out the Sonys.

Thanks for the help. Any other suggestions for me or Drop are greatly appreciated.

LMAO! I laughed out loud when i read that. Thats what me and a friend are filming off and on with and it definitely is one noisy camera to start up. I also did some filming with the XL1 or maybe it was an XL2. I liked it better if one was going to be actually holding the camera. Downside was it doesnt have a LCD screen, which is no good in my book. I was humbled after our feeble attempts at filming this year. I dont see how you guys consistently do it right. It is a LOT harder maybe 3x or 4x harder than just bowhunting, as if thats not challenging enough.

Most people who dont do it or are just starting are fooled into thinking its as easy as just hanging an extra treestand on your setups and getting a decent camera. I know from experience it isnt. Good thing was my friend was the one who actually bought the GL2[X(]. We do still plan on filming turkey hunts. Filming on the ground is much much easier than in a treestand. So long as we stay hidden or use ground blinds, we should fair well on the turkey.

We have never spooked an animal turning our GL2 on but it is noisy. IMO, you are going to do a better job with a cam if you don't try to use the lcd screen. Stick with the view finder.

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Haha, it really isnt that bad, but it is noisy. I was just makin a funny! hah

If you ever plan on going solo into the woods an LCD screen is a must and the bigger the better...............Also in my opinion shoulder mount cameras like the XL1s are not good to learn with, they are bulky and need heavy duty camera arms/tripods to support thier weight, also i don't believe the XL1s gives any better video quality than the PD170 (I think the pd is just as good and kicks the XL1s butt in lowlight). If I were just starting out I would stick with a smaller pro-sumer with a large LCD screen and XLR inputs for great audio.

I shoot the Panasonic DVX100p and you cannot beat the picture quality, manual controls are easy to use and it has a big LCD (3.5") the only downside is the optical zoom (10x) but for bowhunting it works just fine.