Whitewater on the Animas River (Durango) with the FX6

Doug Jensen

Doug Jensen

Veteran
I stopped in Durango on my way home from NAB and couldn't resist the opportunity to shoot some whitewater paddling on the Animas river with my FX6 and 200-600mm lens. I didn't spend a ton of time on the grading, but I think it's good enough for something that was just for fun.

 
You sure know how to stay on track with fast motion. That's a lot of 3 dimensional movement to keep up with - and so close in. My most challenging shooting yet is watercross – 2 stroke snowmobiles racing on open water. I'm not quite there yet on tracking them on center without drifting my lateral motion ahead and behind them a bit. Being on their recovery boat got me closer but then I'm getting dizzy on a rocking and rolling object, shooting rocking and rolling racers.

I never paddled near that level of water and back then these playboats didn't exist. Look up "Hahn C1" of the early 1970's (Munich '72) for my barge.
 
Thanks for sharing Doug! Great shooting as always. From the other FX6 thread - looks soft :) But on a more serious note, this is the only clip I have ever seen from you that I do not care for the color. Just my opinion but the overall look is a bit posterized in nature. Kind of unrealistic in a way that always kept me away from liking Sony cameras in the past. Like the image/camera is trying too hard if that makes sense. I own an A7IV & A7sIII so I am converted from my brand stereotyping but this one fell back in time for me. Is it the FX6?
 
Charlie Ross said:
You sure know how to stay on track with fast motion. That's a lot of 3 dimensional movement to keep up with - and so close in. My most challenging shooting yet is watercross – 2 stroke snowmobiles racing on open water. I'm not quite there yet on tracking them on center without drifting my lateral motion ahead and behind them a bit. Being on their recovery boat got me closer but then I'm getting dizzy on a rocking and rolling object, shooting rocking and rolling racers.

I never paddled near that level of water and back then these playboats didn't exist. Look up "Hahn C1" of the early 1970's (Munich '72) for my barge.
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Thanks for the compliment. Having a good tripod and a excellent viewfinder can make all the difference in the world for tracking the action smoothly. What is your set up?
 
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Bassman2003 said:
Thanks for sharing Doug! Great shooting as always. From the other FX6 thread - looks soft :) But on a more serious note, this is the only clip I have ever seen from you that I do not care for the color. Just my opinion but the overall look is a bit posterized in nature. Kind of unrealistic in a way that always kept me away from liking Sony cameras in the past. Like the image/camera is trying too hard if that makes sense. I own an A7IV & A7sIII so I am converted from my brand stereotyping but this one fell back in time for me. Is it the FX6?
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I don't diagree about the color and I appreciate you pointing it out. I was wondering about the color myself. I tried to make it a little more punchy and saturated than it really was, and I may have missed the mark. Plus I'm traveling and don't have my normal monitors for grading so it is tricky to know exactly what I'm getting. If I had to do it over again I'd probably make different choices, but it is what it is. :)
 
I figured it was on your radar but seriously, it is way more important to share than feel like everything needs to be perfect 100% of the time.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Thanks for the compliment. Having a good tripod and a excellent viewfinder can make all the difference in the world for tracking the action smoothly. What is your set up?
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I'm using the FDR-AX700 I got in 2020, on an Ikan / E-image GH06 head on E-Image tandem carbon fiber legs. That's about as far as I can justify or need 80% of my video time since action and wildlife are recreational shooting. I shoot outdoors through the camera's viewfinder to deal with the sunlight. I added a 5" external monitor for my indoor interview/mini-doc projects. It doesn't have the guts to override sunlight so I leave it off for sports. I do use the 5" monitor indoors and that's the work that pays me back. I acquire these things accordingly.

My vote on the color is that you have it where I would expect it from being around the sport. The paddlers intentionally go for bright high contrast colors in their apparel and equipment so the saturation complements that. The one thing that did catch me off guard is the opening imagery of the waterfall. I take it the river water is tea colored however it's like it's missing a treatment applied to the rest of the footage to give it life.
 
Charlie Ross said:
The one thing that did catch me off guard is the opening imagery of the waterfall. I take it the river water is tea colored however it's like it's missing a treatment applied to the rest of the footage to give it life.
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Good point. That is the real color of the water, but If I had to do it again I would begin with a different shot.
 
morgan_moore said:
That AF is the thing when it comes to high speed objects and a 600mm.

(as you are correctly using)
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Okay, I understand. I know I could focus manually if I had to, but it is a hell of a lot more fun shooting when you don't have to worry so much about that chore. And it is a chore. I'm happy that AF for video, that is actually good enough to trust, has finally arrived with the FX6. After variable ND it is the best camera advancement in decades.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Okay, I understand. I know I could focus manually if I had to, but it is a hell of a lot more fun shooting when you don't have to worry so much about that chore. And it is a chore. I'm happy that AF for video, that is actually good enough to trust, has finally arrived with the FX6. After variable ND it is the best camera advancement in decades.
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No, he said you are a dillusional loser if you think you can manual focus.
 
Its the folk with the alexas and cabrios im laughing at. Those “pros” that think af is for amateur use only.
its not aupposed to be a serious comment or crticism - these are nice shots!
 
morgan_moore said:
Its the folk with the alexas and cabrios im laughing at. Those “pros” that think af is for amateur use only.
its not aupposed to be a serious comment or crticism - these are nice shots!
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No problem. I took it as you meant it, I just wasn't sure WHAT you meant at first. Sometimes it is tough to decipher your unique language.
 
Doug Jensen said:
I stopped in Durango on my way home from NAB and couldn't resist the opportunity to shoot some whitewater paddling on the Animas river with my FX6 and 200-600mm lens. I didn't spend a ton of time on the grading, but I think it's good enough for something that was just for fun.

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Action, long lens, panning, isn't this calling for global shutter? Maybe a F55 is more suitable for this? The results seem all right to me though, even though FX6 is rolling shutter on a full frame.
 
zlfan said:
Action, long lens, panning, isn't this calling for global shutter? Maybe a F55 is more suitable for this? The results seem all right to me though, even though FX6 is rolling shutter on a full frame.
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Although I'd like to re-grade it because I decided I don't like the color, I honestly have not noticed any rolling shutter issues. Do you see any? If so, which shot(s)?
 
Doug Jensen said:
Although I'd like to re-grade it because I decided I don't like the color, I honestly have not noticed any rolling shutter issues. Do you see any? If so, which shot(s)?
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I actually don't see any eye-catching rolling shutter. Your shots are interesting, my eyes focused on the expressions and actions of those athletes.

There was a big discussion/argument before about the F55's global shutter, which is an absolute important feature separating it from F5. I assume that F5 should have at least similar rolling shutter as FX6, considering F5 has a S35 sensor. If F5 is used in such a situation and operated in an expert's hands like yours, very possibly F5 will not show rolling shutter neither. In other words, F55's global shutter may have its niche, but very rare actually. This may also apply to other global shutter cameras like Red Komodo.
 
zlfan said:
There was a big discussion/argument before about the F55's global shutter, which is an absolute important feature separating it from F5. .
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I'm glad you don't see any rolling shutter atifacts becuase I don't see any either. So, if you're saying that rolling shutter is much ado about nothing, I totally agree. It is something that almost never crosses my mind. I have an F55 and a Z750 that both have global shutter but that only matters to me if I am shooting lightning or some other place where there are still photographers firing flashes. Other than those two very narrow situations it is really a non-issue with all of Sony's pro cameras. I'm not saying the jello effect is not a problem with some brands of cameras, but none of the modern Sony cameras I own have any issues except lightning and strobes.
 
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