Going to Uganda for a month

[Stuffe]

Hello everyone i'm new here.
I have no real experience with video recording devices and my feeling is that I get less and less sure of what to get, the more reviews I read.
The thing is i am going to Uganda for a month and would like to do like an amateur documentary. So I guess im looking for something that is cheap but also reliable in those condition's. And maybe longer battery time would be nice, since there might be places where power is hard to come by for some reason.

Thanks in advance.
Stuffe

[Skyman]

If you have the budget I would be pointing you to a DSLR that does hd recording such as the canon eos 550d. I am assuming that being in uganda you will want to film wildlife and getting quality lenses that will bring animals up close is going to be much cheaper with a dslr. I would recommend you invest in an additional microphone though as the in camera one isn't going to be fantastic.

If this is too expensive then a small hard drive camera with full hd from the likes of sony, canon, panasonic or jvc are probably the go. there are other manufacturers out there that are quite ok, but with these brands you almost can't go wrong.

Personally I prefer panasonic as they make 3ccd cameras (a feature normally reserved for large expensive broadcast video cameras) and they use high quality lenses even in their lower end models. Having said that in the prosummer range for each of these manufacturers there are some trully outstanding cameras and again if budget allows, one of these will serve you extremely well.

I would strongly recommend you invest in a sturdy tripod (avoid cheap and light weight ones) as you will find your video is much smoother and more watchable. Look for Miller, Velbon or manfrotto and make sure you get a video head not a 3 way head or ball head.

I hope that helps you narrow your search.

[dane_c1987]

Uganda is an incredibly moving, eye opening place to go. You'll have an incredible experience there I'm sure.

When it comes to making a documentary, it all depends on your use and your intended audience. If it's something you just want to show your friends and familes and put on YouTube, then a standard camcorder should suffice.

If yo're wanting to take film making a little more seriously then as Skyman suggested, a DSLR with a decent lens and mic would be your best option. Prices vary but I'd say the lowest price for such a setup would be between £800-1000.

Having said that, if you're wanting a reasonably priced camera that still shoots good quality footage then Sony have a pretty good range of mobile cameras that don't take up too much room either. I took one similar when I went on holiday and it was pretty convenient to just carry it around in my pocket. As I said though it all depends on the purpouse of your documentary.

Hope this helps and happy travels!