F55: A new batch of 4K and HFR wildlife footage shot this fall

Doug Jensen

Doug Jensen

Carbonite Member
I shot this 4K and HD slow-motion (240 fps) stock footage at various national parks and wildlife refuges during September and October of 2015. Mostly RAW 4K, but some RAW 2K, and some 4K XAVC-I.

Camera: Sony PMW-F55
Lenses: Canon 200-400mm zoom; Zeiss 15.5-45mm zoom
Codecs: 4K RAW, 2K RAW, 4K XAVC
Grading: DaVinci Resolve


https://vimeo.com/145927938
 
Looks nice, good sticks work.. what tripod head?

Some a little bit red to my eye. Also slightly dodgy sun in the opening shot?

S
 
Thanks for the comments, very much appreciated. It was fun to shoot.
My tripod head is an O'Connor 1030D which is just barely adequate for the Canon lens, but there's no way I can work as a one-man-band and carry something heavier (along with the F55 and lenses) through the woods and wetlands.
 
markfpv said:
That was my next question... how many foot miles involved to get all those shots?
Click to expand...

More foot miles than I want to think about. Sometimes I get in the heat of the moment following an animal and stopping to shoot ocassionally as I go, and then when I'm done, I'm surprised how far I have moved. It is the walk back that is the killer, especially if it is uphill or there's no trail. It becomes all too obvious that I am not a young man anymore. I long for the days of the old Betacam-style camera like my F800 that you could throw over your shoulder with a nice fat Portabrace leather strap. Although I can attach the same strap to my F55 or FS7, the balance is all off and there are a lot of protruding parts that make it really uncomfortable to have those cameras banging against my body when walking. But all in all, I'll take a day shooting nature over just about anything else, and some of those shots will paying me back for years to come. Little seeds in the retirement portfolio garden.
 
What strap are you using Doug? I should probably have one for my FS7. Currently i use F-Stop Shinn and its a hassle taking the camera in and out, or running around in the forest with the camera in my hands.
 
I'm not using any straps at all on my F55 and FS7. I have two Portabrace HB-40 suede straps that I can put on them, but there is no way to sling the camera over my shoulder and carry it comfortably so I just carry the cameras by their handle now. http://www.portabrace.com/shoulder-strap-w-clips.html

I have to stop about every 100 yards and switch arms when I've got a big lens on the camera.
 
The FS7 - specifically with the sony viewfinder is a bit odd to sling with shoulder strap - but can be done. I think I found these because of someone posting here in the forum... but these loops definitely help and open up more possibilities with various straps. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IN3RUE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00
But I agree with Doug - protruding parts make it difficult and makes me yearn for the balance of Betacam days...

And as for "I'll take a day shooting nature over just about anything else"... man, I am ever with you on that. After a couple of days of creative directors with lofty expectations and minimal budgets or clients with large visions and no planning or time to achieve them ... I'm always happy to take a walk in the woods with (or without) my camera. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
Doug Jensen said:
I'm not using any straps at all on my F55 and FS7. I have two Portabrace HB-40 suede straps that I can put on them, but there is no way to sling the camera over my shoulder and carry it comfortably so I just carry the cameras by their handle now. http://www.portabrace.com/shoulder-strap-w-clips.html

I have to stop about every 100 yards and switch arms when I've got a big lens on the camera.
Click to expand...

Are you using non-standard viewfinder mount?

The Sony original i found i could easily twist downward, so that the EVF rested vertically against the lens. Thus it would no longer portrude. I need to do this when packing it into my F-stop.

Right now i use the Vocas bracket, and thats not twistable so i have to take the EVF off and store it (with wire attached) in a small padded pocket next to the camera.

But yeah, perhaps not the best camera or the biggest need to lug it around from a strap.
 
It is the right side of the camera that is the problem, with XLR cables, shotgun microphone, etc. that are all in the way when carried by a strap.

BTW, never break any of my camera rigs down except for the very, very rare times when I might fly with one. I need to have the camera fully-built and ready to roll the very second it is lifted from it's bag. Even with my big Canon 200-400 I never break the F55 or FS7 down into components. It saves a lot of wasted, hassle, and wear on every shoot and change of location.
 
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