Filming Wildlife | 6 Tips to Instantly Improve!
There's a lot of things to think about when filming wildlife. Here are 6 tips that can instantly help you get better footage and achieve more consistent results when filming birds and wildlife.
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Table of Contents
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Manual Focus
2:19 - Slow Motion
3:30 - Zoom Lens
4:20 - Crops and Zooms
5:11 - Tripod
6:01 - Sound Design
8:09 - Outro
Your low key demeanor makes listening, and I hope learning, a very enjoyable experience. And, of course, your photography is wonderful.
That means a lot! Thanks so much!
Excellent presentation again Stefano ! Thanks for sharing
that shot where you can see the singing bird's breath is precious! great tips, thank you!
Some great tips thanks for making the time to create such a great vid
This is very informative. Your knowledge and experience is evident. Thanks for sharing.
This was such a helpful video. Thank you!
Really enjoy your videos, Stefano - keep up the good work! Cheers from Denmark :-)
Your channel and videos convinced me to give wildlife videography a shot and now I'm hooked! Thanks for these awesome videos.
Thank you. Very useful information shared !!
Stefano thanks so much for this video!!! I'm beginning to dive into the video side of wildlife and outdoors and took some quality info from this
So happy to help! Good luck with everything 😁
Thank you, Great video advice!
Very helpful tips. Thanks.
Thanks for the great tips
Fantastic tips as always!
thank you so much. very helpful video.
Great video. A lot of nice tips in this. Just what I needed.
It’s a good day when Stefano uploads ✨
Thank you! 😄
Thank you so much Stefano, I did learn a lot from your video. Your presentation is nice, clear, gorgeous picture and cool bird footage. Fr Canada
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!
Really enjoyed this video with your very useful tips. I am mainly a still photography buff but would like to start experimenting with video. I have the A7iii like you and getting ready to pull the trigger on the Sony 200-600 getting prepared for several national parks in the spring.
Very helpful lessons 👌 👏
Fantastic video as always 🙂 I really liked the tip about clearing the area below my feet, such a simple step that I just have never thought of!
Thank you! Depending on the mic, it can pick up on a lot of noises behind the camera. I have a few shots with my breathing because my face was right up against the LCD screen while recording 🤦♂️😅
@@StefanoIaniro ha, yea I have been trying my hand at some wildlife video lately with a shotgun mic and I've been getting the birds but also my stepping on ice constantly ruining it 😅 too cold to stand still these days
Hahaha, yup! I filmed this tutorial in -20°C so winter is definitely on its way!
Great tutorial! TY!!!
Very good tips! Thank you!!!
Great video thanks for sharing
It was very helpful. Thank you.
It's a great video, thank you very much. I will look at the Tips for editing.
been waiting for this one!
Yay! Sadly I had a whole series planned abroad revolved around wildlife filmmaking, but 2020 had other plans 😅
Incredible video! Very useful tips, thank you so much
Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Fantastic - thank you.
Nice tips, thanks.
Bro!!! Been waiting for your video! Happy new year
Happy New Year buddy! 🎉
Excellent video with very practical tips! Sound design will be a crucial skill, right after video editing.
Thanks so much! 😁
Thank you for your good tips. I learned a lot today!
Happy to hear, thanks!
Great overview Stefano!
Thank you! 🙂
Great tips Stefano! Very useful for me, I've not been using the internal zooms at all!
Thanks so much! Happy to help 🙂
Good solid advice my friend.
Happy 2021 everybody! Watch Part 2 of this video here: kzhead.info/sun/dducktBwb6itfok/bejne.html Happy Birding!
Which software do u use?...and how do u edit?
I'm using Adobe Premiere Pro@ I'll show my workflow in that software in part 2 :)
I have always wondered how to record audio with 120fps (slowmo), is it always all foley? Loved the video btw! :)
Great tips!! Thank you very much. I am learning so much from your video.
I'm so glad! Thank you!
Sure that I have learned some tips esp. the slow motion one and the sound captured. Thanks a lot of your video.
Happy to hear! Thanks for watching!
This is very interesting. Thanks!
Man that'll really help me! Thanks alot!
Some good tips. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed!
Happy New Year. Very useful tips. Cheers.
Thanks! Happy New Year to you, as well!
Another great video! What 2-3 tripods would you recommend at various prices/portability? Thanks!
Fantastic info Stefano. Now that I just retired I, my plan this summer is to start filming wildlife so I really appreciate this video.
Thanks so much. And congrats on the retirement! Goodluck with the wildlife!
Hi from Orleans (east end Ottawa) Its funny that one of my New Year's photography resolutions is to begin (actually return as I was in film school in the 80's) adding video clips to my photography. This was a great introduction to considerations as I start. Thanks.
That's great! So happy to help. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Really helpful
Some great wildlife filming tips Stefano. I always use a tripod for the stability and to get smooth footage. Good point with the audio too; poor audio can really ruin good visuals so I use a combo of an external Rode shotgun mic and a Zoom H1 which I carry round with me & record some stock audio that can be dropped in over footage later.
Thank you! And that's a great setup. My next purchase is likely a larger shotgun mic to compliment my smaller one. Love the Zoom field recorders, so handy!
Great video and nice tips. Love the custom button tip, I mostly shoot manual but with this new tech of animal eye tracking this will be a great option.
Thank you! I'm so curious to see what cameras will be like in 10 years. They just keep getting better and better!
@@StefanoIaniro Very True. I was also wondering if you tried any variable ND filters on 200-600.
@@KIRANGHADGE Not on the 200-600, but I have tried it on the Sigma 100-400. It does the trick but the I need to find some higher quality ones. The current model of variable ND I have messes with colors a little bit too much.
@@StefanoIaniro Sure, Thanks. There are few good options but 95mm makes it difficult. Let's hope for new options.
Can’t wait for next weeks too!
Me too 😀
Un gran vídeo y con unos consejos muy buenos, espero que este recién año 2021 venga cargado de ilusión y volvamos a disfrutar de todo lo que perdimos. Un saludo Stefano
Thanks so much! I'm really hoping for the same! Happy new year :)
Superb @stefano.....u really inspire us
Happy to help! Thank you!
Slow motion tip is great!
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks 🙂
Great video. Do you have a tutorial on video of birds in flight? Especially how to use your tripod and what type of pan head to use. If not do you plan on doing one? You use AF for BIF video? Thanks .
GREAT TIPS
Thanks so much!
excellent !
Thanks, that will definitely help me! And by the way, how do you enable crop mode in the camera setting? I've been searching and couldn't find it. Thanks you!
Great video advice! Where do you get the foley sounds from?
Interesting, and great tips for that camera's function. Have you considered using In body stabilization while shooting long range tele video? Or perhaps the Lens' Optical stabilizaiton will help smooth out the video when you touch the camera. Thanks for the tips, I will try them.
thanks for the video, which on camera microphone do you recommend ?
Thank you for this. Some great points. 10% AF on video: A costly lesson it took me a while to learn. Will experiment with slow-mo, if I can pull myself away from my only 4k option of 25fps.
Absolutely agree
Happy to hear, thank you 🙂
Hi Stefano, Happy 2021. I really like to watch your videos. Great job. I have one question. What brand is your jacket?
Happy New Year! This is a Browning BTU-WD 3-in-1 Parka 🙂
Great video!
Thanks so much!
hey brother, quick question, do you prefer the in body 1.6 crop over a teleconverter or do you use both? great tips as always!
Amazing tips, thank you ! Can I use this 4:42 crop 1,5 in body on Sony a7s iii ?
Super great video!!! Thanks for doing this. Shooting video of birds, well, is really a challenge; more so vs shooting stills. Question: How the heck can you shoot slow motion video, but capture audio that plays back "un slow mo", or matches the birds sound? That's tricky.
Nicely done. What are you using for camera, lens and settings to film yourself? I like the crisp look and colors.
Awesome! I really enjoyed it!
Thanks so much!
Can’t wait for your new post!
I recently got a new camera and these tips are really helping me! 😁😁
@@sashagutin9218 So happy to hear! Congrats on the new camera 😁
Hi Stefano, an excellent and useful video, I watched it last year when trying to improve my technique filming wildlife. There are very few videos on the topic of filming wildlife, at least when compared to photography, so I decided to make my own one, from my perspective of starting out and I'm going to put section in it on videos Ive found useful, would it be OK to use a short clip of yours? I'm thinking a screen capture of it playing in for a few seconds in the window/not fullscreen, Ill obviously pit a link in the comments too!
well Stefano long time no see you here, HNY to you mate, great video!
Thanks so much! Happy New Year to you, as well 😀
I highly recommend PolarPro matte Box with this lens. Getting this lens next with 95mm step down adapter for the matte box, as you can film in bright sun with no issues.👍
Awwesome video exactly what I was looking for. I want to get into filming animals on safaris. What's the longest lens you use? Also what's your favorite mic?
Curious what tripod you’d recommend for birding? Thanks
Great tips. I was surprised you didn't include something on shutter speed since it's pretty critical in ensuring you get natural motion blur (i.e. you wouldn't use 1/1000th, instead more like 1/60th). Also, even though 24 fps has a great "film" look as a final project setting, it's not the best choice if you want to work with footage shot at 120 fps (for slow motion). 30 fps is better final project setting since 120 is divisible by 30. This means you won't have any missing frames once you add it to your timeline.
I know this is old comment but go plug 120/24 into a calculator and see what you get
thank u
Hi Stefano You use some ND Filters on your big lenses? Variable ND filter or fix? and which model can you recommended? Cheers from switzerland Dario
wow!
Thanks for the tips Stefano! I will start paying more attention to the sound design. I was wandering what makes a good video head? Why is that Manfrotto your favorite one?
I think the Manfrotto head is one of the best "bang for your buck". The pan/tilt is fluid, it's built well and can hold a lot of weight, it's a quick release plate that's arca swiss compatible, and the arm is removable/adjustable to both sides of the tripod head. An overall winner for tripod heads!
Hi Stefano, What SONY microphone would you recommend for recording bird songs with the A7M4? Please your advice!!! Thank you in advance!!! Best Birds!!!
Great video. What settings or picture profiles do you use for recording with sony cameras?
Thanks! Depends the camera, on the Sony a1 I'm using SLog3 mostly. On my a7iii, the SLog profile isn't as good, so I typically alternate between the different Cine profiles.
Great tips, thank you thumbs up from me..👍🏻
Wow wonderful tips! Thanks for sharing! And while we talking about clear image zoom, how much is it better in a7r4 in comparison with a73 when it's used in crop mode, those extra megapixels have any advantages?
Thank you! The R4 does have more megapixels, but the a73 is better at handling noise. So although overall I get better results with the R4, the differences most of the time are pretty similar.
@@StefanoIaniro Oh I'm kindda surprised as in crop mode 26mp is way more than 10mp, so I expected that clear image zoom in 4k should reduce the quality far less...
Yeah there is a difference, but not huge. Higher MPs aren't as beneficial in video as they are in photography. That's why the new a7siii is a 12 MP camera. It's easier to get cleaner video with fewer megapixels. With that said, having the R4 is great for clear image zoom. But if it's a low light situation, I still rather have the a7iii for better noise performance.
@@StefanoIaniro Very useful point! Thanks
Great tips. 🙂 Do you use lens image stabilization for filming?
Thanks! I usually keep it off unless I'm doing tilts/pans or there's a lot of wind. But even then, it's not totally necessary if you have a good tripod/head. When I was using my old Sigma 150-600, if stabilization was on during video, you'd see the frame shifting around as the IS tried to correct already stable footage.
Sympathy Level 10. Can you recommend some specific mics? I am looking for a microphone at the moment and find hard to choose one.
Was curious what tripod you're using. I have an older Sachtler, but it can't get low enough and the legs don't spread. Thanks!
Just discovered your channel a day ago. Loving the content. I want to start filming birds this year. I have a Sigma 150-600 5.6-6.3 I use on a 70D. I want to shoot between f5.6 and f8 at 24fps (at 1/50). On a bright sunny day out in the wetlands I would assume I need an ND filter if I don't want to stop down lower than f8. I saw a variable ND filter that has 2-5 stops. Do you think purchasing that's a good idea? Do you think I would be better off buying a couple of fixed ND filters like a 1 stop and a 2 stop? Perhaps a different combo? I'd appreciate any input you could give. Thanks.
Thanks so much! From my experience, ND filters, especially at that size of filter, will degrade quality and mess with the colors (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot depending on the model), but the variable ND are worse in terms of image quality degradation. So although it's more price efficient and convenient to get the variable ND, if I had to choose I'd probably go with some higher quality fixed ND filters. Even though the IQ and colors may be affected with ND filters on, I'd still prefer to use them versus using my lens at f/32 just to limit the light to the sensor haha.
Great tips as usual. I need to force myself to use manual focus. My zoom is 18-105 and when I crop in it’s always out of focus. For the editing video. I see a lot of your footage is not slow motion (I think lol) do you record in slow mo, interpret footage as 24fps then speed back up on the timeline for those shots that are not slow or are those always the 4K shots. The footage is always so good that I never see a difference between 4K and 1080 in your videos. Maybe I wouldn’t but thought I would being you’re so close to the birds.
Thanks so much! Great questions! I have a few parts of the editing video planned that will answer those questions. 🙂
Hello, nice and informative video. I wonder: Is real time object tracking good for animals? Do you ever use it? Do you use stabilization? My 100-400GM on a tripod - automatically turns off the stabilizer. Will the 200-600 also turn off automatically?
Thank you! In terms of real time object tracking, I haven't experimented with it too much since I only use AF for video a small percentage of the time. For simplicity, I keep my AF areas the same for both video mode and photo mode since I'm frequently switching between the two. I wasn't aware of the stabilizer automatically being turned off. I've always just turned it off on the lens when mounting it to a tripod. Interesting!
Is there a preferred shutter speed for your videos? Do you set shutter and aperture in your custom video settings? Thanks I really have enjoyed all of your videos and your advice!
The rule of thumb is to have your shutter speed double your frame rate. So 24fps = 1/50th, 30fps = 1/60th, 60fps = 1/125th... and so forth. I'll talk about this in part two of this video 🙂
@@StefanoIaniro thanks, very helpful. One more question- What record setting do you use for the 120 fps? There are a couple on my Sony, 120 P 100M or 120 P 60 M. Looking forward to your next week's video, thank you !!
@@kristiekillam8864 I always go for the higher bitrate/better quality, so 120fps 100M. Happy to help 🙂
When you pay for online courses, field trips, countless books, and then watch an 8 min youtube video of Magic that blows them all away and makes you go to the author's channel. Priceless
Wow, very informative. Thank you. Can I ask you which picture profile are you using on your Sony for filming wildlife? Thanks and take care!
Thanks! For quick turnaround, I use Cine2 the most. It's a nice everyday profile. Not as flat as SLog where I need to put in a lot of work to color grade it, but still flat enough where I can push the colors a bit and the footage won't begin to fall apart.
@@StefanoIaniro thanks alot for your answer. Just started experimenting with filming wildlife so your tips came just at the right time !
@@igorgoblos Happy to help! Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
What tripod do You use for bird filming?
Hey Stefano! Love this video! So a question for audio : when I have a Rode Videomic shotgun on top of my camera, it picks up my breathing. I can only hold my breath so long and I’ve tried standing a few feet back from my Sony a7iii and just watching the monitor but then if I have to make a quick adjustment I’m up the creek. Any tips? Thanks
Hey Will. I'm not sure exactly which model you're using, but an issue might be the polar pattern of the mic. Different mics will use different patterns, so say for example your model is omnidirectional, super cardioid, hyper cardioid, or bidirectional, then your mic will be recording sounds both in front of the mic and behind it (which would make sense your breathing is coming up even if you're a few feet away). One thing that works well depending on your model is to stand off to the side a bit, most shotgun mics I've used don't pickup most sounds from the sides. But I'd recommend looking up the polar pattern of the model you have and looking at a chart for that pattern. It'll show you where your mic does/doesn't pick up sound, and you can adjust accordingly. Hope this helps!
@@StefanoIaniro it does and thanks for replying quickly!!!
Did you ever try an extender like 1.4 on the 200 600 lens i kinda feel like with the max aperature of f9 i really cant use this combo unless there is really much light and it also seems the pictures are not as sharp as before.
Hey! No I haven't tried the extender. If I was using it with a zoom lens, it would be mostly for video use over photography. It's not as crucial to be using a lens wide open when it comes to video.
Well, I kind of doubt you monitor a video this old, but here's hoping. I'm just getting into filming wildlife after about 10 yrs of photographing it. My questions are on image stabilization. My camera has no IBIS only digital. My lens has stabilization. Right now I'm running with the lens stabilizer on whether or not I'm using a tripod. Then I have the digital camera stabilization off. It seemed to work okay at shorter focal lengths, but had jumped around at longer. What do you suggest for settings as far as stabilization? Thanks, if you get this... if not the video was still super helpful. :)
How were you able to balance your gimbal with an external monitor on top of the camera? I recently bought a Wimberley Gimbal Head II and was unable to balance it. My camera is in a cage as well as the monitor.
This channel is really informative and the presentation is almost perfect. However for someone with significant hearing loss the background music / beat makes it quite difficult for me to to hear the dialogue. Greetings from New Zealand and take care -
Are you planning on going to the A1? And if so, which end do you see yourself preferring. The crop possibilities with 8k in real time. The 120 in 4K with some crop but high quality slow motion. Or the 240 1080 to give you even longer with the animal on screen.
It's definitely tempting! I'll probably hold off though. I wouldn't really have a use to have both an R4 and the A1. I would honestly use all 3 of those modes. Each have their place for filming wildlife. The 120p in 4K would likely be my go-to though!
Is there an upgraded way of recording the original sounds on your video than just adding say, a Rode mic? Great instructional video! Thank you!!
Thanks! If you want the audio/video together in one file, using a shotgun mic attached to your camera is one of the simplest options. But if you don't mind recording audio/video separately, you can get an external recorder with a mic attached to that. You'd just have to sync them up in post.
@@StefanoIaniro Great! Thank you very much!