I suppose a "cheapy" cam might be a good idea if one has grimy hands most of the time.
But there are ways around that. IE: I always carry a rag in my back pocket along with my
probe. So I can use that to wipe my hands off. But one could carry some gloves or a clean
rag to handle the cam with too. Or dig with the gloves on, and take them off to handle the
cam.
You could also use a tripod, or have a 2nd person do the recording. I'd probably use a
tripod to record a hole digging. I have a couple that I rigged up. One is 3-4 feet tall, and
the other is real short.
I also made a handle of sorts for my latest camera. The last three years or so I was using
a JVC Enviro video cam for videos and lower grade VGA type stills. It was pretty easy to
handle as you fit your hand around it, and a strap held it in place.
But now I'm using a Sony DSC W290 which is a still camera that also takes 720p HD video.
It's video quality is better, and the stills are vastly better than the old JVC.
But.. it's not the most hand friendly device around. It's like shooting vid's with a deck
of cards with a lens on the box. Which is not really that bad, but your grimy fingers will
be touching the camera the whole time.
I made the handle #1 to have a better hold for steadier and more focused pictures.
It's like holding a big land camera vs the deck of cards. But it could also come in
handy for shooting videos and being able to keep the dirty hands off the camera.
I see lots of good deals on cams on fleabay. You can save some $$$ if you are sneaky
and watch the auctions.
Fer example, the W290 retailed for $229 or so when I got mine. Since then some new
models have come out, and I've seen it new for as low as $179.
But I didn't pay near that.. I bought the first one for $87+tax, and it was almost like new,
but was missing it's books, CD, etc..
A week later I bought a 2nd one just like it.. It was like new in the box with the tags still
on it, and I got it for $128+tax. So I basically got two for the price of one. I bought two
as I'm planning on converting the first one into a IR triggered trail cam this spring.
So I bought an extra one to still have a hand held once I do that.
Here is a pix I took of the first one with the handle attached, using the second one to
snap the pix.. I could hold the cam using the handle, and keep a clean rag to turn it off/on
if I had grimy hands. But I bet I would use the tripod a lot.. The videos look better too
when they are steady.
