So im just getting into the challenge of videotaping my hunts. Me and a buddy have teamed up to videotape our encounters. We are a bowhunting only team, and videotape everything from scouting, spotlighting, shedhunting, early season target shooting, hanging stands, and of course the hunt. The camera we use is a sony handycam - and it actually works out pretty good for us. What I want to know is what is a good film editing software that is easy to use? Im not very good with computers so I need something that I wont give up on. I have checked into the campbell outdoor challenge software but if Im not mistaken there software uses minidv? My camera stores memory internally and on a SD card. So will there software be compatible with my camera? Will it be easy? Or is there a better software out there? We are just looking to put together a little end of the year film of our bowhunts and everything that we do. Please help!

Hello, I have 2 different editing software that I have because I also have started filming my own hunts. One is Adobe After Affects, this one is very expensive and is WAY beyond my ability. I had a friend show me how to use it but it was just to confusing. You could make the next Star Wars movie with this thing. The other is called Pinnacle. Just google Pinnacle video editing. It is SUPER easy and SUPER user friendly. You can edit all you video, add music, add voice layover. Another thing great about it is if you want to start adding logos (kinda making your own little show) you can add any images you come up with in photoshop or anything. hope this helps

thanks man! just looked into it and i think this is it. I just bought a camera mount for my bow made by rakd up outdoors and the thing is awesome. i have used it during my target shooting and cant even tell the difference. My next question for you is what is a good laptop or should i say what are the specs of the laptop that I should run so it will keep up with the speed, graphics, memory and all that other stuff. again thanks man

We use the Handy Cams also and you're right they are very nice for the price. If you would let me know how the camera arms work for ya, its always good to hear about other equipment. We use the Sony Movie Studio editing software and it works great, there are a ton of options and after 2 yrs we are still finding new things to do with it. Good luck with this new challenge, I look forward to seeing the results.

browtine sounds like we are on the same page. When I first got into wanting to videotape my own hunts I did it solo. Basicallly when I heard the deer coming I would film them coming in then turn the camera off and shoot, then turn the camera back on and retrieve my deer. It was BAD! Then I found the tree arms, and they are ok I guess. My gripe with them is my setup is somewhat tricky. First I hunt NJ so we can bait which is a plus for filming because you know where the deer will be so you can set your camera up accordingly. The tree camera arm is made with a rachet strap which I hated bc of the noise so I took it off and put a zip strap on it which was fine. I also use a EZ Hanger to hang my bow and bag which makes it somewhat cluttered because on my right I have the camera Arm with the camera, and on my left I have the EZ Hanger with my bow. Drawing back in between these two accessories can be challenging. Anyway my sony handicam is not wireless remote accessible so I have to move around alot to turn the camera on when the deer come and to zoom when I want and things of that nature. However if your camera is wireless remote capible then the tree camera arm is a decent idea, especially if you know where the deer will be going. But this new bow mount that I bought I can see having a great potential. Like I said it screws into the stabilizer and the weight differential really isnt much of a difference. I have been shooting everyday with it on and I love it. I run the video at my targets just to see what its like and for me its exactly what Im looking for. Its just like having the camera in your hands. I can turn it on, zoom, zoom out, following the deer, everything all while having the bow in my hand. I would reccomend checking it out.

Sorry I took so long to get back with you. When you are looking for a computer, there are a couple of things that are crucial. 1st is the amount of RAM. A great setup would be 10-12gb of RAM. If you dont have enough ram, your computer will not be able to buffer HD video fast enough and the footage will be really jumpy. 2nd is the video card. You need a high quality video card. 3rd is memory. HD video takes up A LOT of space!!! Obviously there are more things to go into it but these are probably the cornerstones.

I purchased some of the high end stuff from Campbell from the computor to software.
Never again - not user friendly and support is also not what I expected.