wildlife videographers

Shawn Redford · October 26th, 2005, 02:30 PM

Here's a general backpacking question related to video gear. When you all go on overnight trips, where you'll need to pack camping gear and video gear into remote locations, do you use a typical backpacker's backpack (like a Gregory, Dana, Arc'Teryx, etc.) or do you use a backpack specialized for the video gear (like a LowePro Trekker II or a Kata HB-207) or something else (not including a Sherpa!)? The reason I ask is because I have Gregory Wind River (6000+ cu-in pack) and I plan to do some backpacking with the FX1 into Sequoia NP, but I'm sure it'll be either a solo trip or with one other person. Most likely, I'll have to carry the bulk or all video and camping gear. My Gregory should be able to handle that much gear (legs may be a different story), but I'll have to figure out how to pack the FX1 safely among the other gear. Right now I'm thinking of foam around the FX1 in a large stuff sack (like a Granite Gear bag). The thing I notice about the LowePro Trekker is that the backpack is so heavy by itself, and I'm not convinced that it overs that much padded protection (though clearly some) - it pretty much seems like it's just for day-hikes. So, for those of you planning something similar, how do you plan to pack, carry, manage your gear? Thanks, Shawn

Shawn Redford · October 26th, 2005, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Sayre

By the way, Shawn, I now have a Sony Z1 and it also is very stable on my CarbonOne 441. I use this field tripod for both video and digital still photography.Jeff

Hey Jeff - glad to hear you got the Z1! It's a geat camera. I just saw that you are from Northern Indiana. I am from the outskirts of North-East Indy (GO COLTS!), and most recently from farming country, but have been in CA for a while now. Do you video around Lake Michigan in South Bend or do you take your gear on the road quite a bit? Also, regarding the 441/Z1 combo, what head are you using on that?

Jeff Sayre · October 26th, 2005, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn Redford

Hey Jeff - glad to hear you got the Z1! It's a geat camera. I just saw that you are from Northern Indiana. I am from the outskirts of North-East Indy (GO COLTS!), and most recently from farming country, but have been in CA for a while now. Do you video around Lake Michigan in South Bend or do you take your gear on the road quite a bit? Also, regarding the 441/Z1 combo, what head are you using on that?

Shawn:

I do some shooting around Lake Michigan but most of my stuff is done in the tropics--the rainforests of Panama and Amazonian Peru. So, tripod weight and portability are very important to me.

As far as tripod head, my Bogen/Manfrotto 441 CarbonOne Video Tripod has a 3443 Bogen head. To that I attach a Wimberley head which allows me to find the best center of balance for the video camera and gives me great control over fluid motion. This head is usually used for SLRs with very large lenses. The Wimberley head weighs as much as the tripod! But, 7 total pounds is acceptable to lug through a forest.

Visit this link to see the wimberly head: http://www.tripodhead.com/products/wimberley-main.cfm

Shawn Redford · October 26th, 2005, 11:45 PM

Sorry to have you repeat all that on your head-setup Jeff. I remembered reading that post earlier and had looked at the web page, but forgot that it was your post. Very interesting head setup and even more interesting locations for shooting.

Meryem Ersoz · October 27th, 2005, 09:15 AM

your idea of foam around the cam plus a stuff sack seems workable. i have only ever packed my camera once for multi-day use (primarily, i drag it around on long day trips in a weird backpack designed for EMS, which is equipped with internal compression straps which i use to stabilize the camera in the pack), and i just stuffed my sleeping bag around it in a larger stuff sack (also waterproofed it with a heavy duty trash bag) and then corded the whole thing to the top of the pack so that nothing sat on it. this worked fine with a GL2, which is a smaller cam. it is a good question, though, and i wonder how other folks have handled this....

should work for an FX-1 and maybe save you some room and weight. for a tripod on a longer trip, i am trying to perfect my beanbag technique. now *that* is a huge weight savings.

Jeff Sayre · October 28th, 2005, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn Redford

Sorry to have you repeat all that on your head-setup Jeff. I remembered reading that post earlier and had looked at the web page, but forgot that it was your post. Very interesting head setup and even more interesting locations for shooting.

Don't worry about it. This thread is getting very long!

Yusuf Thakur · November 4th, 2005, 04:22 AM

Any one out there who does underwater, filmed dolphins, manatees etc. May have a job for 2-3 months. I do wildlife check the link below for using Nikon Lenses on the new JVC GYHD100 HDV camera.
Pls email to vfxstudio@gmail.com

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=53380

Ronan Fournier · November 8th, 2005, 05:28 AM

Hello,

I'm a french videographer, so apologize for my poor english.

I'm filming the wildlife with the Sony FX1 and editing on Final Cut 5. On my website
http://ronanfc.free.fr
you can see some samples of my work and some pictures, too. I hope you'll enjoy it !

Regards,
Ronan

Meryem Ersoz · November 8th, 2005, 10:23 AM

ronan, thanks for sharing. i got a big laugh out of your zoom-out on the squirrel pensively looking out over the vast canyon. very cute.

the fx-1 is undoubtedly the best landscape camera in its class, i think.

Bob Safay · November 19th, 2005, 06:02 AM

Maybe we should petition Chris to start a forum just on wildlife, we have one for weddings right? There are a lot of us that do wildlife for fun and maybe profit. Bob

Meryem Ersoz · November 19th, 2005, 10:40 AM

excellent suggestion, bob....this thread is unwieldy, hard to refer back to, but full of fabulous info! i think we could squeeze a whole lot more out of the topic if we could break it down into component parts. three are other threads out there, too, which could be consolidated.

howzabout it, chris?

Brendan Marnell · November 19th, 2005, 01:24 PM

Really good idea Bob. It's a wide-ranging subject within itself.

So much videography is about social or commercial events that manual focus and tripods are assumed as normal equipment. Even shooting field & track sports frequently allows pre-settings & a tripod (Example: Last week a well-publicised shot from about 100 yards of a stumbling cricketer parting company with his 3 stumps & 2 bails being scattered by a ball travelling at 85+ m.p.h. ... all items appearing in excellent focus only because manual focus was simplified by the fixed position of the point of ball-contact.)

Several on this thread have shared their delight in close-up videography and will hopefully continue to do so.

Questions about wildlife videography that interest me a lot include:
'How to get the best out of auto-focus at various distances?'
'Tips on how to shoot "run+gun" at distance?'
'How to prepare for videography among mountains, cliffs, gorges, seashore etc?'

... then there's a host of questions about equipment to use and editing the footage? (But let's not get bogged down in discussion of patience & timing & a steady hand, none of which can be learned through discussion.)

And wouldn't it be bloody marvellous if the Editor insisted that the purpose of the forum was to open up but also simplify the whole subject while attempting to identify best practices worldwide from all-comers?

Where does one begin, Chris?

Steve McDonald · November 20th, 2005, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Safay

Maybe we should petition Chris to start a forum just on wildlife, we have one for weddings right? There are a lot of us that do wildlife for fun and maybe profit. Bob

I'll second that suggestion. In addition to special circumstances regarding equipment and its operation for wildlife video, there's other areas that could be discussed.
Good locations for wildlife photo ops, both specific and general, could be shared. Those who have needed clips of hard-to-get wildlife subjects could make contact with whoever wanted them. In wildlife video, there aren't nearly enough means to get your footage into the right hands. If interested parties learned they could make contact on such a forum, the membership would grow. There's also the big topic of capturing good wildlife audio for video, which can be very difficult.

Steve McDonald

Mick Jenner · November 20th, 2005, 10:16 AM

I would love to see a forum specially dedicated to wildlife videoing as opposed to 16mm film. I am sure that with this forums worldwide membership it would be well supported. It would also enable those with a need for specific animal/bird/plant footage to contact a person that location to obtain it for you or to help you location details etc

Yep, great idea.

Regards

Mick

Meryem Ersoz · December 2nd, 2005, 04:28 PM

finally, someone read my mind and manufactured my almost-ideal backpacking tripod. i just ordered one today.

http://www.kirkphoto.com/MightyLowBoy.html

i have a question for jeff sayre. in a different post on a different thread, lauri kettunen said that the wimberley head was not a good fit with XL cams and long lenses because that combo is too heavy for a friction-based system. but you say on this thread that you are using the wimberley head. what camera/lens combination are you using on the wimberley head?

the reason i'm asking is because kirk is now making a wimberley-like head (the king cobra head) which seems sturdier than than the wimberley (at least in its photos):

http://www.kirkphoto.com/cobra.html

i have a 516 head which works well with an XL2/long lens, but it weighs a ton and is hard to pack and needs big legs. i'm thinking something wimberley-ish might work better, but the reports seem somewhat conflicting on whether wimberley heads are good with this combo or better reserved for DSLR usage only.

can jeff or anyone else enlighten me?

note to Chris: WILDLIFE FORUM WILDLIFE FORUM WILDLIFE FORUM!

November 4th, 2005, 04:22 AM	#82
Yusuf Thakur Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Dubai, UAE Posts: 68	Nikon Lens on JVC HD Any one out there who does underwater, filmed dolphins, manatees etc. May have a job for 2-3 months. I do wildlife check the link below for using Nikon Lenses on the new JVC GYHD100 HDV camera. Pls email to vfxstudio@gmail.com http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=53380

November 8th, 2005, 05:28 AM	#83
Ronan Fournier Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Paris, France Posts: 201	My presentation Hello, I'm a french videographer, so apologize for my poor english. I'm filming the wildlife with the Sony FX1 and editing on Final Cut 5. On my website http://ronanfc.free.fr you can see some samples of my work and some pictures, too. I hope you'll enjoy it ! Regards, Ronan

December 2nd, 2005, 04:28 PM	#90
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	i'm soooo happy! finally, someone read my mind and manufactured my almost-ideal backpacking tripod. i just ordered one today. http://www.kirkphoto.com/MightyLowBoy.html i have a question for jeff sayre. in a different post on a different thread, lauri kettunen said that the wimberley head was not a good fit with XL cams and long lenses because that combo is too heavy for a friction-based system. but you say on this thread that you are using the wimberley head. what camera/lens combination are you using on the wimberley head? the reason i'm asking is because kirk is now making a wimberley-like head (the king cobra head) which seems sturdier than than the wimberley (at least in its photos): http://www.kirkphoto.com/cobra.html i have a 516 head which works well with an XL2/long lens, but it weighs a ton and is hard to pack and needs big legs. i'm thinking something wimberley-ish might work better, but the reports seem somewhat conflicting on whether wimberley heads are good with this combo or better reserved for DSLR usage only. can jeff or anyone else enlighten me? note to Chris: WILDLIFE FORUM WILDLIFE FORUM WILDLIFE FORUM!

October 26th, 2005, 02:30 PM	#76
Shawn Redford Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 158	Here's a general backpacking question related to video gear. When you all go on overnight trips, where you'll need to pack camping gear and video gear into remote locations, do you use a typical backpacker's backpack (like a Gregory, Dana, Arc'Teryx, etc.) or do you use a backpack specialized for the video gear (like a LowePro Trekker II or a Kata HB-207) or something else (not including a Sherpa!)? The reason I ask is because I have Gregory Wind River (6000+ cu-in pack) and I plan to do some backpacking with the FX1 into Sequoia NP, but I'm sure it'll be either a solo trip or with one other person. Most likely, I'll have to carry the bulk or all video and camping gear. My Gregory should be able to handle that much gear (legs may be a different story), but I'll have to figure out how to pack the FX1 safely among the other gear. Right now I'm thinking of foam around the FX1 in a large stuff sack (like a Granite Gear bag). The thing I notice about the LowePro Trekker is that the backpack is so heavy by itself, and I'm not convinced that it overs that much padded protection (though clearly some) - it pretty much seems like it's just for day-hikes. So, for those of you planning something similar, how do you plan to pack, carry, manage your gear? Thanks, Shawn

October 26th, 2005, 11:45 PM	#79
Shawn Redford Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 158	Sorry to have you repeat all that on your head-setup Jeff. I remembered reading that post earlier and had looked at the web page, but forgot that it was your post. Very interesting head setup and even more interesting locations for shooting.

October 27th, 2005, 09:15 AM	#80
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	your idea of foam around the cam plus a stuff sack seems workable. i have only ever packed my camera once for multi-day use (primarily, i drag it around on long day trips in a weird backpack designed for EMS, which is equipped with internal compression straps which i use to stabilize the camera in the pack), and i just stuffed my sleeping bag around it in a larger stuff sack (also waterproofed it with a heavy duty trash bag) and then corded the whole thing to the top of the pack so that nothing sat on it. this worked fine with a GL2, which is a smaller cam. it is a good question, though, and i wonder how other folks have handled this.... should work for an FX-1 and maybe save you some room and weight. for a tripod on a longer trip, i am trying to perfect my beanbag technique. now that is a huge weight savings.

November 8th, 2005, 10:23 AM	#84
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	ronan, thanks for sharing. i got a big laugh out of your zoom-out on the squirrel pensively looking out over the vast canyon. very cute. the fx-1 is undoubtedly the best landscape camera in its class, i think.

November 19th, 2005, 06:02 AM	#85
Bob Safay Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 1,558	Maybe we should petition Chris to start a forum just on wildlife, we have one for weddings right? There are a lot of us that do wildlife for fun and maybe profit. Bob

November 19th, 2005, 10:40 AM	#86
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	excellent suggestion, bob....this thread is unwieldy, hard to refer back to, but full of fabulous info! i think we could squeeze a whole lot more out of the topic if we could break it down into component parts. three are other threads out there, too, which could be consolidated. howzabout it, chris?

November 19th, 2005, 01:24 PM	#87
Brendan Marnell Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 938	Really good idea Bob. It's a wide-ranging subject within itself. So much videography is about social or commercial events that manual focus and tripods are assumed as normal equipment. Even shooting field & track sports frequently allows pre-settings & a tripod (Example: Last week a well-publicised shot from about 100 yards of a stumbling cricketer parting company with his 3 stumps & 2 bails being scattered by a ball travelling at 85+ m.p.h. ... all items appearing in excellent focus only because manual focus was simplified by the fixed position of the point of ball-contact.) Several on this thread have shared their delight in close-up videography and will hopefully continue to do so. Questions about wildlife videography that interest me a lot include: 'How to get the best out of auto-focus at various distances?' 'Tips on how to shoot "run+gun" at distance?' 'How to prepare for videography among mountains, cliffs, gorges, seashore etc?' ... then there's a host of questions about equipment to use and editing the footage? (But let's not get bogged down in discussion of patience & timing & a steady hand, none of which can be learned through discussion.) And wouldn't it be bloody marvellous if the Editor insisted that the purpose of the forum was to open up but also simplify the whole subject while attempting to identify best practices worldwide from all-comers? Where does one begin, Chris?

November 20th, 2005, 10:16 AM	#89
Mick Jenner Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: West Sussex England Posts: 843	I would love to see a forum specially dedicated to wildlife videoing as opposed to 16mm film. I am sure that with this forums worldwide membership it would be well supported. It would also enable those with a need for specific animal/bird/plant footage to contact a person that location to obtain it for you or to help you location details etc Yep, great idea. Regards Mick