Birding video - Beginner DSLR Video tips

Started by highway68, June 02, 2013, 06:13:17 PM

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highway68

Hello all, i am a very experienced DSLR photographer, mainly shooting events for my photography job and doing wildlife/birding as my main focus on the side.  Since i'm spending so much time watching birds and tracking them with my camera on a gimble head, i got to thinking why not invest in a tripod head and try out some video recording of wildlife since i have a great love for wildlife documentaries so i thought i would try it out and ordered a 50D.

I have a manfrotto 055cxpro3 carbon fiber 3 section tripod, an opteka gh1 cheap gimble head and a bunch of canon gear in 5D II, 50D, 100-400mm, 135mm f2, 16-35, 24-105, 85 1.8, etc.

So i'm looking for any beginner tips for recording video.  I think the next thing to get is a video head, i am thinking about getting the manfrotto 701HDV and an arcatech leveling base for around $300.  Besides a video head suggestion i have a couple more questions:

What are the best settings to use while recording?  Should i stick to manual?  Do i need to be at around 1/30 of a second or can i shoot at a faster shutter speed, like around 1/100?  If i shoot too high of a shutter speed will that not look desirable?

I just posted this in the accessory section, but is there a way to control the focus in ML using some kind of remote?  While using my 100-400mm lens and my current tripod, every gentle tap of the joystick to control the focus makes the camera shake so much.  Is there a better way i can secure my camera to the future head that i buy, like a long rail that even supports the lens at the end?  I have a feeling i am going to need to stabilize my setup even more. 

And lastly anyone have any good videos to watch, or links on recording video for wildlife or birds?  I just can't find much out there.  I am new to the video world but i actually started a job doing video editing and shot my first video job last week so i have officially caught the video bug and just looking for some guidance!  Thanks

N/A

I'll answer a couple questions.

15mm rail system with a follow focus should work pretty well. Manual is the way to go. 180ยบ shutter generally (24p, 1/48 shutter). Faster shutter will give you a sharper look but also sacrifices motion blur. Just search for stuff on Youtube, many great tutorials on there for dslr vids.
7D. 600D. Rokinon 35 cine. Sigma 30 1.4
Audio and video recording/production, Random Photography
Want to help with the latest development but don't know how to compile?

MGVISUALS

Shutter Speed: 125
Iso as low as possible
720 (50 FPS)

thats the best way to catch them on film.