The Following article is from Real Tree Web Site which features our product.
Dream Catching On Video!
By Bob McNitt
If you’ve ever attempted to videotape hunts, fishing outings or other enjoyable outdoor activities so you could accurately capture the memories on tape, then you know what a struggle it can be doing it right. You may get video of portions of the adventure, but they never quite match the images you saw through your own eyes and that remain in your brain. Also, trying to partake in the activity and videotape it at the same time often means not doing a complete job at either. But help is on the way, thanks to Dream Catcher Cameras.
Dream Catcher video cameras offer hands-free use to record whatever your interest may be, anything you normally use your camcorder for. Now, while hunting, fishing, hiking, motorcycle riding, taking your children to amusement parks, or whatever, you can record it while leaving your hands and vision naturally free. Dream Catcher cameras come pre-focused to be crystal clear from five yards to infinity and can be tailored to your specific needs. Now you can view memorable moments through your own eyes and not have to only see it through the tiny view finder or display and not really enjoy the moment until it was played back at home on the big screen. Now you can get out from behind that view finder and be part of the experience while you video it.
Dream Catcher is the brainchild of Phil Culbreth, and avid sportsman from Ashville, NC. An electrician and air conditioning contractor, Phil and his wife Trish have two daughters and a son. Phil said the idea first came to him after a friend went west to do some snowmobiling and used a helmet-cam to record his adventures on the trails there. "I’d tried to video various hunts, using a camcorder," Phil says. "But it was hard, trying to keep the lens focused on the game while also including the hunter or trying to hunt and video at the same time. So I tried using the cam that clips on to your hat."
"The problem with that was, since it had a 3.6mm lens, the game had to be extremely close, otherwise it appeared as not much more than a small dot on the video. Phil solved this problem by replacing the 3.6 lens with a 16mm one. "We decided to offer 3.5, 12 and 16mm lens sets so you’re ready for any situation. Also, when you turned your head to shoot, the lens wasn’t pointing at the game. This meant you had to clip the lens off to the side and hold your head sideways to watch the deer. Then after the shot, and if the deer makes a short run that you instinctively watch, it wouldn’t appear on the tape. I mean if the deer is at (an angle of) 12 o’clock and the lens at 10 o’clock (if you shoot right-handed), it’s not in the video."
We all know that when a deer or other big game appears and starts walking toward the hunter, there’s a lot going on in the hunter’s mind, and Dream Catcher tries to make the videoing operation as easy and hands-free as possible without the hunter becoming distracted.
"There’s a Lanc plug (the little blue one) on the side of most camcorders," Phil says. "I developed a remote switch to plug in there that allows you to turn your camera on standby and then record by just punching a button once for standby and twice for record. I keep my camera in a daypack while I’m shooting so it’s out of the way, but the remote switch is always handy so I don’t have to fuss with the camera when I see or hear a deer coming and want to record the sequence, including my shot. To shut your camera down, push the remote button and hold it down for a few seconds until the green light flashes."
The unit is powered by an eight-AA battery pack about the size of a small TV remote control. Phil said they’re currently working on a single switch that would do everything – start the camcorder, camera and microphone and also stop them, all with the snap of a switch. And the LUX offered by these cameras and camcorders is amazing. You can get great video quality in extremely dim light conditions, which are normally peak times for hunting and fishing.
The gun or bow mount adapter which comes with the Basic Hunt Kit allows you to point your gun or bow at incoming game, double punch the remote switch to start videoing, and then follow the game, from its approach, during your shot and afterwards. The gun adapter mounts right on the end of the barrel while the bow adapter mounts on and along side the stabilizer. "All you need to do is point your gun or bow toward the game, like you were pointing your finger, punch your remote button twice, follow the game as it moves, and prepare for and take the shot just as you normally would," Phil says. "And all the while you’re catching this whole thing on video."
All Dream Catchers also come with a mini microphone that runs off a 9V battery. Phil says, "I plugged the mic into the cheapest 9V battery I could find, and a day later the mike was still powered up." He’s also developed a fully wireless system for the Dream Catcher that will run up to three additional camcorder setups (not all at once) that can be located nearby, as when you’re hunting with a buddy or two and want to switch video locations as game appears or moves. "Because they use such a small amount of electricity, our units are good for five or more hours of actual recording time before they might need fresh batteries." Dream Catcher will soon be offering a recharging unit that plugs into your vehicle’s cigarette lighter that will fully recharge your eight-camera system rechargeable batteries in just 30 minutes.
On a recent trip to Alabama to hunt deer, Phil used the Dream Catcher to record his successful hunt. "When I run that video now, it’s just like I’m back in the treestand and reliving the excitement of that hunt," he says.
Phil says that the vast majority of newer camcorder models have audio/video (A/V) input and that’s the only requirement needed to use his Dream Catcher systems. "You’re actually using your camcorder as a VCR that records what is coming from our mini camera and mini mike. Also, a few camcorders that have the A/V input might not have the Lanc button, and that means you can’t use the remote button on our outfits. It’s not critical, but it’s important."
As increasingly more sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts are opting to video those special occasions in their life, outfits like Dream Catcher Cameras are striving to make it easier and better than ever before.
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The staff of Dream Catcher Cameras would like to give our congratulations to Don Bronk of Charlotte, NC. Don won our Raffle ticket drawing held September 1, 2004. Don is our winner of the Dream Catcher Camera Basic Kit. We hope you enjoy your camera for a long time and send us some great photos for our gallery.
-Phil and Trish
