Tips for shooting wildlife Video from DSLRs?

[Dave Blinder]

I have the Canon 7D, and also bought a cheap hot shoe mounting boom mic to fool around with. I've really only flipped the video mode on a couple of times so far, and am trying to get a feel for things.

Anyone on here shooting video through a DSLR at all? Some of my questions: Do I always need to shoot from a tripod? Do I want to have IS/VR enabled? Any tips on exposure, panning, or focusing?

I can provide some feedback as I continue to mess around with it too.

- Dave

[Christopher C.M. Cooke]

I am on a steep learning curve with my 5D MKII and I think you may get some help from this site.

http://www.cinema5d.com/viewforum.php?f=56

[Jeff Donald]

I would also recommend DVInfo.net. There are many good articles and a forum with many helpful pros and amateurs.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-eos-7d-hd/

[philperry]

Dave I would definitely recommend a tripod or other means of keeping the 7D steady, especially with large lenses. I would also keep the image stabliser switched on. Otherwise the video jumps around making it difficult to watch. I am still trying out my 7D and have only taken a few short clips. It is fantastic to be able to use big telephotos and the image quality is great. Even without a mike the sound seems quite good. The main difficulty seems to be focussing particularly if the subject is moving. I am still working on that.

[Don Kates]

I shoot a lot of video with the 5D MKII. One of the main advantages of the DSLRs over regular video is depth of field. I shoot hand held and on a tripod/monopod, depending on the look I'm after. Without some kind of support, the video will be jumpy. Since there really is no usable autofocus, you will be focusing manually and you'll find that it is quite difficult to do while watching the monitor and holding the camera so you may prefer some type of support. If you plan on shooting a lot of video, I would recommend a device made by Zacuto, Inc (http://www.zacuto.com). You can see a video here <embed src="http://wpc.102A.edgecastcdn.net/00102A/jwplay/player-licensed.swf" flashvars="file=http://wpc.102A.edgecastcdn.net/00102A/vids/products/RoundTable-ZFinderV2-Flash.flv&image=http://wpc.102A.edgecastcdn.net/00102A/images/Z-Finder-Video-Still600.jpg" width="600" height="355" />. It's a video style viewfinder/eye piece that snaps over the LCD of the camera so you have an eye piece that looks directly into the LCD (and also magnifies it). For me, this piece is absolutely necessary for proper focusing, plus you can see the LCD in bright light. It also helps steady the camera if you are hand holding it. I believe it will also fit the 7D. They also have other steadying devices for hand holding the camera. Also, I would recommend using manual mode so you can choose your DOF and exposure. Otherwise, the camera sets it automatically for you as you shoot.