@@GeorgeSBlonsky I can't seem to find the link for the battery in the description? Would any V-mount battery work for this configuration? What plate do you have on the bottom of the camera to connect to the battery?
Hey Seth.. apologies.. not sure where you are based but this is a UK link to the BlackMagic base kit from Anton Bauer.. Wex has brand specific kits so make sure you get the appropriate one for you camera.. included in the kit should be the base plate to attach the battery to the camera... www.wexphotovideo.com/anton-bauer-titon-base-kit-for-black-magic-1762744/
Neat solution for the battery but it raises the camera+lens from the tripod head pivot point a little which I think amplifies camera shake issues. I always aim to mount camera+lens as low on to the tripod as possible.
You're not wrong Steven at all and ideally I would have preferred to have it mounted behind the camera on a separate v-mount on the rails on its own.. with this camera in particular though I found it made it more awkward to use and also because I do a lot of filming just using the camera's own screen. Thanks for the comment. all the best to you, g
I recently found your channel, and have found it most informative, so thank you for the work you have put in. I have a couple of questions, if you have the time to answer. Firstly, how do manage without ND filters? I've been considering buying a BMPCCK Pro as it includes the filters, and I also have various Canon EF lenses for my still photography which would help with the budget! Secondly, do you have any tips for improving zooming when filming?
Hi and thank you for your comment and questions.. I do have ND's but anyway prefer mostly to shoot mostly pre-dawn and dawn and then golden hour. Living in Greece the light tends to be too harsh during the day even with an ND and I don't like the look of the shots so i avoid unless absolutely necessary. Definitely get the BMPCC Pro with the built-in NDs though as it will help and having them internally will make a huge difference to ease of use.. unfortunately it wasn't available when I bought my 6k but I would have got it had it been. Regarding zooming when filming (incidentally I do intend to make a video on this subject at some point) the simple answer is that I never do it. If you watch any wildlife documentary you will likely never see any zoom shots or at least they are incredibly rare.. simple reason being they are mostly "uncinematic".. at most what I will do is a very very gentle "push-in" or "pull-out" in the edit if the shot benefits but again this is rare. Mostly used is a jump-cut from a wide to a close or vice versa. Hope that helps some. All the best, g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thanks for such a speedy response. I had given up trying to zoom, so it sounds like I've done the right thing there! Thanks for the advice on the ND filters too
I am an amateur, but i use BMPCC6KG2 paired with Sigma 60-600mm, I am still learning as I go from the problems I face in the field...i have done two masai mara with my setup as of now... i just found your channel, would be interesting to learn new things from your setup
Nice I am setting up a Nikon Z62 with the New Nikon 180-600 lens for wildlife video. Looking at different configurations your video was very helpful. Looking for more of your videos
It's interesting to see your setup. I shoot m4/3rds so considered blackmagic cameras but went down the panasonic and gh5/6 route. I live in the UK so weatherproofing is vital! Lol. I've got a bunch of smallrig parts. I've been experimenting with a different setup with panasonic 100-400mm, so I might have another play around having seen your setup
I had Blackmagic, p4k. But I found the low light and slow motion lacking . I chose the Zcam M4, which seems to be the best low light out there. Except for the Sony A7S3.
Hi Tim and thanks for commenting.. totally agree with you on the low light capabilities. I love the image I get out if the 6k though and the slow mo is plenty for my purposes. I shall have a look at the ZCam as I don't know much about it and eventually I want to get hold of a decent low light camera. Thanks again..g
@GeorgeSBlonsky the pockets indeed have a lovely image! Their highlight retention using the 12 bit braw is gorgeous. The ZCAMS on the other hand are amazing low light cams George :-). I used the M4 to record badgers last spring at iso 51200 in near dark conditions. If you don't mind, I am sharing the link to the video here. Check the last 10 minutes if you're in a hurry. Thanks! ruclips.net/video/4hK7dzEUlCQ/видео.html
Hi George and thanks so much for all your videos. Now I am planning to to buy a "portable" setup for filming wildlife and I am doubting between your BMPCC6k and lumix GH6. I used a lot the old GH4 and really loved this camera for wildlife video. I am also doubting between sigma 150-600 vs 60-600... I will really appreciate your opinion. And anyway thank you a lot for your videos and how you help others showing your work.
Hi Raul and thank you for your comment.! It's a difficult choice to be sure..! I love the Panasonic colour and in fact my "vlogging" camera is the Lumix S5 which I love. To be completely honest I don't know much about the GH6 except that it is a micro 4/3 (I think.. please correct me if I'm wrong) I have heard that it has fantastic stabilisation and colour and is probably better in low light than the BMPCC 6K. It's a tough choice..! For your lens choice.. for me there was no question that the 60-600 was my preferred choice for that little bit wider shot. Hope of some help.. good luck with your choice and do let me know which you choose in the end. all the best.. g
Dear George / thank you for the very good content! How did you get to workaround the missing ND filters? It’s somewhat my biggest problem left with those huge fullframe telephoto lenses…
Hi Simon and thank you for your comment. I have since found a "screw on" type of variable ND filter to fit the 105mm thread of this Sigma. If you are shooting on one of the big telephoto primes it might have a drop-in filter slot at the back like my Canon 500mm f4 does. What lens are you shooting on..?
Many thanks for this video with very good suggestions for a beginner. However, I wonder why you use an external EVF instead of an external monitor, which I have seen that some wildlife photographers use?
Hi Emilu and thank you for your comment. I do actually use both as and when the situation requires. One of the reasons I like the EVF is that it gives a 3rd point of body contact on the rig which helps add even more stability especially when panning and following an animal. The truth about the EVF in my case is that the one I own is not very good and often becomes more of a hindrance than a help. When my budget allows though, I will be investing in a better quality one... Atomos Ninja most likely. thanks again..! g
Great video and very informative. Also the equipment you recommend is reasonably priced, unlike some gear that's available. I have a Sony A7IV with a 200-600 GM lens that I currently use for stills, along with various other GM lenses. I would like to get into wildlife videography, as an ex Sky sports cameraman I really miss the video side of my passion. Thanks for all the very useful tips and I'll certainly use your affiliate links
Your channel is awsome! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I got into wildlife photography this year, and now I want to start videography as well. Which variable ND filter would you recommend?
Thank you Markus..! I really appreciate you saying so 🙏 The variable ND question is a hard one to answer and also depends on your lens choice and how you intend to attach the filter to it. The quality of most filters is now pretty good so it depends on your budget too. My feeling is not to go for the cheapest but not the most expensive either if it means you will break your budget. Tiffen, Lee, PolarPro are all good brands to consider. Hope of some help..! all the best to you and thanks again... g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thank you for your answer. I still have a 82mm Freewell VND 2-32 ND here, which I just tried with a step down ring on my Sony 200-600. The lens has a 95mm front element and filter thread. Surprisingly, there is no vignetting to be seen. I'll have to test that more this weekend (loss of sharpness, contrast due to diffraction??)
Hi again Markus.. Freewell is a good German brand from what I have heard but have never used myself. For most good brands you shouldn't see hardly any vignetting at long focal lengths.. this is mostly visible with wider lenses and "screw-on" filters will always be worse for this than square filters. You might also like to have a look at this video from Gerald Undone who is a brilliant reviewer & tester... ruclips.net/video/mL-BxhQvdIE/видео.htmlsi=s41mZczwFUHeIa_h
Hello, your set up is great, I would like to know what ND filters I can adapt to this lens and still use the lens hood or some mattebox system that u recomend please
Hi and thank you for your comment..! this lens has a 105mm thread so you would need to search for that size of ND.. not many companies make this size of filter so your choices are limited and vignetting is an issue at this size.. For a mattebox I haven't done the research yet as I can't afford to buy any kit at the moment even though it is something I would like to add to this set up.. I will make a future video about this when I am able to.
So is this what you would use say for NatGeo or whoever you film for? Im very impressed with your footage. I imagined the production companies would supply gear as needed.
Mostly the Production Company or NG themselves would provide the gear they want the project to be shot on. Sometimes though they just let you know about a project they're working on to see if you already have footage they can license or for you to go out to shoot on your own in the hope of getting it licensed..
@@GeorgeSBlonsky OK. Very interesting. Always wondered about that. Thanks. I'm also interested in the BM 6K now. Cost seems reasonable and your footage looks quite a bit better than what I get out of my Panasonic GH5. Already have Tamron EF mount 150-600 I use with a Metabones adapter, so wouldn't have to invest in complete new system. Gotten pretty used to manual focus. Still could use a lot of improvement. Thanks again George. You are very good at your craft. I aspire to do as well.
You are too kind Jim.. thank you..! Before you go spending money on new kit though I would see if I could pull more quality out of the GH5.. it's a good camera and I think it might also be a Netflix approved camera (you'll need to check this) but check the settings you're currently filming with and see if there's a higher quality you can shoot at.. I had a brief look at some of your vids and you have some nice footage there. If you haven't done so already, you might also think about creating a collection of clips to upload to one of the stock agencies. It might also help to set yourself a small project to tell a full story.. doesn't have to be complicated.. and it should help you focus on getting the shots you need to tell that story so that when you venture in to the field you do so with intention.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Wow great information George. I'm in no hurry to switch out my gear, but it gets tempting as I always want better quality. The issue I encounter with the GH5 is at the highest setting, (actual 4K 4096x2304 24p) panning must be done extremely slow or it introduces stuttering/flicker. Great for static shots, but... I've read that adjusting shutter angle can help but I have not had great luck with that. Therefore I resort to UHD 3840x2160 which offers higher frame rates and much smoother panning, albeit at lower data rate & bit depth. Also slo motion not available in Cinema 4K mode.
Hey Gregg.. thanks for the question. To be honest I'm not too familiar with the 4k but I thought it had a Micro 4/3's mount..? Or are you asking how to adapt an F mount Nikon lens to the 4k's MFT mount..? If that is indeed your question I'm pretty sure that Metabones must produce an adaptor to suit. Let me know. All the best, g
Thank you for your video. I build up the same rig for my camera Sony A7 III. My question is, is there some kind of quick release I can use to put the camera body on the base plate? Thanks
Hi Isabelle and thank you for your comment. On my set up the quick release is via the v-mount battery pack.. the battery is mounted with screws to the base plate and the camera mounted on top of the battery via the v-mount which is quick release. If you don't want or need to have an external battery such as this one you could simply attach any standard Arca-Swiss mounting plate to the base plate which you can then quick release your camera from... SIRUI have a complete set-up which should give you an idea here: amzn.to/48MHNME hope of some help.. all the best.. g
Hey Michal and thx for your question. For my video rig I actually don't use a dedicated "camera" backpack... I use an old military one as I haven't been able to find exactly what I want yet. For my photo kit I use a Thinktank 40L.. cheers g
George thanks for the videos, I'm just getting into videography and they very informative. I purchased a manfrotto MVH502AH head and when I tilt it seems to creep back to level is this normal? It's not from being out of balance as it does it in both directions.
Hi Rick.. and thanks for your comment. The problem is Manfrotto who sell these as fluid heads when they are not true fluid heads. IMHO they would be more accurately described as friction heads which means they suffer this exact problem. I get the same issues with mine but unfortunately this is my budget level probably need to treble/quadruple our budgets for a head to start seeing better performance.
Hi George, thanks for the Video, Im a hobbyist only, how are you transporting your rig in your backpack? I have a Zcam s6 and have just acquired a Sigma 150-600c and keen to do some local Wildlife here in South Australia.
Hey Hugh.. thanks for the question.. to be honest.. not very well..! I have yet to come up with a decent packing solution so for the moment I simply wrap it in a large microfibre towel and fill the gaps with my other necessities.. I have to find a better solution and I’ll make a video on it as soon as I do..! Many thanks and all the best to you.. g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thanks for the prompt reply, my lens arrived today actually, so im working on my build-out, about to order the 30cm base plate, I have the lens support already and smallrig cage and rails. Your Video has been very helpful. I have wetlands walking distance to my home, so looking forward to trying it out. Its just a hobby and I mostly shoot while scuba diving, but will be easier to do normal wildlife while I build my skills. All the best!
Thanks for sharing this. I have a canon r7 with the sigma 150-600 c and was curious how you get really sharp video with your setup. I recently when and shot some cormorants out on rocks in the ocean during very wavy conditions, I was on a break water. We both were relatively static but even with focus peaking the bird was slightly soft. Awful no but short of maybe using it on social media, it isn’t really usable. My set up would be similar relative focal length with crop factor and 50fps crop factor. It looked fine on the small screen and built in ev. What would you recommend to fix this? Practice? An external monitor? Follow focus? Thanks a lot. I’m glad I found your channel as I have a dream to be a wildlife documentary cameraman, and I can learn a lot here. I’m a late starter I suppose but if you don’t start, nothing will happen.
Hey Bryant and thanks for your comment. I can understand your frustration. I recently had a client on a workshop with a similar issue on her Sony A1. Without being able to see the footage you got the truth is it can be one or more of so many factors that it is difficult to diagnose without being in the field with the camera.. and not necessarily focus. Couple of questions to ask yourself.. 1. Is it sharp when shooting stills of the same scene in the same conditions.? 2. How hot was the day..? Shooting near the ocean in rough and/or hot conditions there will be spray or high humidity or both which can cause "mist" and heat distortion which will be exaggerated at long focal lengths and give a "soft" appearance to your footage. 3. How stable was the camera.. could it be "micro-jitters"..? 4. If you were on a tripod did you turn off IS ? Follow focus in manual mode could help but you will likely need either a larger external monitor or evf to take full advantage. See if you can borrow or rent before committing to the expense to make sure it works for you. Lastly, don't worry about your age.. it's never too late to start something you love doing..! Wish you all the best, g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky thanks so much for this reply. Definitely wasn’t expecting such a reply. 1. The still photos are much better. I can’t say perfect but 95% of normal. 2. It’s super humid and hot(33degrees+) but no sun. Though I suppose the waves could have been an issue. Actually another day turned out to be a little off too. But that day it was 35 and sunny. Two days like that made me wonder. Never had so many off days though I suppose it hasn’t been so ridiculously hot. 3. It was gusty but between my video tripod and taking off the hood of the lens, I didn’t think it was. 4. IS was off. I learned that one lol. Thanks so much I’ll look into these points more and try to find the culprit. I guess it may be a little skill and heat issues. Again thanks
No worries Bryant..👍... Given the conditions you say you were shooting in, it wouldn't surprise me if it was in fact the atmospheric conditions giving you grief.
Hi Dave and thank you for your question.. I would love to be able to use ND's but I couldn't find any to fit the front element of this lens.. what I do use is a polariser which does help a little to cut down some light, but for the most part I just have to film at the lower of the dual native ISO's of 400 and then just stop down the aperture. I make up a little for the resulting lost bokeh by shooting in one of the crop modes.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky What size is it? I have a very large variable ND sitting around. I bought for my Sony lens (it was a very good one) which I sold and it’s looking for a new owner. I think off the top of my head it is 95mm. I use Cokin variable ND’s as they have (unlike most) threaded front so I can screw a lens hood to them. I really don’t understand why so many people use variable ND’s without hoods. Even the Peter McKinnon are not threaded. I am not sure if the Big ND is treaded by the way but if you are interested I will let you know.
Thank you so much.. that's really kind of you Dave..! Unfortunately mine is a 105 thread which I haven't been able to find one for. I'm with you on the threaded filters too.!
Very interesting video, thanks for sharing your experience. I've been using bmpcc4k and thinking about upgrading. either bmpcc6k pro (smaller, budget friendly) or ursa 12k (relatively big, heavy, but 4k 240 fps, 8k 120 fps, crop from 12k, negligible rolling shutter, better build quality for rough conditions), it would be used mostly from a car mount in Africa. I will be shooting in the area, where animals are hunted, so they are wary and magnification is important, unlike NP areas where you can get very close (having a very expensive filming permit). The image quality is I would say similar, but high fps is a big con of Ursa IMO. Red cameras are out of my budget. May I ask what is your opinion and what you would choose? Thanks BTW I am using the same budget EVF. There is an interesting mod that replaces the loupe part with a zacuto loupe and should dramatically increase the image size and quality. I can recommend variable 105 mm NiSi ND filters I use win my Sigma 150-600. To start recording from a handle I use Portkeys keygrip which connects to the camera via bluetooth. I prefer a wired connection, but it works well
Hey Libor.. thanks for your comment.. and especially for all the recommendations..! I shall search those out. 🙏 I've not used nor ever thought of using the URSA but from your description it sounds like it could be really good for what you need. Likewise for me the REDs are totally out of my price range. As a filming camera for wildlife I think the ergonomics of the URSA are likely to be easier to shoot with in this scenario than the Pocket. All the best to you and thx again.. g
Quick question about the manfrotto 30cm plate you are using. Would you suggest getting a longer plate in hindsight? Does it flex when mounted to the tripod? Also why don't you mount the lens foot to the plate? Would that not provide more stability and add a top handle? I'm thinking of buying the 40cm for my rig
hi there and thanks for your questions. 30cm plate is plenty for my purposes and set up so no regrets on that score. Flexing is not an issue and shouldn't be for the 40cm one you have your eye on either. Reasons for not mounting on lens foot: 1. Makes switching out lens much easier as it is not fixed with screws to the plate. 2. Lens foot and camera body + base + battery are different heights so I'd have to use some extra plate to match them adding more weight and screws making build out and break down of the set up more difficult. 3. Having lens foot on top also acts as a handle which is in a better more centre-weighted position to carry the kit in balance than if it was on camera body cage. At the end of the day your rig should be something you find easy to use for you.. so no reason why you can't use the 40cm plate and mount the lens foot as well.. like you say it should make it even more rigid than my set up. For me the weak link in stability is not the rig.. its the tripod head which I seriously need to upgrade. Hope of some help.. cheers
@@GeorgeSBlonsky great reply and thanks for the detailed answer. I'll buy the 30 and 40. It's amazon so I can return 1 if it's too much. I get it would make switching the lens easier for sure, but with the 60-600 I wouldn't be changing much anyway. Smallrig do the small rail mounts you can adjust the lens support height and directly screw it into the foot. That's what I do. Do you have Instagram?
@Gleebi ..thx for the tip re the small rig rail mounts.. I shall have a look at those ! I do do some other kinds of work too so for me I don’t always just have the 60-600 on. My IG is instagram.com/geopictorial?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ%3D%3D&
After watching your video i created a similar setup. Do you hike in with everything already attached in a backpack or do you assemble it all when you get to location?
Hi Anthony and thank you for your comment and question. I try to have the kit as together as I possibly can and usually only have the mic and external drive detached in carrying as these are the most sensitive to being damaged in transit. Having said that I have yet to find a backpack that holds it nicely and safely so it's all a bit of a workaround. Hope that helps. cheers g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thank you! That's pretty much what I did last weekend. Removed monitor and mic and put it lens down with that cover thing over the lens hood. Thanks for the reply, I was checking RUclips and online and couldn't find an answer to hiking with a camera rig.
Hello again George! I have a couple more gear related questions for you if that's alright! (Both very basic and not even that wildlife specific) 1) I'm struggling wtih smooth panning/tracking, both keeping a constant speed, and also avoiding "jerk" when I start moving the pan arm. I know the latter can be a result of camera/lens image stabilisation systems but I'm finding it even when I turn this off. Is this just a question of lots of practice, or would it make a significant difference to have a viarable-drag pan head? (Mine is fixed for both pan and tilt; Mafrotto MVH500AH). 2) When focusing with a follow-focus, do you use any sort of focus assist function in your EVF? I'm currently only using the camera EVF, and even with focus peaking on find it hard to see exactly what's in focus and what isn't, particularly for something coming towards me (e.g. a bird) - the point at which I will need to start moving the wheel as it moves towards me out of the infitinity zone, as it's still quite small in the frame at that point. My camera has an assist function where it can display an enlarged/cropped view, however being zoomed in like this makes tracking and framing more difficult and I can't toggle it on/off if I have one hand on the pan arm and another on the follow focus wheel. Perhaps an external EVF would help with both of these issues, although I'm aware of the risk of throwing money a problem that may be primarily about needing to hone basic skills! Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Hey Richard.. no worries..! 1. Smooth Panning... couple of things.. first.. keep IS turned off when the camera is mounted on a tripod like you mention. Second... always start from before the range you wish to pan across to avoid the starting jolt and always finish after the range to avoid the finishing jolt. Third you could try a technique a lot of pro's use with an elastic band (a large and "loose" band) Difficult to describe and I had intended to make a video on this but hopefully you will understand my poor description.. basically loop one end of the band over the panning arm.. whilst holding the head in the "start" position stretch the band in the appropriate direction for the pan and then release the head and let the band pull the arm across. You'll need a loose band so as the tension is not too strong and it snaps the arm across too fast and you'll need to experiment with the tension/drag setting on the head to match it. 2. Follow Focus... I have same "on screen" tools as you.. ie focus peaking, and like you, I have similar issues when the subject is small in the frame and too low a contrast for the focus peaking to latch on to. The external EVF does help as might an external monitor with a larger screen (this would be a personal choice and there are good arguments for both) Honing your skills is always a good thing and with enough practice it will become a natural movement your hands and eyes do automatically.. but having some kit (EVF or Monitor) to assist will make a massive difference in my opinion. You'll also be surprised how quickly out of practice one gets when there is a longish gap in between shoots.. personal experience..! Hope all that is of some help..! all the best.. g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky thanks George! I had indeed heard of the elastic band trick - but didn't realise pros would use it! How about when you are tracking an animal, presumably the elastic isn't responsive enough then and you just need to be very smooth with your arm? I was also wondering about your body positioning when shooting - do you have a preferred between standing and sitting or just vary this according to the situation? Also, do you find yourself adjusting the variable drag dials of your fluid head much or tend to leave them at one setting? I will keep working on it with focusing. One thing that makes it tricker than I was expecting is that my experience with manual focus photography was using manual focus film lenses with linear focus rings and I could learn the rough distance and positions by muscle memory - where as my tele lens is the more modern fly by wire type with less tactile feedback.
Morning Richard.. I've only ever used the elastic band on a static landscape pan and never to track an animal as I think that would be even more difficult. When it comes to tracking animals I think its a case of practice and more practice and having your rig set up in as ergonomic a way as possible to suit you. Mostly I shoot from a seated or kneeling position and this will vary according to circumstances.. it can be a real pain when tracking and the animal comes in to view from an extreme angle and your own body gets in the way of the pan but it's something you just have to try to adjust to at that moment. I think it also has to do with learning how any particular animal moves so you can predict and then adjust your panning with the animal... and yes.. I always adjust the friction dials to suit the scenario or animal I am intending to film so that I can move faster or slower depending. Focusing with the older cine lenses will be easier because they have a much better "throw" to bring something into focus whereas these modern lenses you only need to move the lens half a millimeter and its out.. very annoying to film with but something you will eventually get used to.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky thanks George, that's really helpful. Just so you know I've sent an enquiry about your workshops via the contact form on your website. Mentioning here just in case you don't get notified that way.
Hey Richard.. unfortunately no message came through.. I'll have to take a look at why the contact form isnt working on the website.. do you mind emailing me on geopictorial@gmail.com and I'll get back to you asap.. thx g
That’s a great question but such a difficult one to answer as there are so many great cameras now… for shooting my RUclips videos I would love to have the Canon R5C because of being able to switch from video to photo so easily I would only need one setup and not have to carry two rigs. For purely cinematic productions I would have a Red 😊
Hi, i've really enjoyed watching your videos recently. I'm considering the Blackmagic 6k Pro for wildife and documentary style shooting. I was wondering how you get on with the lack of useful auto focus and focus tracking when you are filming moving wildlife? I live in Cornwall, UK and film a lot of sea life so I spend a lot of time in salty sea air environments. I know the Blackmagic cameras aren't weather sealed so that along with the lack of focus tracking is pushing me more towards something like a Nikon Z8 (even though I can't really afford one at the moment). For instance if a pod of dolphins turned up and were jumping out of the water and moving around erratically which is what they do I think i'd struggle to get any footage in focus. At the moment i'm using an iPhone 11 and a Nikon P1000 (for social media video only) which is fine for what i'm doing especially as the P1000 has a 3000mm optical reach but i'd like to move things up a level. I'd really like to get a Blackmagic 6k pro instead of another Nikon but the issues i've mentioned are really stopping me from going ahead at the moment. What do you think? In the above video you mentioned that the Sigma 60 - 600 can effectlively become a 1000mm + when shooting in 2.7k, is this the case when shooting in any other resolutions? Also i'd love to see your end to end process of filming (including how you tackle focussing on moving subjects) through to post production and uploading to RUclips. All the best. You deserve a lot more subscribers!! I'll spread the word. Cheers, JV.
Hey JV from beautiful Cornwall.. and thank you for your comment..! The long and the short of it is that I basically only ever manually focus on the BM 6k which I achieve using focus peaking either on the back screen, external EVF or occasionally on an external monitor. Autofocus and focus tracking are to all intents & purposes non existent on these cameras so you have no other choice. Re weather sealing... again you have to make a conscious decision that you will have to protect this camera from the elements if you are going to use it in this way. It is a real pain but the payoff in image quality is at least for me worth it. You might also consider the Panasonic Lumix S5II which has hugely improved its auto focus and delivers a superb image... maybe rent one to try..? You'll have to check online somewhere (I had a quick look but couldn't find) details regarding the various crop factors of the 6K Pro.. mine is the older plain 6K and gives a crop factor of up to 3.4 times at certain resolutions. It basically changes at almost every resolution/format how much crop it applies up to a max of 3.4... I will definitely be making more vids along the lines you suggest.. hopefully at some point over this winter. I always suggest to anyone they rent and try before they buy.. these cameras are huge investments and no online review will really give you the "feels" of the camera in your hand in the field. Thanks again and all the best.. g
Many thanks for your detailed reply. I think i'll start practising manual focusing on the gear i've got at the moment. As i'm only shooting videos for social media I tend to leave it on auto but maybe it's time to practice manual focussing in preparation. I've been looking into the Panasonic Lumix S5II as well. I think what i love about the Blackmagic is the variety of lenses you can use and the image quality is exceptional. I was thinking that maybe I could use a rain/dust cover on days when there is a lot of moisture/sand in the air when i'm filming on the coast. I've seen the beautiful quality of your videos and I think i've pretty much talked myself into getting a 6k Pro.I've got loads of gear I might be able to part ex so it won't be such an outlay. Looking forward to your new videos. Cheers, JV. @@GeorgeSBlonsky
that is one of the hardest things with lenses that don't zoom internally like this one. I have found though that balancing it when zoomed half way out gives me the best all round balance I can achieve.. it's not perfect by any means but it is workable.
I have the same camera. And I am planing to by the Sigma 150-600. Do you think this lens will also stress the mount? It`s size are similar to the Sigma 60-600? Txs a lot!
What type of lens mount does Blackmagic camera and Sigma have that can be connected together? Blackmagic is probably micro 4/3 and Sigma is Canon, without any adapter? Thank you in advance. 🙂
@@natureiscoolRUclips ..thanks for the question.. the Blackmagic 6k (Super 35, 6144 x 3456 image sensor) has an EF mount which is the reason I chose it (apart from budget) as all my glass is Canon EF mount. The Sigma 60-600 is available with either Canon's EF (which is the one I bought) or Nikon or Sony mount.... cheers g
I was thinking about doing more videography but am coming across a few challenges. Usually i go on hikes with my r5 and the rf 100-500 and do primarily photos shots, but i do switch over to video more often. From what i understand, you are more stationary with videography, right? I suppose filming handheld is not a good idea. Lots of shaking and wobbling.🤔 but if that is my new aim, i am wondering, should i try filming with the eos r5 or the eos r or invest into a dedicated film camera. I was thinking about getting a used c70. Would that be any good? And another problem that i have come across is with video editing. I did a few video clips in 4k clog 3 and was not able to really edit anything, because the video wasn’t fluid. Have you got any ideas why that could be? My pc is actually rather powerful (I think) amd 5950 with 32 gb ram and an amd 6900xt. Various ssd inside. I would appreciate some of your expertise on these questions. So thanks in advance. Like i mentioned before in previous videos of yours, you seem to be the only real/realistic videographic (?) channel. So again, thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks again my friend for your kind comments.! Filming definitely requires more planning to find locations where you can set up and wait for the wildlife to come to you or where you won't spook it with your presence when you arrive in scene.. definitely harder to shoot video whilst stalking though it can be done with a lighter set up, maybe using a monopod and high frame rate to reduce the shakes and wobbles. Either of your cameras would be fine I think especially as they are both so light. C70 would be great but I would try with the other cameras first before laying out so much money. The C70 does have "pre-Rec" or "cache-rec" as it is sometimes known which is invaluable in filming wildlife. As for the lack of fluidity in your editing, it could be for any number of reasons so it's difficult to tell without seeing the original files.. it could be your computer is struggling with the 4k footage so you could try creating proxies first to see if it handles better.. there's plenty of tutorial vids here on YT for how to do this for whichever editing software you are using. Or.. if the footage itself is jumpy it might be that you have either filmed at too fast a shutter speed or the frame rate on your timeline is wrong. Hope of some help...! Let me know if you discover if it is any of those.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thank you very much for your extensive information. I will try out your suggestions. Filming is really special and as a beginner of course I am struggeling, so every single bit of information is valuable.
You are most welcome..! Let me know if there is any particular aspect of filming you would like me to cover and I might make a future video about it.. all the best to you, g
Thanks for your great video.👍 I have one more question. Do I need a different timing belt for the follow-focus for the Sigma 150-600? Because I can't find such big straps. 👋
Hi Immanuel.. I don’t use one on my Sigma 60-600.. the groves on the rubber focus ring are a perfect fit for the teeth of the FF gear.. I would assume the same to be true for the 150-600 but I’ve never used or held one so I can’t be 100% sure
Really great video, thank you. As someone who is trying to move from photography into wildlife videography (as a hobby but wanting to get good results) it's so interesting to hear what practical things need to be thought about and how you go about doing that on a budget. I had expected you to mention the ISO/low light performance of the sensor as I imagined that this would be an issue in wildlife photography for shooting at dawn/dusk. Is this a big drawback to the 4/3 platform, or is it something that I'm used to thinking about as a photographer that is of less of priorty in (wildlife) videography?
Hi Richard and thank you for your comment..! I'm happy you found it of interest. ISO and low light performance of the sensor are absolutely important in exactly the same way as for photography. Unfortunately my Blackmagic Pocket doesn't do very well at anything above 3200 so this is a bit of an issue and I would love to have a Sony FX3 for just those shots. Not mentioning it in the video was more of an oversight on my part. You can see some of the low light shooting I did in my Jackals video a couple of months ago. I don't know much about the 4/3 platform so I can't really comment on it with any authority but suffice to say that ISO performance is as important for video as it is for photography. Hope of some help... all the best to you.. g
Thansk again George. I've watched some of your other videos and they are so useful and interesting. I really like their simplicity, relaxed tone and also that they are to the point - there is so much information online about the technical factors in video making and it's useful to distill down to the most essential points for this field. From the few people I know who work in the industry, I get the impression it can be a tough one to work in. But - from someone whose work is fairly stable but doens't take them into the outdoors - what a fantastic career to have! Look forward to more content from you.
I really appreciate your comment Richard, thank you so much and it is gratifying to know the videos are of interest and use. Unfortunately what you say about how tough the industry is to work in is very true, and getting harder every year.. but... also like you say it is a fantastic career and one I so love despite the poor financial rewards and one I feel very lucky to be able to pursue. Wish you all the best, g
Thanks George. I have one more gear-nerd question, I hope that's OK. Are rolling shutter effects much of an issue when shotting wildlife? They seem to be talked about online. Is it something that is a dealbreaker when choosing a camera body or something that can be worked around/corrected in post? Thanks again for sharing your expertise
Ask as many questions as you like Richard..! To be honest I haven't really experienced the effects of rolling shutter in any big way on my kit though I don't really utilise "whip pans" where it would be most likely to show up.. most of the panning I do is fairly sedate and always at a high frame rate as I usually want the ability to slow the action down and so far it hasn't made such an impact so as to be noticeable. I think if you were to do a fast whip pan following for example a Kingfisher at a close distance it might become more apparent. Hope that is of some help.? cheers, g
Hi and yes.. it does shoot 120 fps. I have lived and worked in UK and Europe all my life so have the 25/50/100 ingrained in me, and although when shooting wildlife outdoors it makes no difference to 50mhz electricity preferred in his part of he world (only becomes noticeable when shooting in scenarios with added lighting) I also prefer the look of 25fps to 30fps for "real-time" speed so the 50 & 100 fit better into that timeline speed than the 60/120. Cheers, g
Hi Mallesh.. unfortunately not..! I would love to come to India to explore but it hasn't happened so far.. fingers crossed I will get there some day..!! I've been to your neighbours in the North though to Nepal. All the best to you.. g
Your V-mount solution is really clever. Nice setup overall.
Thank you Axel.. glad you liked..! All the best to you.. g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky I can't seem to find the link for the battery in the description? Would any V-mount battery work for this configuration? What plate do you have on the bottom of the camera to connect to the battery?
Hey Seth.. apologies.. not sure where you are based but this is a UK link to the BlackMagic base kit from Anton Bauer.. Wex has brand specific kits so make sure you get the appropriate one for you camera.. included in the kit should be the base plate to attach the battery to the camera... www.wexphotovideo.com/anton-bauer-titon-base-kit-for-black-magic-1762744/
Neat solution for the battery but it raises the camera+lens from the tripod head pivot point a little which I think amplifies camera shake issues. I always aim to mount camera+lens as low on to the tripod as possible.
You're not wrong Steven at all and ideally I would have preferred to have it mounted behind the camera on a separate v-mount on the rails on its own.. with this camera in particular though I found it made it more awkward to use and also because I do a lot of filming just using the camera's own screen. Thanks for the comment. all the best to you, g
I recently found your channel, and have found it most informative, so thank you for the work you have put in.
I have a couple of questions, if you have the time to answer. Firstly, how do manage without ND filters? I've been considering buying a BMPCCK Pro as it includes the filters, and I also have various Canon EF lenses for my still photography which would help with the budget!
Secondly, do you have any tips for improving zooming when filming?
Hi and thank you for your comment and questions.. I do have ND's but anyway prefer mostly to shoot mostly pre-dawn and dawn and then golden hour. Living in Greece the light tends to be too harsh during the day even with an ND and I don't like the look of the shots so i avoid unless absolutely necessary. Definitely get the BMPCC Pro with the built-in NDs though as it will help and having them internally will make a huge difference to ease of use.. unfortunately it wasn't available when I bought my 6k but I would have got it had it been.
Regarding zooming when filming (incidentally I do intend to make a video on this subject at some point) the simple answer is that I never do it. If you watch any wildlife documentary you will likely never see any zoom shots or at least they are incredibly rare.. simple reason being they are mostly "uncinematic".. at most what I will do is a very very gentle "push-in" or "pull-out" in the edit if the shot benefits but again this is rare. Mostly used is a jump-cut from a wide to a close or vice versa.
Hope that helps some. All the best, g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thanks for such a speedy response. I had given up trying to zoom, so it sounds like I've done the right thing there! Thanks for the advice on the ND filters too
I am an amateur, but i use BMPCC6KG2 paired with Sigma 60-600mm, I am still learning as I go from the problems I face in the field...i have done two masai mara with my setup as of now... i just found your channel, would be interesting to learn new things from your setup
Thanks for your comment Vipin I look forward to hearing about your experiences too with your set up..! All the best to you.. g
Nice I am setting up a Nikon Z62 with the New Nikon 180-600 lens for wildlife video. Looking at different configurations your video was very helpful. Looking for more of your videos
Thank you Joseph.. that should be a nice set-up..!
It's interesting to see your setup. I shoot m4/3rds so considered blackmagic cameras but went down the panasonic and gh5/6 route. I live in the UK so weatherproofing is vital! Lol. I've got a bunch of smallrig parts. I've been experimenting with a different setup with panasonic 100-400mm, so I might have another play around having seen your setup
Thanks so much and glad it was of interest to you.! All the best.. g
I had Blackmagic, p4k. But I found the low light and slow motion lacking . I chose the Zcam M4, which seems to be the best low light out there. Except for the Sony A7S3.
Hi Tim and thanks for commenting.. totally agree with you on the low light capabilities. I love the image I get out if the 6k though and the slow mo is plenty for my purposes. I shall have a look at the ZCam as I don't know much about it and eventually I want to get hold of a decent low light camera. Thanks again..g
@GeorgeSBlonsky the pockets indeed have a lovely image! Their highlight retention using the 12 bit braw is gorgeous. The ZCAMS on the other hand are amazing low light cams George :-). I used the M4 to record badgers last spring at iso 51200 in near dark conditions. If you don't mind, I am sharing the link to the video here. Check the last 10 minutes if you're in a hurry. Thanks! ruclips.net/video/4hK7dzEUlCQ/видео.html
That's very impressive Tim..!!! Thanks for sharing and It looks like I might have to check out that ZCam..!
Hi George and thanks so much for all your videos. Now I am planning to to buy a "portable" setup for filming wildlife and I am doubting between your BMPCC6k and lumix GH6. I used a lot the old GH4 and really loved this camera for wildlife video. I am also doubting between sigma 150-600 vs 60-600... I will really appreciate your opinion.
And anyway thank you a lot for your videos and how you help others showing your work.
Hi Raul and thank you for your comment.!
It's a difficult choice to be sure..! I love the Panasonic colour and in fact my "vlogging" camera is the Lumix S5 which I love. To be completely honest I don't know much about the GH6 except that it is a micro 4/3 (I think.. please correct me if I'm wrong) I have heard that it has fantastic stabilisation and colour and is probably better in low light than the BMPCC 6K.
It's a tough choice..!
For your lens choice.. for me there was no question that the 60-600 was my preferred choice for that little bit wider shot.
Hope of some help.. good luck with your choice and do let me know which you choose in the end.
all the best.. g
very thankful for your detailed description.
You are welcome.! Thank you for your comment.
Dear George / thank you for the very good content! How did you get to workaround the missing ND filters? It’s somewhat my biggest problem left with those huge fullframe telephoto lenses…
Hi Simon and thank you for your comment. I have since found a "screw on" type of variable ND filter to fit the 105mm thread of this Sigma. If you are shooting on one of the big telephoto primes it might have a drop-in filter slot at the back like my Canon 500mm f4 does. What lens are you shooting on..?
Great video and very useful information, thx
Thank you Kay.. glad you found it of use. all the best..g
Very interesting, thank you for this video George! I wonder if can connect such a viewfinder to my Canon. I need to check it out...
Hey Eero.. thank you so much..! If your Canon has an hdmi plug then you should be able to.. all the best to you.. g
I have 6D and I’m using exact same viewfinder. It’s working nicely
Many thanks for this video with very good suggestions for a beginner. However, I wonder why you use an external EVF instead of an external monitor, which I have seen that some wildlife photographers use?
Hi Emilu and thank you for your comment. I do actually use both as and when the situation requires. One of the reasons I like the EVF is that it gives a 3rd point of body contact on the rig which helps add even more stability especially when panning and following an animal. The truth about the EVF in my case is that the one I own is not very good and often becomes more of a hindrance than a help. When my budget allows though, I will be investing in a better quality one... Atomos Ninja most likely. thanks again..! g
Great video and very informative. Also the equipment you recommend is reasonably priced, unlike some gear that's available. I have a Sony A7IV with a 200-600 GM lens that I currently use for stills, along with various other GM lenses. I would like to get into wildlife videography, as an ex Sky sports cameraman I really miss the video side of my passion. Thanks for all the very useful tips and I'll certainly use your affiliate links
Thank you so much David..! That's high praise indeed coming from you..! All the best to you.. g
Your channel is awsome! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I got into wildlife photography this year, and now I want to start videography as well. Which variable ND filter would you recommend?
Thank you Markus..! I really appreciate you saying so 🙏
The variable ND question is a hard one to answer and also depends on your lens choice and how you intend to attach the filter to it. The quality of most filters is now pretty good so it depends on your budget too. My feeling is not to go for the cheapest but not the most expensive either if it means you will break your budget. Tiffen, Lee, PolarPro are all good brands to consider. Hope of some help..! all the best to you and thanks again... g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thank you for your answer. I still have a 82mm Freewell VND 2-32 ND here, which I just tried with a step down ring on my Sony 200-600. The lens has a 95mm front element and filter thread. Surprisingly, there is no vignetting to be seen. I'll have to test that more this weekend (loss of sharpness, contrast due to diffraction??)
Hi again Markus.. Freewell is a good German brand from what I have heard but have never used myself. For most good brands you shouldn't see hardly any vignetting at long focal lengths.. this is mostly visible with wider lenses and "screw-on" filters will always be worse for this than square filters. You might also like to have a look at this video from Gerald Undone who is a brilliant reviewer & tester... ruclips.net/video/mL-BxhQvdIE/видео.htmlsi=s41mZczwFUHeIa_h
Hello, your set up is great, I would like to know what ND filters I can adapt to this lens and still use the lens hood or some mattebox system that u recomend please
Hi and thank you for your comment..! this lens has a 105mm thread so you would need to search for that size of ND.. not many companies make this size of filter so your choices are limited and vignetting is an issue at this size.. For a mattebox I haven't done the research yet as I can't afford to buy any kit at the moment even though it is something I would like to add to this set up.. I will make a future video about this when I am able to.
So is this what you would use say for NatGeo or whoever you film for? Im very impressed with your footage. I imagined the production companies would supply gear as needed.
Mostly the Production Company or NG themselves would provide the gear they want the project to be shot on. Sometimes though they just let you know about a project they're working on to see if you already have footage they can license or for you to go out to shoot on your own in the hope of getting it licensed..
@@GeorgeSBlonsky OK. Very interesting. Always wondered about that. Thanks. I'm also interested in the BM 6K now. Cost seems reasonable and your footage looks quite a bit better than what I get out of my Panasonic GH5. Already have Tamron EF mount 150-600 I use with a Metabones adapter, so wouldn't have to invest in complete new system. Gotten pretty used to manual focus. Still could use a lot of improvement. Thanks again George. You are very good at your craft. I aspire to do as well.
You are too kind Jim.. thank you..! Before you go spending money on new kit though I would see if I could pull more quality out of the GH5.. it's a good camera and I think it might also be a Netflix approved camera (you'll need to check this) but check the settings you're currently filming with and see if there's a higher quality you can shoot at.. I had a brief look at some of your vids and you have some nice footage there. If you haven't done so already, you might also think about creating a collection of clips to upload to one of the stock agencies. It might also help to set yourself a small project to tell a full story.. doesn't have to be complicated.. and it should help you focus on getting the shots you need to tell that story so that when you venture in to the field you do so with intention.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Wow great information George. I'm in no hurry to switch out my gear, but it gets tempting as I always want better quality. The issue I encounter with the GH5 is at the highest setting, (actual 4K 4096x2304 24p) panning must be done extremely slow or it introduces stuttering/flicker. Great for static shots, but... I've read that adjusting shutter angle can help but I have not had great luck with that. Therefore I resort to UHD 3840x2160 which offers higher frame rates and much smoother panning, albeit at lower data rate & bit depth. Also slo motion not available in Cinema 4K mode.
Hi George. Any thoughts on adapting F Mount version for BMPCC 4K for filming?
Hey Gregg.. thanks for the question. To be honest I'm not too familiar with the 4k but I thought it had a Micro 4/3's mount..? Or are you asking how to adapt an F mount Nikon lens to the 4k's MFT mount..? If that is indeed your question I'm pretty sure that Metabones must produce an adaptor to suit. Let me know. All the best, g
Thank you for your video. I build up the same rig for my camera Sony A7 III. My question is, is there some kind of quick release I can use to put the camera body on the base plate? Thanks
Hi Isabelle and thank you for your comment. On my set up the quick release is via the v-mount battery pack.. the battery is mounted with screws to the base plate and the camera mounted on top of the battery via the v-mount which is quick release. If you don't want or need to have an external battery such as this one you could simply attach any standard Arca-Swiss mounting plate to the base plate which you can then quick release your camera from... SIRUI have a complete set-up which should give you an idea here: amzn.to/48MHNME
hope of some help.. all the best.. g
Nice video! What kind of backpack do you use?
Hey Michal and thx for your question. For my video rig I actually don't use a dedicated "camera" backpack... I use an old military one as I haven't been able to find exactly what I want yet. For my photo kit I use a Thinktank 40L.. cheers g
George thanks for the videos, I'm just getting into videography and they very informative. I purchased a manfrotto MVH502AH head and when I tilt it seems to creep back to level is this normal? It's not from being out of balance as it does it in both directions.
Hi Rick.. and thanks for your comment. The problem is Manfrotto who sell these as fluid heads when they are not true fluid heads. IMHO they would be more accurately described as friction heads which means they suffer this exact problem. I get the same issues with mine but unfortunately this is my budget level probably need to treble/quadruple our budgets for a head to start seeing better performance.
Hi George, thanks for the Video, Im a hobbyist only, how are you transporting your rig in your backpack? I have a Zcam s6 and have just acquired a Sigma 150-600c and keen to do some local Wildlife here in South Australia.
Hey Hugh.. thanks for the question.. to be honest.. not very well..! I have yet to come up with a decent packing solution so for the moment I simply wrap it in a large microfibre towel and fill the gaps with my other necessities.. I have to find a better solution and I’ll make a video on it as soon as I do..! Many thanks and all the best to you.. g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thanks for the prompt reply, my lens arrived today actually, so im working on my build-out, about to order the 30cm base plate, I have the lens support already and smallrig cage and rails. Your Video has been very helpful.
I have wetlands walking distance to my home, so looking forward to trying it out. Its just a hobby and I mostly shoot while scuba diving, but will be easier to do normal wildlife while I build my skills. All the best!
That was great, thank you.
You're very welcome! thank you, g
Thanks for sharing this.
I have a canon r7 with the sigma 150-600 c and was curious how you get really sharp video with your setup. I recently when and shot some cormorants out on rocks in the ocean during very wavy conditions, I was on a break water. We both were relatively static but even with focus peaking the bird was slightly soft. Awful no but short of maybe using it on social media, it isn’t really usable. My set up would be similar relative focal length with crop factor and 50fps crop factor. It looked fine on the small screen and built in ev. What would you recommend to fix this? Practice? An external monitor? Follow focus?
Thanks a lot. I’m glad I found your channel as I have a dream to be a wildlife documentary cameraman, and I can learn a lot here. I’m a late starter I suppose but if you don’t start, nothing will happen.
Hey Bryant and thanks for your comment. I can understand your frustration. I recently had a client on a workshop with a similar issue on her Sony A1. Without being able to see the footage you got the truth is it can be one or more of so many factors that it is difficult to diagnose without being in the field with the camera.. and not necessarily focus.
Couple of questions to ask yourself..
1. Is it sharp when shooting stills of the same scene in the same conditions.?
2. How hot was the day..? Shooting near the ocean in rough and/or hot conditions there will be spray or high humidity or both which can cause "mist" and heat distortion which will be exaggerated at long focal lengths and give a "soft" appearance to your footage.
3. How stable was the camera.. could it be "micro-jitters"..?
4. If you were on a tripod did you turn off IS ?
Follow focus in manual mode could help but you will likely need either a larger external monitor or evf to take full advantage. See if you can borrow or rent before committing to the expense to make sure it works for you.
Lastly, don't worry about your age.. it's never too late to start something you love doing..!
Wish you all the best, g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky thanks so much for this reply. Definitely wasn’t expecting such a reply.
1. The still photos are much better. I can’t say perfect but 95% of normal.
2. It’s super humid and hot(33degrees+) but no sun. Though I suppose the waves could have been an issue. Actually another day turned out to be a little off too. But that day it was 35 and sunny. Two days like that made me wonder. Never had so many off days though I suppose it hasn’t been so ridiculously hot.
3. It was gusty but between my video tripod and taking off the hood of the lens, I didn’t think it was.
4. IS was off. I learned that one lol.
Thanks so much I’ll look into these points more and try to find the culprit. I guess it may be a little skill and heat issues.
Again thanks
No worries Bryant..👍... Given the conditions you say you were shooting in, it wouldn't surprise me if it was in fact the atmospheric conditions giving you grief.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky thanks so much
Thank you for the informative video. One thing I did wonder is do you use an ND filter at all and if not what exposure do you use?
Hi Dave and thank you for your question.. I would love to be able to use ND's but I couldn't find any to fit the front element of this lens.. what I do use is a polariser which does help a little to cut down some light, but for the most part I just have to film at the lower of the dual native ISO's of 400 and then just stop down the aperture. I make up a little for the resulting lost bokeh by shooting in one of the crop modes.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky What size is it? I have a very large variable ND sitting around. I bought for my Sony lens (it was a very good one) which I sold and it’s looking for a new owner. I think off the top of my head it is 95mm.
I use Cokin variable ND’s as they have (unlike most) threaded front so I can screw a lens hood to them. I really don’t understand why so many people use variable ND’s without hoods. Even the Peter McKinnon are not threaded. I am not sure if the Big ND is treaded by the way but if you are interested I will let you know.
Thank you so much.. that's really kind of you Dave..! Unfortunately mine is a 105 thread which I haven't been able to find one for. I'm with you on the threaded filters too.!
@@GeorgeSBlonsky That’s shame as it needs a good home.
🙏👍
Very interesting video, thanks for sharing your experience. I've been using bmpcc4k and thinking about upgrading. either bmpcc6k pro (smaller, budget friendly) or ursa 12k (relatively big, heavy, but 4k 240 fps, 8k 120 fps, crop from 12k, negligible rolling shutter, better build quality for rough conditions), it would be used mostly from a car mount in Africa. I will be shooting in the area, where animals are hunted, so they are wary and magnification is important, unlike NP areas where you can get very close (having a very expensive filming permit). The image quality is I would say similar, but high fps is a big con of Ursa IMO. Red cameras are out of my budget. May I ask what is your opinion and what you would choose? Thanks
BTW I am using the same budget EVF. There is an interesting mod that replaces the loupe part with a zacuto loupe and should dramatically increase the image size and quality.
I can recommend variable 105 mm NiSi ND filters I use win my Sigma 150-600.
To start recording from a handle I use Portkeys keygrip which connects to the camera via bluetooth. I prefer a wired connection, but it works well
Hey Libor.. thanks for your comment.. and especially for all the recommendations..! I shall search those out. 🙏
I've not used nor ever thought of using the URSA but from your description it sounds like it could be really good for what you need. Likewise for me the REDs are totally out of my price range. As a filming camera for wildlife I think the ergonomics of the URSA are likely to be easier to shoot with in this scenario than the Pocket. All the best to you and thx again.. g
Quick question about the manfrotto 30cm plate you are using. Would you suggest getting a longer plate in hindsight? Does it flex when mounted to the tripod? Also why don't you mount the lens foot to the plate? Would that not provide more stability and add a top handle? I'm thinking of buying the 40cm for my rig
hi there and thanks for your questions.
30cm plate is plenty for my purposes and set up so no regrets on that score. Flexing is not an issue and shouldn't be for the 40cm one you have your eye on either.
Reasons for not mounting on lens foot:
1. Makes switching out lens much easier as it is not fixed with screws to the plate.
2. Lens foot and camera body + base + battery are different heights so I'd have to use some extra plate to match them adding more weight and screws making build out and break down of the set up more difficult.
3. Having lens foot on top also acts as a handle which is in a better more centre-weighted position to carry the kit in balance than if it was on camera body cage.
At the end of the day your rig should be something you find easy to use for you.. so no reason why you can't use the 40cm plate and mount the lens foot as well.. like you say it should make it even more rigid than my set up.
For me the weak link in stability is not the rig.. its the tripod head which I seriously need to upgrade.
Hope of some help.. cheers
@@GeorgeSBlonsky great reply and thanks for the detailed answer. I'll buy the 30 and 40. It's amazon so I can return 1 if it's too much.
I get it would make switching the lens easier for sure, but with the 60-600 I wouldn't be changing much anyway. Smallrig do the small rail mounts you can adjust the lens support height and directly screw it into the foot. That's what I do. Do you have Instagram?
@Gleebi ..thx for the tip re the small rig rail mounts.. I shall have a look at those ! I do do some other kinds of work too so for me I don’t always just have the 60-600 on. My IG is instagram.com/geopictorial?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ%3D%3D&
After watching your video i created a similar setup.
Do you hike in with everything already attached in a backpack or do you assemble it all when you get to location?
Hi Anthony and thank you for your comment and question. I try to have the kit as together as I possibly can and usually only have the mic and external drive detached in carrying as these are the most sensitive to being damaged in transit. Having said that I have yet to find a backpack that holds it nicely and safely so it's all a bit of a workaround. Hope that helps. cheers g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thank you! That's pretty much what I did last weekend. Removed monitor and mic and put it lens down with that cover thing over the lens hood.
Thanks for the reply, I was checking RUclips and online and couldn't find an answer to hiking with a camera rig.
That's pretty much been my experience too so when I do find a solution you can be sure I'll be making a video about it..! Thanks again Anthony... g
Hello again George! I have a couple more gear related questions for you if that's alright! (Both very basic and not even that wildlife specific)
1) I'm struggling wtih smooth panning/tracking, both keeping a constant speed, and also avoiding "jerk" when I start moving the pan arm. I know the latter can be a result of camera/lens image stabilisation systems but I'm finding it even when I turn this off. Is this just a question of lots of practice, or would it make a significant difference to have a viarable-drag pan head? (Mine is fixed for both pan and tilt; Mafrotto MVH500AH).
2) When focusing with a follow-focus, do you use any sort of focus assist function in your EVF? I'm currently only using the camera EVF, and even with focus peaking on find it hard to see exactly what's in focus and what isn't, particularly for something coming towards me (e.g. a bird) - the point at which I will need to start moving the wheel as it moves towards me out of the infitinity zone, as it's still quite small in the frame at that point. My camera has an assist function where it can display an enlarged/cropped view, however being zoomed in like this makes tracking and framing more difficult and I can't toggle it on/off if I have one hand on the pan arm and another on the follow focus wheel.
Perhaps an external EVF would help with both of these issues, although I'm aware of the risk of throwing money a problem that may be primarily about needing to hone basic skills! Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Hey Richard.. no worries..!
1. Smooth Panning... couple of things.. first.. keep IS turned off when the camera is mounted on a tripod like you mention. Second... always start from before the range you wish to pan across to avoid the starting jolt and always finish after the range to avoid the finishing jolt. Third you could try a technique a lot of pro's use with an elastic band (a large and "loose" band) Difficult to describe and I had intended to make a video on this but hopefully you will understand my poor description.. basically loop one end of the band over the panning arm.. whilst holding the head in the "start" position stretch the band in the appropriate direction for the pan and then release the head and let the band pull the arm across. You'll need a loose band so as the tension is not too strong and it snaps the arm across too fast and you'll need to experiment with the tension/drag setting on the head to match it.
2. Follow Focus... I have same "on screen" tools as you.. ie focus peaking, and like you, I have similar issues when the subject is small in the frame and too low a contrast for the focus peaking to latch on to. The external EVF does help as might an external monitor with a larger screen (this would be a personal choice and there are good arguments for both)
Honing your skills is always a good thing and with enough practice it will become a natural movement your hands and eyes do automatically.. but having some kit (EVF or Monitor) to assist will make a massive difference in my opinion. You'll also be surprised how quickly out of practice one gets when there is a longish gap in between shoots.. personal experience..!
Hope all that is of some help..! all the best.. g
@@GeorgeSBlonsky thanks George! I had indeed heard of the elastic band trick - but didn't realise pros would use it! How about when you are tracking an animal, presumably the elastic isn't responsive enough then and you just need to be very smooth with your arm? I was also wondering about your body positioning when shooting - do you have a preferred between standing and sitting or just vary this according to the situation?
Also, do you find yourself adjusting the variable drag dials of your fluid head much or tend to leave them at one setting?
I will keep working on it with focusing. One thing that makes it tricker than I was expecting is that my experience with manual focus photography was using manual focus film lenses with linear focus rings and I could learn the rough distance and positions by muscle memory - where as my tele lens is the more modern fly by wire type with less tactile feedback.
Morning Richard.. I've only ever used the elastic band on a static landscape pan and never to track an animal as I think that would be even more difficult. When it comes to tracking animals I think its a case of practice and more practice and having your rig set up in as ergonomic a way as possible to suit you. Mostly I shoot from a seated or kneeling position and this will vary according to circumstances.. it can be a real pain when tracking and the animal comes in to view from an extreme angle and your own body gets in the way of the pan but it's something you just have to try to adjust to at that moment. I think it also has to do with learning how any particular animal moves so you can predict and then adjust your panning with the animal... and yes.. I always adjust the friction dials to suit the scenario or animal I am intending to film so that I can move faster or slower depending.
Focusing with the older cine lenses will be easier because they have a much better "throw" to bring something into focus whereas these modern lenses you only need to move the lens half a millimeter and its out.. very annoying to film with but something you will eventually get used to.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky thanks George, that's really helpful. Just so you know I've sent an enquiry about your workshops via the contact form on your website. Mentioning here just in case you don't get notified that way.
Hey Richard.. unfortunately no message came through.. I'll have to take a look at why the contact form isnt working on the website.. do you mind emailing me on geopictorial@gmail.com and I'll get back to you asap.. thx g
Very elaborately explained. Really helpful indeed. Have a question for you, if budget was not a constraint which camera would you go for? :)
That’s a great question but such a difficult one to answer as there are so many great cameras now… for shooting my RUclips videos I would love to have the Canon R5C because of being able to switch from video to photo so easily I would only need one setup and not have to carry two rigs. For purely cinematic productions I would have a Red 😊
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Yes. That's my dream camera too. Hope you have them soon!
Thank you..!! I wish the same for you too 😊
Hi, i've really enjoyed watching your videos recently. I'm considering the Blackmagic 6k Pro for wildife and documentary style shooting. I was wondering how you get on with the lack of useful auto focus and focus tracking when you are filming moving wildlife? I live in Cornwall, UK and film a lot of sea life so I spend a lot of time in salty sea air environments. I know the Blackmagic cameras aren't weather sealed so that along with the lack of focus tracking is pushing me more towards something like a Nikon Z8 (even though I can't really afford one at the moment). For instance if a pod of dolphins turned up and were jumping out of the water and moving around erratically which is what they do I think i'd struggle to get any footage in focus. At the moment i'm using an iPhone 11 and a Nikon P1000 (for social media video only) which is fine for what i'm doing especially as the P1000 has a 3000mm optical reach but i'd like to move things up a level. I'd really like to get a Blackmagic 6k pro instead of another Nikon but the issues i've mentioned are really stopping me from going ahead at the moment. What do you think?
In the above video you mentioned that the Sigma 60 - 600 can effectlively become a 1000mm + when shooting in 2.7k, is this the case when shooting in any other resolutions?
Also i'd love to see your end to end process of filming (including how you tackle focussing on moving subjects) through to post production and uploading to RUclips. All the best. You deserve a lot more subscribers!! I'll spread the word. Cheers, JV.
Hey JV from beautiful Cornwall.. and thank you for your comment..!
The long and the short of it is that I basically only ever manually focus on the BM 6k which I achieve using focus peaking either on the back screen, external EVF or occasionally on an external monitor. Autofocus and focus tracking are to all intents & purposes non existent on these cameras so you have no other choice. Re weather sealing... again you have to make a conscious decision that you will have to protect this camera from the elements if you are going to use it in this way. It is a real pain but the payoff in image quality is at least for me worth it. You might also consider the Panasonic Lumix S5II which has hugely improved its auto focus and delivers a superb image... maybe rent one to try..?
You'll have to check online somewhere (I had a quick look but couldn't find) details regarding the various crop factors of the 6K Pro.. mine is the older plain 6K and gives a crop factor of up to 3.4 times at certain resolutions. It basically changes at almost every resolution/format how much crop it applies up to a max of 3.4...
I will definitely be making more vids along the lines you suggest.. hopefully at some point over this winter.
I always suggest to anyone they rent and try before they buy.. these cameras are huge investments and no online review will really give you the "feels" of the camera in your hand in the field.
Thanks again and all the best.. g
Many thanks for your detailed reply. I think i'll start practising manual focusing on the gear i've got at the moment. As i'm only shooting videos for social media I tend to leave it on auto but maybe it's time to practice manual focussing in preparation. I've been looking into the Panasonic Lumix S5II as well. I think what i love about the Blackmagic is the variety of lenses you can use and the image quality is exceptional. I was thinking that maybe I could use a rain/dust cover on days when there is a lot of moisture/sand in the air when i'm filming on the coast. I've seen the beautiful quality of your videos and I think i've pretty much talked myself into getting a 6k Pro.I've got loads of gear I might be able to part ex so it won't be such an outlay. Looking forward to your new videos. Cheers, JV. @@GeorgeSBlonsky
Thanks for sharing! When filming with this lens, do you find that the tripod balance gets off when the lens is extended ?
that is one of the hardest things with lenses that don't zoom internally like this one. I have found though that balancing it when zoomed half way out gives me the best all round balance I can achieve.. it's not perfect by any means but it is workable.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky makes sense! That’s the only thing holding me back from buying this lens.
I have the same camera. And I am planing to by the Sigma 150-600. Do you think this lens will also stress the mount? It`s size are similar to the Sigma 60-600? Txs a lot!
Hi Manuel.. I think they are very close in size and weight so yes.. it could stress the lens mount
What type of lens mount does Blackmagic camera and Sigma have that can be connected together? Blackmagic is probably micro 4/3 and Sigma is Canon, without any adapter? Thank you in advance. 🙂
@@natureiscoolRUclips ..thanks for the question.. the Blackmagic 6k (Super 35, 6144 x 3456 image sensor) has an EF mount which is the reason I chose it (apart from budget) as all my glass is Canon EF mount. The Sigma 60-600 is available with either Canon's EF (which is the one I bought) or Nikon or Sony mount.... cheers g
I was thinking about doing more videography but am coming across a few challenges. Usually i go on hikes with my r5 and the rf 100-500 and do primarily photos shots, but i do switch over to video more often. From what i understand, you are more stationary with videography, right? I suppose filming handheld is not a good idea. Lots of shaking and wobbling.🤔 but if that is my new aim, i am wondering, should i try filming with the eos r5 or the eos r or invest into a dedicated film camera. I was thinking about getting a used c70. Would that be any good? And another problem that i have come across is with video editing. I did a few video clips in 4k clog 3 and was not able to really edit anything, because the video wasn’t fluid. Have you got any ideas why that could be? My pc is actually rather powerful (I think) amd 5950 with 32 gb ram and an amd 6900xt. Various ssd inside. I would appreciate some of your expertise on these questions. So thanks in advance. Like i mentioned before in previous videos of yours, you seem to be the only real/realistic videographic (?) channel. So again, thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks again my friend for your kind comments.!
Filming definitely requires more planning to find locations where you can set up and wait for the wildlife to come to you or where you won't spook it with your presence when you arrive in scene.. definitely harder to shoot video whilst stalking though it can be done with a lighter set up, maybe using a monopod and high frame rate to reduce the shakes and wobbles. Either of your cameras would be fine I think especially as they are both so light. C70 would be great but I would try with the other cameras first before laying out so much money. The C70 does have "pre-Rec" or "cache-rec" as it is sometimes known which is invaluable in filming wildlife.
As for the lack of fluidity in your editing, it could be for any number of reasons so it's difficult to tell without seeing the original files.. it could be your computer is struggling with the 4k footage so you could try creating proxies first to see if it handles better.. there's plenty of tutorial vids here on YT for how to do this for whichever editing software you are using. Or.. if the footage itself is jumpy it might be that you have either filmed at too fast a shutter speed or the frame rate on your timeline is wrong.
Hope of some help...! Let me know if you discover if it is any of those.
@@GeorgeSBlonsky Thank you very much for your extensive information. I will try out your suggestions. Filming is really special and as a beginner of course I am struggeling, so every single bit of information is valuable.
You are most welcome..! Let me know if there is any particular aspect of filming you would like me to cover and I might make a future video about it.. all the best to you, g
Thanks for your great video.👍 I have one more question. Do I need a different timing belt for the follow-focus for the Sigma 150-600? Because I can't find such big straps. 👋
Hi Immanuel.. I don’t use one on my Sigma 60-600.. the groves on the rubber focus ring are a perfect fit for the teeth of the FF gear.. I would assume the same to be true for the 150-600 but I’ve never used or held one so I can’t be 100% sure
@@GeorgeSBlonsky ok thank you very much. I'll see when the follow focus has arrived...
George, what is the name of the EVF thanks
Hey Bob.. it’s the Portkeys LEYE.. I think they’re on version III now. All the best.. g
Really great video, thank you. As someone who is trying to move from photography into wildlife videography (as a hobby but wanting to get good results) it's so interesting to hear what practical things need to be thought about and how you go about doing that on a budget. I had expected you to mention the ISO/low light performance of the sensor as I imagined that this would be an issue in wildlife photography for shooting at dawn/dusk. Is this a big drawback to the 4/3 platform, or is it something that I'm used to thinking about as a photographer that is of less of priorty in (wildlife) videography?
Hi Richard and thank you for your comment..! I'm happy you found it of interest. ISO and low light performance of the sensor are absolutely important in exactly the same way as for photography. Unfortunately my Blackmagic Pocket doesn't do very well at anything above 3200 so this is a bit of an issue and I would love to have a Sony FX3 for just those shots. Not mentioning it in the video was more of an oversight on my part. You can see some of the low light shooting I did in my Jackals video a couple of months ago.
I don't know much about the 4/3 platform so I can't really comment on it with any authority but suffice to say that ISO performance is as important for video as it is for photography.
Hope of some help... all the best to you.. g
Thansk again George. I've watched some of your other videos and they are so useful and interesting. I really like their simplicity, relaxed tone and also that they are to the point - there is so much information online about the technical factors in video making and it's useful to distill down to the most essential points for this field.
From the few people I know who work in the industry, I get the impression it can be a tough one to work in. But - from someone whose work is fairly stable but doens't take them into the outdoors - what a fantastic career to have! Look forward to more content from you.
I really appreciate your comment Richard, thank you so much and it is gratifying to know the videos are of interest and use.
Unfortunately what you say about how tough the industry is to work in is very true, and getting harder every year.. but... also like you say it is a fantastic career and one I so love despite the poor financial rewards and one I feel very lucky to be able to pursue.
Wish you all the best, g
Thanks George. I have one more gear-nerd question, I hope that's OK. Are rolling shutter effects much of an issue when shotting wildlife? They seem to be talked about online. Is it something that is a dealbreaker when choosing a camera body or something that can be worked around/corrected in post?
Thanks again for sharing your expertise
Ask as many questions as you like Richard..!
To be honest I haven't really experienced the effects of rolling shutter in any big way on my kit though I don't really utilise "whip pans" where it would be most likely to show up.. most of the panning I do is fairly sedate and always at a high frame rate as I usually want the ability to slow the action down and so far it hasn't made such an impact so as to be noticeable. I think if you were to do a fast whip pan following for example a Kingfisher at a close distance it might become more apparent. Hope that is of some help.? cheers, g
Doesn't shoot in 120fps ?
Hi and yes.. it does shoot 120 fps. I have lived and worked in UK and Europe all my life so have the 25/50/100 ingrained in me, and although when shooting wildlife outdoors it makes no difference to 50mhz electricity preferred in his part of he world (only becomes noticeable when shooting in scenarios with added lighting) I also prefer the look of 25fps to 30fps for "real-time" speed so the 50 & 100 fit better into that timeline speed than the 60/120. Cheers, g
Have you ever worked in India
Hi Mallesh.. unfortunately not..! I would love to come to India to explore but it hasn't happened so far.. fingers crossed I will get there some day..!! I've been to your neighbours in the North though to Nepal. All the best to you.. g