Best settings/accessories for wildlife

W

Wayazo

Member
Being new to shooting wildlife with video, I am looking for some advice on how to set up the HMC40. I have experience shooting wildlife with Nikon SLR equipment using 200mm, 400mm and 600mm telephotos. My Nikon camera metering system allows easy adjustment of camera settings to prevent over/under exposure. In some test photos I've taken with the HMC 40, I'm blowing out whites on a regular basis in auto mode. I expect I'll need to use manual mode much much more. I would also like some advice on the correct mode to be shooting wildlife. Should I use 1080i, 720, etc.

I will be taking a trip to Yellowstone in the spring where I expect to be shooting wildlife in overcast as well as full sun. Some wildlife such as bison are very tricky to meter as they are dark against a lighter background. Most of the targets will likely be 100+ yards away. Wolves will likely be 400 yards or more away. I will be shooting mostly from a tripod but there will be times when I will shoot handheld. I will need to do some panning to follow running animals or a wolf/prey chase. I'm looking for advice on manual settings, filters, and especially info from anyone who has used a 1.4 or 1.7x teleconverter lens with this cam.

I realize these are pretty broad questions. I'm hoping for some tips from someone who has experience doing this type of shooting. It took time to perfect my still camera shooting and I fully expect it will take time to learn how to properly adjust settings for video.

Thanks in advance for any information.

Bill
 
I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll give it an initial shot....

Make sure you have the Zebras set to 105% and that Zebras are shown. That way you'll see very quickly if some highlight is being blown. You can use zebras to judge exposure, BUT this is only good for adjusting for the lightest parts of the image.

IF something is in deep shadow, using zebras to adjust exposure will get the brightest part of the picture correct, but the item in the dark shadows will be wrong.


The waveform monitor is the best bet, but I've got to go to an appointment, so my explanation will have to wait....


Bob Diaz
 
Thanks Bob. I'm unfamiliar with the waveform monitor so any info you can pass on would be appreciated.

Bill
 
Bill,
I have been doing a lot of outdoor shooting recently, with wildlife being among the subjects.

Personally, I would go with the 720p60 setting (it is what I use) with all of the animated movements that go with wildlife. The resulting footage is much cleaner against the movements.

I have been using a Glidecam lately for handheld operations and it can make a huge difference if you are going to be following and shooting your wildlife on foot. With that and the built in OIS running, you can get some very stable and smooth movements in your footage. If you go this route, you may want to also consider a wired remote for the handle of the Glidecam so you can adjust your zoom from there, since I suspect you will be operating more at higher zoom focal lengths.

Fortunately, the HMC40 lens will go to >400mm equivalent zoom, so that may be enough for your needs. There are tele-extender lenses out there, but I have not tried one yet (I'm only using a wide field and a macro lens for most of my stuff).
 
As they say, a picture is worth a 1,000 words....

DSCF0001.jpg

This shot represents a normal exposure; notice how there's no zebra lines appearing in the image.


DSCF0004.jpg

The waveform monitor takes every line (left to right) and puts the brightness vertical. The brighter a line is, the higher it appears on the waveform monitor. We are seeing every horizontal line laid out on this monitor. Notice how the upper part of the lines never touches the top area.


DSCF0003.jpg

Here's the same shot, but it's overexposed; notice all the zebra lines in the areas that are overexposed. (My zebra lines are set to 105%.)


DSCF0005.jpg

The white wall on the far left of the image is close to the limit, but to the right of that, areas are just pushed against the upper line. If possible we want to avoid areas above the highest dashed line on the waveform monitor.

IMPORTANT: This isn't always possible, a very bright light or reflection may be just too bright and we have to accept that some areas in the image are over exposed. IF I was trying to get something from a dark shadow area or something back lit, the brighter area may have to be overexposed.


DSCF0006-1.jpg

This is an example of underexposure, as you can see, the brightest areas of the image fall way short of the upper solid line.


If you're shooting a wide shot and trying to get everything, you can use the waveform monitor to see the whole image, BUT if the area you really want is someone sitting under a tree in shade, zoom into the person. If they fill the frame, you can use their image to adjust the waveform monitor. When you zoom back, you will see that the sunlit areas are too bright, but the key area you want is exposed properly.

I admit, that it takes some practice to really get a feel for how to read the waveform monitor. If you record something with the monitor on (the monitor does not record to the file), and you open/close the F-Stops, be sure to say what the F-Stop is and what you see on the waveform monitor; you'll see on playback on the TV what you really recorded.


I hope this helps,


Bob Diaz
 
Last edited:
Two of the best filters you can pack are a polarizer and a split ND.
The ground in some spots of YS like at Norris Geyser basin is so bright you may want to flip the split ND upside down to darken the ground to balance more with the sky.

You can do 100 yard, 400 yard shots but my experience has been much, much closer in YS. I've had wolves cross 15 yards in front of me and coyotes hang out in fields with me no more than ten feet or so.

You need to be ready for the unexpected. I was filming sandhill cranes once from a parking lot and a little boy said mommy, look at that dog. We all turned around and a coyote had slunk up behind us looking to steal some food,

Find the spots to go to YS if you haven't been before and you won't have to worry about a converter. Hit Sheepeater cliffs for marmots, Tower Junction area for Rosie the black bear etc.

I've found oftentimes that my problem is trying to back away fast enough to compose a good shot as oftentimes the wildlife is too close.
 
Thanks for the info Kevin. Been to YNP many times to still photograph wildlife with my Nikon gear. This will be the first time I have a video cam in tow as well. I have a polarizer and ND4 for HMC40. I have several graduated ND filters for my still cams and I should be able to come up with a home made adapter to use them as well.
 
BobDiaz said:
As they say, a picture is worth a 1,000 words....


This shot represents a normal exposure; notice how there's no zebra lines appearing in the image.



The waveform monitor takes every line (left to right) and puts the brightness vertical. The brighter a line is, the higher it appears on the waveform monitor. We are seeing every horizontal line laid out on this monitor. Notice how the upper part of the lines never touches the top area.



Here's the same shot, but it's overexposed; notice all the zebra lines in the areas that are overexposed. (My zebra lines are set to 105%.)



The white wall on the far left of the image is close to the limit, but to the right of that, areas are just pushed against the upper line. If possible we want to avoid areas above the highest dashed line on the waveform monitor.

IMPORTANT: This isn't always possible, a very bright light or reflection may be just too bright and we have to accept that some areas in the image are over exposed. IF I was trying to get something from a dark shadow area or something back lit, the brighter area may have to be overexposed.



This is an example of underexposure, as you can see, the brightest areas of the image fall way short of the upper solid line.


If you're shooting a wide shot and trying to get everything, you can use the waveform monitor to see the whole image, BUT if the area you really want is someone sitting under a tree in shade, zoom into the person. If they fill the frame, you can use their image to adjust the waveform monitor. When you zoom back, you will see that the sunlit areas are too bright, but the key area you want is exposed properly.

I admit, that it takes some practice to really get a feel for how to read the waveform monitor. If you record something with the monitor on (the monitor does not record to the file), and you open/close the F-Stops, be sure to say what the F-Stop is and what you see on the waveform monitor; you'll see on playback on the TV what you really recorded.


I hope this helps,


Bob Diaz
Click to expand...

Bob, as always, great info

maybe we can have this info on some sort of stickie?
you basically explained the waveform thing to a 5yr old (me) hehe

thnx again!
 
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