First of all you need to have an idea of what you're going to do with the footage. If it's just going to be you and a few mates videoing each other, then just about any camera will do the trick. A decent camera for the task would start at A$800. If you want to get serious and produce your own film then you could be looking at between A$3000 and A$6000 for either a top of the range Hi8, Digital8 or miniDV camera.

Go for a good name brand camera regardless of price range. JVC, Panasonic and Sony all manufacture good equipment. An essential is a good optical zoom, the higher the better. You might even consider an add on zoom lens to boost the built in zoom. Don't worry too much about the digital zoom capabilities as image quality degrades dramatically under digital zoom. An image stabilising system or electronic steady shot is handy too, even for use with a tripod.

Other niceties include a LANC connector, which allows easy connection to an editing desk. Otherwise you'll be juggling between pressing play on your camera and record on your VCR to edit your footage. If your camera is digital, make sure it has at least a DV out connector. This allows for editing with practically zero loss of quality. A colour flip out screen makes it very easy to shoot, otherwise a colour viewfinder is an advantage. It gets pretty tricky sometimes to track someone who's out the back, and on a B&W viewfinder they disappear into a sea of grey. A long lasting battery also helps - there's nothing worse than going camping and the last day of the trip is epic but your battery is flat. Special effects aren't really necessary, so don't base your camera choice on them.

Digital is the best choice for high quality, and it's fast becoming the most accepted format. All digital cameras have higher resolution than broadcast television.

Most domestic cameras are regarded as one chip, meaning they have a single CCD (Charge Coupled Device, or what turns your picture into a signal to be put on tape). Three CCD cameras are superior as they split the image into three separate channels - red, green and blue - for processing, giving better colour reproduction and higher signal to noise ratio. This also adds a bit of weight to the camera, which can come into play when using a water housing.

Also don't forget about Super8. Although film is expensive ($20 total for purchasing and processing per 3 minute film) good cameras cost only $200. Super8 gives a completely different feel to your footage. It's also cool watching yourself on a two metre screen. A few bodyboarding films have Super8 (24/7 and No Friends) but only really for the non-BB "lifestyle" parts.

A good tripod is a worthwhile investment, but remember that it's going to be planted in sand so you've gotta expect corrosion with some metals.

The Purchase:

When you go to buy the gear, make sure you study up before you purchase. Go to a few different stores and you'll get a fair idea of what you're after. Smaller stores have better customer service, and you'll probably be more successful at haggling a price. Don't buy on your first visit to any store - if they recognize you when you come back then they know that you're serious, but don't want to lose a sale so they'll give you a good deal. But above all make sure you know what product you're going to buy before you enter the store to hand over your hard earned. You don't want to impulse buy anything worth six grand!

My first camera was the Panasonic M7, bought new in 1989! It took a full size VHS tape and weighed about 8kg or so. It sat on one's shoulder, and we never used a tripod. Some of my first tapes are now growing mould!

My current camera is the Sony DCR-TRV9. It's only a one CCD camera. It has a 15x optical zoom, electronic steady shot, DV in and out connections, as well as RCA in and out connections. This means I can put all my old VHS stuff onto miniDV tapes so they'll be preserved in the digital format. It has a 3 1/2 inch fold out screen, and with an optional battery it gets four hours recording time using the LCD. The best thing about it is it connects to the tripod, so on the tripod arm you can control power on/off, stop/start recording and zoom. It makes it so much easier to shoot when you only need one hand and you can sit back and watch the screen.

Shooting footage:

Firstly if you want good footage you've got to pick your location. Video spots that break close to the beach where you have an elevated vantage point. Even with a good zoom, you're better off at shorebreaks or reefs close to shore as you can move down the beach and get shots into the barrel. It's obviously a lot easier to find everyone between waves too.

Go with a few friends, probably three other people is ideal. This way you can get a decent amount of time in the water, and when you're videoing you don't have too many people to keep track of. Start recording early and stop late - you can edit the excess off later.

As for lighting, the sun behind you is best. On the west coast, early morning is prime. Places like California are a problem though, as it faces south west and the sun rises in the south east, so looking down the beach into rights is the go. In the southern hemisphere any spot that faces south is good most of the day, especially in winter. Likewise northern hemispherians can find best lighting in north facing beaches. Otherwise at backlit spots (the east coast in the morning) you should wait until about 8am so the sun gets high enough to give you reasonable contrast. But in reality you can shoot anywhere at any time, even overcast, and you'll capture a lot of different moods.

Just remember that you're never sorry when you videoed, you're only sorry when you could've videoed but didn't.