When you have committed to researching these subjects, you will want to make sure you have the appropriate gear to document your journey. You’re going to want a few main items for your group search. We suggest you invest in good equipment from the beginning as it will save some grief later on. With the best rated gear for the field you won’t question yourself what you may have captured because you’ll be assured the quality of your findings will support it. Here’s a few items that is used in our studies.
Canon Power Shot SX410 IS
You will want a great digital camera, something with an optical zoom or telephoto lens. One of the most valuable assets is purchasing a camera that can focus distance rapidly with minimal distortion. This will help when attempting to capture something that may be moving away at a distance.
Panasonic HC-WX970K 4K Ultra-HD Camcorder
A good video camera that is able to record in 4k is also a must. We have used many camcorders and for the money the Panasonic producer video recorder is where we landed, the Wx-970. It is noted the abilities of this recorder for the price point is exceptional. It even has a both night vision mode as well as a daylight mode. The daylight mode will record in pitch black conditions and the video will be converted to daylight. It’s amazing technology.
Pulsar – Quantum LD38 Thermal Imaging Monocular
Nighttime recon is a very important aspect of our research making a a Flir thermal imager one of your most important tools. Flir actually stands for “Forward Looking Infrared”, which refers to its technology. It doesn’t matter if it’s full sunlight or pitch black darkness, because they amplify heat signatures which not only form your image, but help you locate living beings that are hiding. While they cannot penetrate through solid objects such as trees, they can easily help you pick out infrared or thermal energy showing through the brush making it quite obvious when you have a living being in your field of view. They are no doubt the priciest piece of your arsenal. As pictured we use the Pulsar LD38 Flir with hot white and black modes.
Misc Gear
In time there are other items you will want to have at your disposal or in your carry bag. Here’s just a few!
- Microscope
- Sample collection kit
- Walkie Talkies
- A long distance laser for pointing things out
- First Aid kit
- A good GPS and/or compass
- A decent set of binoculars
- Long distance listening device as well as a few good audio recorders
- A good computer with 4k capabilities
- Game Cameras
We suggest you learn all of your gear and how to use it correctly. While learning how to use the gear make sure you take base readings or recordings. This will give you a “baseline” to compare future recordings to. Lastly, be safe and have fun on your journey.
