EQUIPMENT
The equipment we use in our investigations
SONY DCR-TRV285E SONY DCR-HC30E SONY DCR-PC350E SONY DCR-HC51E
We only use Sony Handycam camcorders as we have found these to be the best at filming in night vision. All the cameras have Nightshot or Nightshot plus. Our oldest camera which is the TRV-285E with Night shot plus records onto digital 8 tapes. Although this is the older of the cameras it seems to be the best by a small margin. The other cameras use Mini DV tapes and also great cameras. All but one of the cameras can be connected to the pc via USB. This makes it easier for loading on to the pc for viewing and editing.
SIMA SL-20IR SONY HVL IRM SIMA SL-20IR
We use two different types of infrared lights. The Sony IR light is great and can be powered by two AA batteries or by a compatable camcorder battery. It also has a dimming function to allow you to make the light less bright. The Sima lights which have 36 led lights seem to be much brighter than the Sony but have the drawback of being rechargeable only. The Sima need to be charged and will only last around an hour. But the interlocking design is a great feature as you can lock two or more together to improve the lighting even further. Both styles come with a bracket which allows you to attach them to the camera via the tripod connection.
We have now been able to convert our Sima SL-20ir video light to run off 3 AA batteries so they now last all night.
These new infrared lights are a great addition to our equipment.
Although we already had the Sony and Sima IR lights we were not happy with the range of them so we decided to make some of our own.
We used 9 - 10mm infrared leds running off a 9 volt battery. The range was greatly improved and we could see much further and clearer with our night vision equipment. These were also made for a fraction of the price of similar ones you can buy on line. We also plan on making others with more leds which will be great for outdoor investigations.
ZOOM MIC ECM-DS70P SONY ECM HM1
We use different microphones for different pieces of equipment. The zoom mic we have can be used with the video cameras as well as with the voice recorders. It is powered with Two AA batteries so is very versatile. The Sony DS70P is great mini condenser microphone which we use with the voice recorders. It enhances the sound and range and is easy to use, you just plug it in. The Sony HM1 is a narration and interview mic. This is powered by the camcorders intelligent accessory shoe. This mic has a retractable lead so the microphone can be placed some way from the camera while recording. Or the mic cam be turned to you while filming which is great for narration.
ALBA ET 5 1GB OLYMPUS VN5500PC SONY ICD-BP150
we use three diffrerent types of digital voice recorders and all are pc compatible. The Alba is ok for recording but is quite difficult to navigate round at first. The Olympus is the best and is easy to use and has very clear the sound. The Sony to has clear sound and also easy to use but not quite as good as the Olympus.
KODAK C875 SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-S950 KODAK C143
These are just three of the many Digital Cameras we use. All seem to be equally as good as each other. But the kodaks do seem to be slightly better at taking photo's in the dark with the flash.
BEAM BARRIER ALARM CELLSENSOR EMF METER IR THERMOMETER WITH LASER
Although we have these pieces of equipment we do not always use them. The Barrier alarms are good if we want to lock off an area on the location to make sure no one enters. So far we have never had them go off for any unexplained reason. The EMF meter we do use quite often but again have not had much in the way of responses from this. The Thermo-meter we only ever use if we are at an indoor location.
KII METER
The K2 meter
HEAD TORCH MINI LED TORCH CREE Q5 TORCH MINI LED TORCH LANTERN TORCH
We use many different types of torches. Head torches are great when you are sorting out equipment and you need your hands free. Also the mini LED torches are not that bright but are good for seeing while just walking around. The Lantern torch is bright but is also quite big to carry. And we have the Zoom-able Cree LED torches. These are small just like the mini LED torches but have a cree bulb which is very bright with 240 lumen. It has a zoom-able function which allows you to zoom the light in and out. Some torches that are of this size and power have only rechargeable batteries but this on takes 3 AAA batteries.
MINI TRIPODS FULL SIZE ADJUSTABLE TRIPODS
We have several different tripods that we use. The mini tripods we use if we are setting up a camcorder to record a trigger object. Or if we are filming things close up. We use the full sized tripods if we want to film the whole room. Both are very useful in our studies.
BINATONE TERRAIN 550
We have several walkie talkies one for each member of the group. When we split up we like to be able to communicate with each other about what is happening. All the radios have hands free with ear piece and mic so we do not have the radios blaring out during an investigation. They are also good to have for safety reasons.
MINI DVD TAPES SONY PRO DUO USB MEMORY STICKS SD CARDS DIGITAL 8 TAPES
We use lots of different types of data storage. The camcorders use Digital 8 and Mini DV tapes. The Digital Cameras use both SD cards and Pro Duo cards. And we also use memory sticks to transfer data between members of the team.
SEVERAL DIFFERENT PC AND LAPTOPS
These are used for the veiwing and editing all the investiagtion and for building the website. We also do a lot of research in to finding new locations and researching the locations we visit.
NERO 7 WAVEPAD SOUND EDITOR
The software we use is Nero 7 which is great for editing the video footage. It also is good for adding effects or transitions and is fairly easy to use once you know your way around. Wavepad sound editor is free to download and easy to use. This we use to edit the voice recordings and also to enhance some of the sounds from video.
TOM TOM GO "LIVE" SAT NAV
Never leave home with out it.
The good thing about the Tom Tom live service is that it has a Google search function. If we are out investigating and want to look for further haunted locations we just type in "Haunted" and it will find the alleged haunted sites near to us.
