how to get into video??

[wrogers]

I am tempted to get into taking videos of wildlife...

I am contemplating selling my DSLR's long lens and saving up for a decent videocamera.

But can you guys or girls give me any advice on starting in videoing wildlife??

I currently do not own a videocamera, but have used several in the past, and I am tempted to start filming!!

are there any pointers to spoil the fun before I start researching reviews??

also besides the camera and any recording media what else would I need?

My budget at tops is £1600-1700 (I have noticed several in this price range)

I have seen online the Sony HDR-FX7E and Canon XM2...

are they any good??

I think the Sony is upto a 700mm (35mm equiv) which should be ample??

any help is appreciated!!! (including samples??)

Thanks

Will

[BigBadger]

Hello friend.
I can not post any examples but I film wildlife in both day and night and also mountain bike footage with my cracking camera. It is a Sony Mini DV tape model, HC-45E. It has a cracking 40x optical zoom lens and can film in total dark with its tiny IR lamp. An additional lamp is better for night work. It's only downside is it cant take still photos. Other models are available that can but I opted for this one due to its awesome zoom. I have also bought additional lenses of Fleabay, A fish eye lens, a wide angle and a 2x converter.

If you really want to get pro footage though their are a few great choices but they are well out of my league big in over the grand mark.

[wrogers]

obviously being over the magic £1k is quite hard for me, as it is as much as my entire DSLR kit!! including 3 lenses!!

however I am hoping to use the camera for shots of wildlife as well so a stills function would be great, however a screenshot is good enough as I rarely print above album size (6"x4") although I have one print at A2!!

I am tempted by a good condition secondhand to cut costs, but I don't really trust that well known auction site for stuff over £50

if anybody can suggest a decent shop or any reliable sellers...

I have heard Flash Camera (kerso) is a good trader for cameras, but does anybody know if he can supply camcorders?? I know he can supply canon goods so he may be worth e-mailing

anyway thanks for the help BigBadger...

Happy snapping!!

Will

[wrogers]

another possibility is a secondhand XL1s or XL2....

Does anybody have any Idea of where to start my search as google is just full of ads for cameras that have been sold!!!

also having read some other older topics, it appears tigger bought a 2nd hand XL1 for £460!!!

so Jane can you please tell me where you found/bought it??
oh and your videos are great, and now I want to join in!!!

anyway thanks for all the help I have received with my endless list of posts (all asking about buying expensive kit! )

thanks again

Will

[Badllarma]

Here you go Will some advice for you

Buy a Canon XL2 (£1000-1500), and an EOS adapter (£70-150) and a cheap Canon 70-300mm zoom (£70-140).and you will have a killer setup oh one last thing get your self the biggest tripod you can carry

I started with a Velbon DV 7000 (£100.00) but it's bobbins for a XL2 you really need to spend a couple of hundred on a second hand Manfrotto All the above if you are very lucky you will be able to drop on, on a famous auction site. Pity I've just had to sell all my kit due to redundancy.

All the fixed video lens camera XM1, XM 2 Sony's (until the most resent models) are a waist of space for wildlife as the focal lengths are just too small. you really need a detachable lens so you can stick a big piece of glass on it The 300mm on the XL2 was the equivalent of a 2000mm lens and if you need anything longer than that your in the wrong game

Don't get me wrong I have a little Sony HC9E which I'll have a play with this year at a local deer park but out and about in the great outdoors and not in a park it would be a waist of space really as the focal length is rubbish for wildlife, although it helps being a ex-gamekeeper as my field craft skills are up there with the best

[britishwildlife]

Hi Will & All,

You're probably best to start filming something easy giving you instant results - such as the wildlife in your garden and have a play with editing. You can then anaylse what you've done, composition, exposure, depth of focus etc. and go from there.

As far as cameras go, it's a very long and difficult subject. Do plenty of research before purchasing to make sure you're buying the right kit for you. Unfortunately no camera does everything well and there are pluses and minuses with whatever camera you buy.

I have to disagree that fixed lens cameras are a waste of space, I'm using a fixed lens camera and have managed to get decent results. They also have the benefit of being smaller and lighter, which means you can get to remote locations easier and quieter. Whereas using an interchangeable system will give you added focal length - but that means less stability, as Badlarma says - field-craft is the key. I also find that getting closer is more of a challenge and more fun anyway.

Whatever camera you buy I would make sure it is true 16-9 widescreen - the XL1s and the XM1/XM2 are not widescreen, whereas the XL2 and FX7 are. You also need to think about whether you want high definition or standard definition - HDV is over 4x the quality of SD, but obviously comes at a cost.

You might be better off starting with a small cheap camcorder to see if it is for you - despite people's perceptions it is very different from photography, make sure it has a decent optical zoom - not digital, and you can't get away with cropping like you can with digital cameras.

There is a good book called 'Go Wild With Your Camcorder' by Piers Warren, it's a great little book and a good place to start - just google the title and you should find it.

Cheers
Pete

Peter McMurdie - Wildlife Film
Peter McMurdie - Wildlife Film

[wrogers]

thanks peter and badllarma

I am practicing my fieldcraft at the moment... just need to get something to cover my hands and face (apparently it's not my face, birds are just scaredy cats!!)

At the moment my two biggest problems are focus (my Sigma 100-300 F/4 doesn't quite focus right on my SLR)
Contrast & Definition, both poor for some reason, probably technique
and als0 Focal length.. 300mm on a 1.6x crop is not enough... so I will need at least a 500mm 35mm Equivalent on any camcorder.

I never knew the XL1/XL1s were 4:3... thanks for the info Peter...

at the moment the XL2 (2ndhand) and the Sony FX7 look to be top!!
might look at the XM2 unless it is atrocious, as some people seem to suggest.

Thanks for the help, I will google that book!

Thanks again

Will

[britishwildlife]

Hi Will,

You're very welcome. Just to add about the 4:3 and 16-9 aspect ratios, some camcorders bumf advertise that they can do widescreen - and indeed they can - by cropping the 4:3 picture at the top and bottom or by stretching the picture. This reduces the amount of effective pixels in your image and makes it look soft and lowers quality. These older cameras have 4:3 sensors (ccd's) so this is the only way they can achieve widescreen.

Ideally you want a camera that has true 16-9 sensors - these create a full and proper 16-9 image. The XL2 and FX7 are proper widescreen and so are all the new HDV camcorders - but it's worth checking anyway.

Hope this helps
Cheers
Pete