Mullett,
Thanks for weighing-in with your opinions.
I am just a mod here and have nothing to do with content posted to the main site, but I'll share some of my opinions also regarding evidential imagery.
I was trained and educated in two college programs as a still photographer, and thus have some knowledge on the subject (I have NO training in video). I still do not claim to be any kind of expert, but can certainly put forth some basic advice for those wishing to capture events. These days, particularly since the advent and proliferation of digital photography, everyone thinks they are a photogapher, and they are NOT. Photography is for everyone, but knowledge is something that takes a little effort to obtain (it's also for everyone if they just make the effort).
There is so much drek on the web, I honestly can say I have yet to see any image that makes me feel 100 percent sure it's not a hoax or just a bad photo of something mundane which has been mis-identified. CGI further blurs the lines between reality and fiction. I am suspicious of any image or video that looks 'too good.'
Most consumer grade cameras are made to capture family events in well-lit surroundings, and up-close flash situations. They are generally not made for high-speed low light telephoto photography which is frequently the type of situation encountered when trying to capture something extraordinary. Since I no longer practise my craft for pay, I am limited to upper-consumer-grade equipment myself (photography is far too expensive for me as a hobby; there just aren't funds available to do the things I know how to do). A kind soul & very good friend actually
gave me a fantastic Canon 5D MkII DSLR body which should be well-suited to doing some low-light work (limited only by my $hitty lenses).
Here are some things anyone can do, where their equipment permits, to improve their chances of getting an identifiable image in low light, fast-happening situations: (principles can be applied to video cameras too, if the camera has the settings)
Pre-set your cam to a pre-focused distance where you expect to see the action. Auto-focus has ruined more UFO and other shots and videos than I can count.
Pre-set your cam to an exposure that will give you the best chance of getting something to record (for example, if you're looking for UFOs, set your focus to infinity, and reduce/darken your exposure so the object will not be a bright, overexposed blob). Set your ISO (sensitivity) to as low a number that will allow you to use a shutter speed which will not cause you to blur the image. Use the widest aperture available. If you take your camera out for normal daylight use, remember to restore the previoius settings so you don't wreck your family photos.
Practise and take test shots under the conditions you expect to be encountering. That's the very best thing about digital: You've already paid for every shot you're going to take with it, so get out there and PRACTISE!! If you can't get a reasonable image of your dog or a tree stump in practise, you'll sure not be able to capture dogman or bigfoot, or a ufo when you're hurrying and trying to keep your hands from shaking.
If you can't use a tripod, use something else to steady yourself against, a tree, the roof of your car, rest your camera on the top of a walking stick, etc., anything you can to control motion which translates to blur.
If you're watching a particular area from a stationary position, use a tripod & selftimer or remote shutter release, and multiple cameras/photographers. Shoot video and still if you have it.
Use the best camera and lens your wallet will allow you to use. You need high-quality, high-ISO performance (the capability to shoot usable images at ISO 3000 or higher would be nice). A full-frame (24x36mm) sensor is a must. You need telephoto lenses with wide, fast apertures. The longer the focal length of the lens, the harder it will be for you to hold steady. It takes a lot of telephoto to make a distant animal look very big in the frame. If you don't have enough telephoto to make it big, then you're going to have to crop and enlarge which will quickly show you what you did NOT get in terms of quality and detail.
If you can afford it, consider a night-vision system like FLIR (not the color stuff, the b&w stuff the police and military use). If you're independently wealthy, there's professional grade stuff out there. (NOTE: I had listed Blighter here, thinking they made thermal vision, but they are primarily portable radar, lol. I guess you
could use that to find dogman
).
On a budget, I have a lot of interest in good-quality trail cams because they offer various trigger methods and they have IR capabilities which see in the dark very effectively. They also eliminate the need for telephoto lenses as you can plant them right at where the action is expected to occur. I've captured the most interesting stuff running mine on timelapse shooting a frame every 30 seconds (still no dogman or bigfoot), because a lot of things just don't seem to trigger my cam if I put it on motion detect.
One thing I'm observing though is that animals seem to be quite aware of trail cams. I expect they can see the IR illumination and/or hear some high-pitched sound the equipment emits that is beyond human hearing. A lot of equipment does that, even LED flashlights. I have a upscaling DVD player by RCA which is one of the old ones, the first ones made, and when it is plugged-in, even turned off, it emits a very high-pitched whine which I and one other family member can hear (no one else in the house can hear it). It's so annoying and causes headaches, so that unit stays unpugged unless we're going to use it. At work, we encountered a UPS unit that was emitting such a tone so loud it hurt my ears and those of another worker who reported it. The boss thought we were nuts because he couldn't even hear it.
Audio captures are also interesting. A Digital Voice Recorder (DVR) and a parabolic mic are a must. You can get a good Olympus DVR for $50 give or take. You can rig a mic using junk (get creative and test your work). Just be aware that you want to avoid recording audio or intercepting audio of people talking because it is a federal felony and a state felony in many states to 'intercept communications.' That is why PIs put a plug in the mic jack of their video recorders when doing surveillance, so as to not get put in jail on wiretap charges (look up Linda Tripp).
Just some thoughts. Maybe the NADP staff will respond to your concerns.
Also, if you know of any good images or videos, please link to them. I'd love to see them.