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Z150: Florida Wildlife in 4K

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    Z150: Florida Wildlife in 4K



    This winter I spent most of February working in central Florida where I was able to take advantage of the nice weather and go out and shoot wildlife stock footage whenever I had some spare time. Shooting nature and wildlife at various locations around the USA is something I really enjoy. It is great when you can a make a business out of something you’d do as a hobby anyway! I am not a full-time wildlife shooter, nor do I want to be. I freely admit that I do not have the patience to trek thousands of miles and spend weeks sitting in a blind waiting for some eggs to hatch. I would describe myself as a “casual” wildlife photographer who usually spends no more than 2-3 hours on a typical outing. Sometimes I don’t even know that I’m going to go out shooting until a few minutes before I leave.

    Normally I shoot my wildlife footage as 4K RAW with my Sony PMW-F55, my O’Connor 1030D tripod, and a giant Canon telephoto lens. But that is a very heavy rig (about 45 lbs.) that doesn’t allow me to venture too far off the beaten path when I’m working by myself. So last month I decided to take out my tiny PXW-Z150 and see what I could get with a small inexpensive camera and my lightweight Sachtler FSB6 tripod. I like using the FSB6 with my smaller cameras because it provides the kind of silky-smooth pans and tilts that are necessary when shooting the unpredictable actions of wildlife. A tripod that only allows locked-down shots won't suffice.

    As expected, the smaller size of the Z150 and FSB6 allowed me to hike into some places where I wouldn’t have been able to go with my bulky F55 -- and I think I got some nice 4K stock footage that should sell very well over the next few years. In fact, based on my experience with stock footage sales, I am confident that the 4K footage I shot with the Z150 last month will ultimately justify the entire the cost of the camera and tripod. Amazing but true.

    Technical Details:
    Camera: PXW-Z150
    Codec: XAVC-L 4K UHD @ 30 fps
    (all slow-motion is 1080P @ 120 fps up-rezzed to 4K)
    Lens: 12x f/4 zoom lens that is built into the camera
    Tripod: Sachtler FSB6
    Graded in DaVinci Resolve and Edited in Adobe Premiere on my MacBook Pro

    https://vimeo.com/207652687
    Last edited by Doug Jensen; 03-11-2017, 04:56 AM.
    Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
    HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
    http://www.dougjensen.com/

    #2
    Really nice wildlife footage. Impressive results with the PXW-Z150. I noticed that this cam has a 12x optical lens which doesn't get you very close. Did you use the 18/24x Clear Image Zoom feature?
    Regards,

    Mark

    GH5, Panasonic 12-60, 14-45, 45-175, Olympus 60 macro, 75-300, Benro S6 Tripod, Rhino Carbon 24" Slider, and Edius 8.5 WG.
    Video channel: https://vimeo.com/channels/3523
    Stock Video: https://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29#1/2063

    Comment


      #3
      Gorgeous video.....makes me want to go there!

      Comment


        #4
        Nice stuff, Doug! Just remember, while you're eyeing the alligator, the alligator is also eyeing you.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Mark Williams View Post
          Did you use the 18/24x Clear Image Zoom feature?

          Thanks for the compliments, guys.

          No, I didn't use Clear Image Zoom. The image quality is already a big enough step down from my other cameras that I didn't want to introduce any additional degradation through electronic trickery. I'm not saying I'd never use Clear Image Zoom for certain situations, but not here.
          Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
          HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
          http://www.dougjensen.com/

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by captslomo View Post
            Nice stuff, Doug! Just remember, while you're eyeing the alligator, the alligator is also eyeing you.
            Very true! But my experience with gators is that the bigger they are, the more skittish they are. I can go right up to small and medium sized gators and they won't move if you stand right next to them, but the really big guys go slinking off into the water and peek back out at you before you can even get close enough for a shot.
            Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
            HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
            http://www.dougjensen.com/

            Comment


              #7
              Exceptional imagery!

              Only thing I personally dislike is the constant copyright logo.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Cary Knoop View Post
                Exceptional imagery!

                Only thing I personally dislike is the constant copyright logo.
                The only thing I like less than a constant copyright logo is people stealing my footage and using my shots in other productions.
                Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                http://www.dougjensen.com/

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Doug Jensen View Post
                  The only thing I like less than a constant copyright logo is people stealing my footage and using my shots in other productions.
                  There are better, less intrusive ways, to detect if your footage is used without permission.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Is there a link to the wildlife footage ? I seem to have missed it.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Cary Knoop View Post
                      Exceptional imagery!

                      Only thing I personally dislike is the constant copyright logo.
                      If your going to sell your footage you have got to protect it or at least make it more difficult to steal. I also sell stock footage. Before I started placing a copyright symbol on it I had footage stolen 13 times on Youtube and 2 times on Vimeo. It was very time consuming to resolve.
                      Regards,

                      Mark

                      GH5, Panasonic 12-60, 14-45, 45-175, Olympus 60 macro, 75-300, Benro S6 Tripod, Rhino Carbon 24" Slider, and Edius 8.5 WG.
                      Video channel: https://vimeo.com/channels/3523
                      Stock Video: https://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29#1/2063

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Cary Knoop View Post
                        There are better, less intrusive ways, to detect if your footage is used without permission.
                        Cary, I'd be most appreciative if you could start a new thread on that topic and let us know what they are. I'm all ears.
                        Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                        HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                        http://www.dougjensen.com/

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by ED299 View Post
                          Is there a link to the wildlife footage ? I seem to have missed it.
                          https://vimeo.com/207652687
                          Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                          HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                          http://www.dougjensen.com/

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Doug Jensen View Post
                            The only thing I like less than a constant copyright logo is people stealing my footage and using my shots in other productions.
                            Been there, done that!!! If it happens to you it is VERY expensive to persue. Even if you win in court you still have the problem of trying to collect your award. I agree with Doug. Everything I deliver has my copyright.....EVERYTHING except legal work.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Nice footage Doug!

                              Comment

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