Thanks, man. Hope all is well.

Thank you!

Thanks, will do!

I was using a Manfrotto Nitrotech head with the ifootage TC7 legs in the shoot you are referring to. How do you like your Benro so far?

@@jamesfrystak Ahh, Ok. I absolutely love the Banro legs. Just an absolute game changer in stability compared to the Manfrotto 290 Xtra 3-Section is was travelling with.

That is definitely the drawback of the lens.

There is no parfocal lens in the budget range but internal zoom isn't new. Sony 200-600 is an internal zoom lens, so you can either change the whole system to Sony or we can pray that canon or any third party makers make a tele with internal zoom.😅

@ YES!!! Come on Canon or Sigma. That 200-600 is a great lens but I feel way too restricted at 200mm.

@@janardananwildlife Totally agree, I had the Sony 200-600 on rank # 1 for my wish list of alternative equipment. I invested into my R5 system due to the price difference compared to an A1 system (A1 much higher system price). Then I hoped for years that a third party adapter (Sony --> Canon) would appear on the market (which it didn't). And now the specs for the A1 II are available, theres's no additional A1 II attraction --> therefore I head for the Canon R1 and wait until potential super telephoto lens(es) from Canon.

Yes, the hybrid approach can be a challenge. I still have that itch to snap a few photos while on these shoots, but for me, no one is paying me to take photos.

@@jamesfrystak No one pays me either unfortunately😄. Joke aside, I try to keep on filming even if it means a lost photo. But the video shows the story better than the photo and I love to share the behaviour to others.

I learned on KZbin to start and then on-the-job training. Take it one step at a time. Start by knowing your setting inside and out, film everything that moves and get 1% better every time.

The cameras I use don’t record audio when shooting “off speed” (slow motion) and most of the animals I film are usually at distances that would be a challenge to isolate the sound of. I would bet that 99% of the wildlife documentaries that you have seen, the audio was done in post-production.

Cheers! Will do.

Go for a 100mm bowl and don't push the rated capacity of your head. In your situation, I would go for a minimum of 35lbs payload and to 50lbs to have room for expansion.

@@jamesfrystak thanks James, I appreciate it! Was leaning towards that 50lbs range, so that's good to hear.

I look forward to seeing your dog videos!

It's called Libec. I have a link in the description.

Thanks!! Will you include any of these items in your kit?

I shot Raw when I can, and the C80 is a great camera for filming wildlife!!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Feel free to ask any questions about filmmaking gear.

I don’t often get asked for my show reel, but producers will mention that they watched it before reaching out.

Cheers!!

This is a big topic and I’m going to do a deep dive on this one soon. Thanks!

Thanks! Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks!! No problems at all.

Thanks!! I'm glad you are enjoying the show. Let me know what you think when you are finished.

@jamesfrystak I finished watching it yesterday. I honestly think you all did a brilliant job of putting that series together. It looks like an amazing place, and I really don't think anybody could have done that story better.

The age-old question. It's good enough when you are free of limitations of what you “Need” to get a job done. There are so many features I want but most of the time I don't “need” them. What I need is a 6k sensor, high-speed up to 120fla in 4k and pre-record.

I feel that Zcam is one of the most underrated and overlooked cameras out there. You can get an E2 F6 used for under 2k and it has a fantastic image.

Good day James, I sincerely appreciate your input concerning cameras, and have written to “Z-cam” for more details, it seems as if I could get a lot more bang for the buck going this rout. I must admit that I have never heard of “Z-Cam” , so did a little reading on the brand . The fact that they do EF mount as well is encouraging as we have a load of EF lenses. I’m doing my best to move away from Canon out of protest to the fact that they are excluding other manufacturers from producing the RF lenses, yes genuine EF glass works fine on the RF setup with the adapters but we already had some sigma lenses which were now rendered basically useless, when we went this rout we specifically asked if they would work and were told YES !! .. and they did not, the issues were too many to actually even mention. Cannon have released some well-priced primes but at F11 it isn’t going to work for us….. We were seriously considering Sony …FX3, FX30 and FX 6 …. This is where we were moving till you mentioned Z-Cam, Im old school and prefer to use manual focus BUT!!! Autofocus has become a necessity with some of the shots, and we could not believe the Sony performance. Your article on how you became a “Wildlife” camera man is good, I guess you had a bit of luck as well, but knowing the rite people at the rite time and being able to do the job and being adaptable helps a load. "they say" the harder you try the luckier you get (Garry Player) I am not a full time cameraman , but get enough work to keep me busy , how I did it was different , I made sure I had kit that others would need to hire to get a project done , having a ProAim hydra , gimbals, on vehicle camera mounts etc etc made a difference, having a dedicated vehicle for wild life filming also paid off , we took a Jeep wrangler and put an angle grinder to it , now we have an unbelievable “tool” that works. Most of the wildlife guys in South Africa use modified Toyota Landcruiser’s, (Dereck and Beverly Joubert / Peter Lamberty) Landcruiser’s are good but cost a fortune in South Africa and by the time they are sorted they tend to not be road legal anymore. Our jeep is also a “daily driver” Our Jeep has a 12v fridge in the back as well as charging points, both 12v DC and 120/220v AC. I am currently busy with a project which is going to be called “Baboons of the Cradle” Near Johannesburg there is an area called the “cradle of human kind”, it is an area full of sink holes and caves, its about 40km from Johannesburg and has a number of small farms, holiday destinations etc in the area, there is a troop of baboons living there in reasonable harmony with the locals, this story is about them. Anyway, if ever you are in this side of our dumb planet, look me up , Im sure I could be of assistance, I know I will feed on your experiences as the only constant in our passion is change and the requirement to learn.

Thanks! Im glad you enjoyed it.

Sorry for the late reply. It's the Libec RED-LA and I don't think it works with the R5

@@jamesfrystak Thanks for this, James. Cheers, Rudy

Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

Everyone's rig is a bit different and you have to find the right balance yourself. I use a BMPCC 6K Pro, so I don't need a matte box or a monitor. So I keep my camera and lens attached and have my rod setups as attached seperately and have my SSD and V-mount battery seperately. It takes about 2 minutes to set them up on my Sirui SH15 tripod. It mostly became a muscle memory except connecting the weipu power cable to the camera, which still requires me to be calm, else it just won't go in😂

@janardananwildlife Thank you. My setup is a little as well. I've just been using the cameras regular batteries. Haven't needed to setup an external but I do have the option with me. I see some people carrying the setup on the tripod over the shoulder like a battle axe. I'm too scared to do that, worried something can go wrong. $$$$

Thanks!! It's an incredible peace of kit.

Thanks!! I always shoot in Log and in C-Log3

It's the Libec REC-LA.

@@jamesfrystak thank you so much! This could be really nice to add to the kit with the atomos ninja with the pre - recording feature!

@@matteoferrettiphotography Yes!! Definitely

I would Invest in a really good tripod and fluid head. It's no one's favourite answer, but I promise it will make all the difference in the world. Next, I would get a decent zoom lens like the Sigma 60-600mm. What Camera are you currently shooting on?

@@jamesfrystak I’ve heard someone else say that you should get the best tripod you can but in reference to photography. I think his recommendation was to save the money from the first 3 you were going to buy and put it towards the one you should have got first. lol. I’m a bit frugal, so when I upgraded my camera gear I went with a Canon 5d mkiii and a sigma 150-600mm lens all used. It’s been good for the last couple of years and I pleased with what I’ve done with it. I’m wanting to upgrade but don’t know if I want to invest heavily in mirrorless. Salt air from the beach hikes I do has left my gear with some corrosion issues. I also don’t want to put $$$ in something I might drop into the ocean, as Murphy’s law will probably happen. I spent some time looking at the canon R8 as a entry level. Any thoughts? Btw, I have watched you video on other gear to add to your camera setup. Notes taken!

Thanks!! I'd love to see your work. Where do you share your work?