Video setup for a wildlife documentary filmmaker
Johannes is an ambitious wildlife filmmaker and we want to show you the equipment he uses to film in the bush!
The Sony SEL 200-600 is used in his work with the FX 3. With this lens and his tripod combination, he is able to film the animals close up, even at great distances, without the animals being startled. The shots live from the moment and that the animals are not startled. Johannes uses a lenscoat to protect against detection and damage. Of course, the distance also offers protection from wild animals such as leopards, lions and the like.
Sony Alpha FX3 Cinema Line (ILME-FX3)
- Full-frame Cinema Line camera
- Real-time Eye AF & Touch Tracking, S-Cinetone
- Netflix Certified
- 5-axis image stabilizer with active mode
- up to 4K 120p video recording
- ISO expandable up to 409,600
- suitable for shooting in low light
- incl. XLR handle
Sony SEL 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS Sony FE-Mount
- Super-G telephoto zoom lens
- optical stabilization
- Focal length: 200-600mm
- fast, precise and quiet autofocus (Direct Drive SSM)
- circular aperture enables beautiful bokeh
- Dust and splash-proof design
- Full-frame FE-Mount
Why a Sony FX3?
The low light performance and the possibility to use the body with different mounting points. Other advantages of his new FX3 over his old Sony Alpha 7s II are the more focus points and twice the fps at 4k.
The highlights summarized:
- robust body
- more mounting points
- better ISO behavior
- more FPS at 4K
When it needs to be closer: Sony 16-35mm
When it comes to interviews, close-ups or landscape shots, he resorts to the 16-35mm, with which he has sufficient distance and great sharpness.
Conclusion
In wildlife videography, the focal length is important, but so is the performance in low light situations! When choosing a tripod, you should preferably select one that can support the heavy equipment and can still be positioned close to the ground. Thanks to the fluid head attached to the tripod, movements with the camera are very smooth and ensure quiet working. In its setup, the DJI Mavic is used for cinematic landscape shots and aerial shots of wildlife. The whole thing is rounded off with the 16-35mm, one of the standard cine lenses, which enables great cinematic shots for people and landscapes.
We find Johannes setup very suitable for his work and are happy that he introduced his setup to us!