Hello! I am looking into switching to my Canon t5i to film hunts. I am worried about when I'm self filming as it seems to me I'd need both hands to film. How are others doing it? Is there a Lanc remote that will help with this? I know Fitz does it. Any help is greatly appreciated!!!
To my knowledge there is no LANC remote for a DSLR. You can buy a remote trigger(both wired or wireless). My Sony DSLR came with a little wireless remote that I can start and stop recording but that's all I can do. Zoom will have to be manual. You can possibly run autofocus with the right DSLR and lens, but autofocus can be very tricky as it might pick out a different focal point than you want. Self filming with a DSLR can be pretty difficult. I run a camcorder for my main angle and use my DSLR for a second angle on me. I can use the wireless remote to start recording and I just leave it on autofocus because I'm using a wide angle lens up close, it's most likely only going to find focus on me. Low light can really cause issues with autofocus as well, the camera will hunt focus in and out constantly because it can't find a focal point. The best way to use a DSLR and self film is to film pretty wide, zoom into the farthest point you will need in focus, find focus then back the zoom out to as wide as you want the field of view to be. That should keep everything within that distance in focus. There are lots of other things that go into it too though. You will want the camera set with a very deep depth of field. Your F-stop should be pretty high, like F/16 or so. You will need to play with it, but that will help keep everything more in focus. If your f-stop is low, like f/3, you will get what is called a Bokeh effect where the up close image is in focus but everything behind it is blurred out. That's not ideal because the deer are always moving which always changes the focal point and makes it almost impossible to keep a subject in focus.
Fitz has a Canon 70D, which has an Autofocus setting, which he leaves it on there to self-film for kill shots. There are some different remotes, but he will have more info on those for you.
There is one controller that works with some Canon DSLRs. It allows for start, stop, focus pull and a few other things. I've been meaning to get it at some point, but have not yet. Manfrotto Clamp-On Remote Control for Canon DSLRs MVR911ECCN B&H
DSLRs are tricky for self filming and like Cledus said, the reason I chose the 70D was for it's dual pixel AF. I don't remember off hand if the t5i had it as well or not? The AF does a good job for me though, especially in combo with the touch screen. I leave the lens switched to AF any time I'm sitting there, but switch to manual for and B-roll or interviews that I take.
