Z9 video, Which Z lens?

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NatureBoy

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Just getting into the video side of things and all my still lens are primes. 500PF, 400 TC, 50 and 85 mm all native glass. (Except PF)
I want a Z zoom for video and the two obvious choices for any reach are the 100-400 4.5 and the 100-600 5.6-6.3
Im leaning towards the 1-400 because of the S glass.
We want to make a wildlife documentary made up of stills and video with the finished product on a DVD.
Kinglets to Bear, Loons to Moose.
Am I thinking correctly Id be better served by the 1-400 4.5?
What lens have you chosen for your video with the Z8 and 9 cameras?
 
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NatureBoy said:
Just getting into the video side of things and all my still lens are primes. 500PF, 400 TC, 50 and 85 mm all native glass. (Except PF)
I want a Z zoom for video and the two obvious choices for any reach are the 100-400 4.5 and the 100-600 5.6-6.3
Im leaning towards the 1-400 because of the S glass.
We want to make a wildlife documentary made up of stills and video with the finished product on a DVD.
Kinglets to Bear, Loons to Moose.
Am I thinking correctly Id be better served by the 1-400 4.5?
What lens have you chosen for your video with the Z8 and 9 cameras?
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Why not use the 400TC? With these two bodies you have the ability to shoot 8k, and since your output is probably no more than 4k, you can zoom in by cropping (as opposed to downsampling) and utilize one of the greatest lenses on the market.

What tripod will you be using? It's near impossible to get stable clips at that focal length without a high quality tripod legs/head and stab in post is hit-or-miss.
 
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Nimi, thank you for the comments / advice.
Tonight on a beaver lodge I had that lens and the beaver was so close I was wishing for a zoom. Video was very hard to get the whole animal in the frame but I think I did get it for a tail slap. My wife is processing it now. I am a complete newbi with video processing. Ive never used the program shes in.
My Current Tripod is a Pro Media Gear TR344 and I have PMG katana Jr on that. It worked nice on the lodge Even with all the sticks.

Another thing to consider is my wife also shooting a Z9 and wanting to shoot video. She is gonna be my 2nd shooter at times. But the 400 Tc is too much lens for her. Too heavy and she doesn't want to even try. Im glad in a way, lol

so I plan on using the TC for sure but am looking for more options / versatility.
 
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Personally I prefer the 180-600 which is "fast" enough in most cases and is long enough that you can more likely record in FX mode without TC's. The 100-400 is too short for smaller wildlife which means you'll have to resort to TC's or shoot in DX mode which reduces IQ. When it comes to videoing wildlife, zooms rule in my experience. While the additional light & sharpness of a fast prime is great for stills, video is much more forgiving. JMO.
 
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I was in Yellowstone last month and used the 180-600mm for video. I was able to shoot everything from Bison to River Otters. I only shoot in 4K. My computer will bog down with 8K, plus there is no need. Most posted videos on social media, HD is fine, so I still have a crop factor.
 
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The best single lens is the f-mount Sigma 60-600mm OS lens. It is not terribly sharp but works well for video with its ultra long zoom range. The alternative is to have two cameras set up and have one with something like the 24-120mm and the other with the 100-400mm and be able to merge the clips from the two in post.

I would look for similar videos posted on youtube so you can get a good idea of the view angles and editing approaches and decide which are best for your intended video.

Don't overlook the value of good sound recordings for your video.
 
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NatureBoy said:
ThankYou both. I appreciate the input on the 180-600
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I've just got this lens as well.
I also have 100-400 and was taking video normally with this lens. The problem is that sometimes you need a wider angle and 180mm is not wide enough, I think. Sometimes you need to take a whole scene so, then either you have really 60-600 or two or even three cameras.
I would recommend to have a look at some youtube tutorials for video/filming, the camera movements and how to film (A-Roll, B-Roll) As far as I remember, they take a whole picture, the environment where the animals lives or where a story takes place, then a middle ground like an animal's whole body, what it is doing and then close-ups like eyes, nose, ears to show the emotion and intimacy with an animal. Sure, the head-shots as well. So, you need to think it over.
If you make video only with one focal length or only middle ground then it will be boring.
But I am not an expert, just an amateur. Perhaps, @Nimi can tell more about it.
 
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ElenaH said:
I've just got this lens as well.
I also have 100-400 and was taking video normally with this lens. The problem is that sometimes you need a wider angle and 180mm is not wide enough, I think. Sometimes you need to take a whole scene so, then either you have really 60-600 or two or even three cameras.
I would recommend to have a look at some youtube tutorials for video/filming, the camera movements and how to film (A-Roll, B-Roll) As far as I remember, they take a whole picture, the environment where the animals lives or where a story takes place, then a middle ground like an animal's whole body, what it is doing and then close-ups like eyes, nose, ears to show the emotion and intimacy with an animal. Sure, the head-shots as well. So, you need to think it over.
If you make video only with one focal length or only middle ground then it will be boring.
But I am not an expert, just an amateur. Perhaps, @Nimi can tell more about it.
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I don't do any wildlife videography, so I don't really know. Closest are music videos, but I can get much closer to the talent and need very shallow depth of field. So I use primarily fast primes and rarely more than 85mm. But yes, same thing. Straight on full body, close ups at angles on face and hand/instrument. The generic issue with long focal length is the unpleasant shakes that are only partially helped by post-processing, and then at the expense of sharpness as well as frame size (it crops). IBIS helps, heavy tripod helps, etc.

Because we are shooting 8k but at most edit on a 4k timeline, zooming can easily be done in post.
 
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Best lens is the one that gives you the focal length your doc needs. And IMO a zoom is preferable to a prime because (a) videos zoom a lot and (b) the lower OQ at 1:1 for the zoom is lost in video…because the shutter speed for video is going to cause a little motion blur anyway…and that’s just fine for bideo. So…comes down to use the focal length your subject needs.
 
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THANK YOU for all the rep[lys gentleman. It is a lot of good advice and a lot to consider.
We just bought Doug Jensens wildlife cinematography masterclass. Im on chapter 4 now and talk about cutting your learning curve. Doug is to video teaching what Steve is to the Nikon platform for still work. Finally someone who is able to put a lot of it all togther And teach it.
Between that and all the experience and great advice here, in this forum, Im getting more confident All the time.
Im going to look at the Sigma telephoto.
 
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I ordered the 180-600mm with video in mind. I haven’t actually used it for that purpose yet, very pleased with it for stills so far. I have the 100-400 as well and I cant say it’s any better optically. I would ask yourself if the 100-180 or 400-600 differences in focal length would be more beneficial to you.
 
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