Just got this lovely combination in the mail. This is a Sony A6300 mounted to a Zhiyun Crane which is a handheld gimbal. The Crane is pretty sweet. Not only will it stabilize the camera, but you can also pan and tilt it as well as control zoom with any power zoom lens. The footage out of this combo is just flat out awesome. B-roll and motion shots are going to be next level using this combo for sure.
Let's see some sample footage once you get it up and running. I see a lot of video (non hunting) guys using this system (or similar) on occasion. Seems pretty cool. I'd like to use one for real estate walk throughs.
This video was shot with this exact combination. https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/allen.bullman/videos/10209633604535639/&show_text=0&width=560"
Hey Walker, what does the Sony A6300 have over say the Canon G40.....I know the Sony is 4k, but I don't really think I would need that for what I do....Also what lens coverage would be good with that Camera.....70-200...etc.....Just curious, cause I would have no idea. Thanks
It's pretty hard to compare the two since one is a camcorder and the order is a mirrorless camera. I you are self filming your hunts and haven't been doing it for a while, I would recommend sticking with a camcorder like the G40. It's much easier to control. I guess I would say the A6300 will blow the G40 out of the water in picture quality and low light capabilities. It has an APS-C sized sensor that has been newly designed by Sony who makes the best sensors in the world. You have the flexibility of using multiple lenses and the camera is as equally as good at photos as it is at video. It has an incredible auto-focus system also. It's lightweight and compact. Drawbacks are it's battery life, lack of headphones jack and overheating issues during long periods of 4K recording. As of now, it's my b-roll and possibly second angle camera. I still plan on using my PXW-X70 as my main camera, but with the great low light capabilities, I may give it a shot as a main camera as well. One of the nice things is that I can use a wired remote to control the camera, similar to using a LANC on a camcorder.
Love it, thanks for sharing. Probably going to grind it out this year with the G30 again, but want to go to 4k for main camera and something like this for all of my b-roll by next year. I'm hopeful that someone can make a compact size camera like the AX100 with a 20x zoom option and Lanc compatible in the next year or so. Whoever releases it first is going to have a TON of business from the self filmers for sure. Something like that along with a b-roll cam like yours would be the ultimate setup IMHO.
They already have, it's call the AX100.... I know it's only 12X optical but because of the oversized sensor, the clear image zoom will get you 24x zoom in 1080 and 18X zoom in 4K and you honestly cannot tell it's not all optical. The AX100 can be ran using a LANC, it just takes two adapter cables to make it work. You should be able to control: On/Off, Zoom, Focus and record via the LANC(That's how it works with my PXW-X70).
I get that and have a bunch of friends running the AX100. Specifically what I want though is the 20x optical, because I find it very hard to track and find things on that tiny viewfinder screen when zoomed way out. I know you can crop/zoom the frame while editing on 4k for the finished product, but I really like being able to zoom and see things while actually running the cam. I find myself zoomed in way past 12x pretty frequently. I'm hoping someone can release this eventually. It will be like having your cake and being able to eat it too. In hindsight I wish I would have spent the $$$ on an AX100 vs. my G30, but I wasn't sure if I was going to love filming. Now that I know I love it, I want more but will prob wait another year to see if something new gets released that fits that description.
There are three zoom settings on the AX100(Assuming it's like my X70). Optical zoom = 12X Clear Image zoom = 24X(1080) and 18X(4K) Digiatal Zoom = Not sure how much, would never use it. The clear image zoom will allow you to seamlessly extend the zoom range to 24X or 18X respectively and unless you are pixel peeping, you cannot see the difference. It's some pretty slick Sony magic.
No problem. I use the Clear Image Zoom on my X70 without even thinking twice about it, I trust t that much. Even this little A6300 offers it, so you can effectively double your lens power.
Sony does make a good mirrorless camera. We use a Sony NEX 7 for all our B-roll. I used Canon HFM30's for the last 4 years and they were a sweet little camera for the money. 20x optical zoom, 1080p video. They only had simple shotgun mic connections, but the smaller cam was sweet for self filming. I upgraded to 4K this year. Bought a Panasomic HC-X1. Thing is just nuts. Compared to my tiny Canon this thing is a bus. Freaking huge. Has every feature you could ever want, but ive noticed the first thing im going to aquire for it is an external monitor. The 4" screen just doesnt cut it for seeing the detail while in the woods. Oh...and i need a new laptop. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
This is the year i want to take our stuff from amateur to semi professional. Ill never be able to produce what BHOD or Midwest Whitetail do, but i would like to get closer to them.
Skywalker ... question. Does the Sony A6300 autofocus and track in video mode like our traditional video cameras do? I keep debating on making the move to a DSLR or mirrorless format for my self video work, but the AF tracking and even zoom control, as you know, is an issue. I still keep my DSLR work for B-roll or documentary type of stuff. But I am wanting badly to make the jump for actual self video of turkey and deer hunts. I have a pile of Canon lenses and have several buddies in the industry using the Metabones adapter, but they all use dedicated cameramen. Curious on your real world take on it. Side note from on of our previous discussions ... I finally got DaVinci Resolve to roll solid. It ended up being a graphics card issue. GTX 1060 solved my problems and I can see me breaking free from the Adobe CC chains long term.
