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Thread: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    TLDR: Camera and lens recommendations for backpack hunts please.

    Hi folks. Looking to see what recommendations people have. For my mountain hunt, I came away without any animals last year, which is fine, but I am kind of disappointed in the amount / quality of photos that came home with me. This year, I am planning to keep a camera on tripod whenever it does not have binos or the spotter on it. I would like to string together some YouTube videos of my hunts as well. Currently leaning towards a mirrorless unit, as without the lens it is a very condensed package and it would fit in my rangefinder pouch, meaning quick and easy access. Probably pop the lens in my pack hood. What are people's thoughts on this or other alternatives? Also, what lenses might you carry with you?

    Criteria for equipment:
    - packable
    - 4k video
    - Ability to take decent shots of animals at 500 - 600 yards
    - Ability to shoot some nice shots of camp, gear and landscapes.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Aldergrove, BC
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    4,466

    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    What is your budget?

    I can tell you right now, you are not going to find a camera that takes good shots of animals at 5-600 yards. That is a HUGE distance to photograph from and your best bet for that would be a spotting scope and phonescope attachment.

    Mirrorless would be the way to go, yes! If your budget allows, i would buy 2 lenses. If not, a more versatile single lens like an 18-55mm that comes with most cameras. If the budget allows, something like a 35mm for every day photography and something like a 14mm for landscape photography ... which will be a huge part of it if hunting that nice open country.

    Remember that lenses for mirrorless are going to cost more. Lenses for a DSLR are more widely available, and cheaper ... especially the crop sensor ones.

    If you have a high budget, and are looking for a full-frame set up, then that is a different story.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    48

    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    This is good info, thanks! So maybe, I will do some sort of mirrorless with two lenses and then the phonescope for distance pics. I've been looking at an initial purchase of a mirrorless and one lens for under $2,000. Buy a second lens before next hunting season. Was looking at something on par with Fujifilm X-T30 / Sony a6500 / Nikon z50.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
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    Aldergrove, BC
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    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    Quote Originally Posted by Grakyn View Post
    This is good info, thanks! So maybe, I will do some sort of mirrorless with two lenses and then the phonescope for distance pics. I've been looking at an initial purchase of a mirrorless and one lens for under $2,000. Buy a second lens before next hunting season. Was looking at something on par with Fujifilm X-T30 / Sony a6500 / Nikon z50.
    $2000 is a good budget. I am not experienced with the X-T30, but i did play around with my friends X-T3 recently and it is fantastic. I was blown away with how good the picture quality was at higher ISO.

    The 18-55mm lens the XT-30 comes with (for under $1500 at Henry's) is probably going to serve you well, considering its an F2.8-4 lens. Meaning, even at 55mm you are at f4 which is a relatively decent aperture for a kit lens at 55mm.

    However, a better option, for me at least, would be camera body plus a 35mm F2 lens ($500) and then later down the road picking up a 14mm F2.8 or a 16mm F1.4 (around $1000-1100 new). That way, you'd have 1 lens now, and you'd have time to look for a second one on the used market.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Aldergrove, BC
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    4,466

    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    And remember, lenses are not cheap ... but the fastest lens you can get is always the best. Not just for those artsy out-of-focus background shots, but for night photos as well, of which you will probably take quite a few when sitting around camp.

    Fast = large aperture = small f number, so lenses like F2.8, F1.4, F1.2 etc

    here's one taken at F2.8 that wasn't edited. A faint shot of the Milky way. (Much more visible during summer than it is during November). At F2.8 the lens really soaks up that light which is great. If you have a camera like the X-T3 or X-T30 that handles ISO well, you can even take a MUCH better photo than this as this was only shot on ISO 800.


  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Posts
    48

    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    That's a perfect example of the types of camp shots I am hoping to capture. Thank you for the info on the f numbers on the lenses, will be a a big help in starting with the right stuff to experiment on hikes around home.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Langley
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    1,593

    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    How much gear do you want to lug around? How much time do you have to set up a shot?

    Last year I settled on a super-zoom -- a point and shoot class with big zoom (up to 65x) capabilities. I looked at:

    Canon SX60 -65x
    Canon SX730 - 40x, small, no viewfinder
    *Nikon Coolpix P900 - 85x
    *Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 - 60x, F2.8, 4K video, USB charging, weather sealed, $620 kit at amazon.ca
    Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300 - 24x, F2.8, 24-600mm, splash-proof, $670 amazon.ca
    *Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS70/TZ90 - 30x, compact size, 24-720mm, F3.3-6.4, $660 amazon.ca
    Sony Cybershot HX90V - 30x, compact size 24-720mm, F3.5-6.4, $550 amazon.ca
    Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400V - 50x
    * = editor picks

    Some cameras have a compact body and some are "bridge" cameras -- they look like a DSLR but have a fixed lens.

    They can achieve the big zoom by having a small sensor. When you have a larger sensor you need a bigger lens so that's the trade off.

    Note that some are weather sealed which is nice when you're mostly outside.

    I bought mine at London Drugs which has a good selection, knowledgeable staff and competitive prices.

    I ended up buying a Panasonic DC-ZS70. The small size fits in a pocket, has a [digital] viewfinder and a 30x zoom. It also has more manual controls than I can figure out. In addition to the full compliment of programmable buttons it has a touchscreen for everything else.

    Another thing to look for are plugs for external microphones (for video).

    I also carry a Panasonic TS-4 which is tiny and waterproof. I take it swimming.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    van island
    Posts
    178

    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    I have been filming my hunts for years and been using a canon 70d, this season i switched to a canon eos R mirrorless, its been fantastic, the 4k is cropped but the image quality is good for youtube plus with a 1.6 crop it helps get in close with animals. I always carried a 50-500mm lens but its quite heavy, switched to a 70-200 lens with a 2x magnifier, gives alot more flexibility with your lenses. The big drawback is all that gear is quite heavy and expensive. Try and get the fastest aperture lens you can as it gives you more low light flexibility because you have to keep your shutter speed at twice your frame rate and cant crank it up or down for lighting conditions. Another option is to get a phone scope and use your spotting scope for the wildlife footage, its not as good but its good enough when you consider the weight savings. Like i said ive been doing it for some time and of course im still learning but if you have any questions feel free to message me. If you would like to see how similar set ups to what you are thinking about l, check out my youtube page!

    Harv.

    https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCaL0aOmOtqq93Kvn2oUYtow
    Last edited by Harv; 12-31-2019 at 05:03 PM.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    van island
    Posts
    178

    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    One thing i forgot to mention is buying used lenses is a good idea, i have only bought used and you save alot of cash plus of they already have a bit of cosmetic wear there is less worry about that and you will bring them to more exiting places and there for get more exiting footage. Just what i have found through my experience

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Penticton
    Posts
    1,526

    Re: Hunting Photography / Video (for backpacking)

    Quote Originally Posted by Grakyn View Post
    This is good info, thanks! So maybe, I will do some sort of mirrorless with two lenses and then the phonescope for distance pics. I've been looking at an initial purchase of a mirrorless and one lens for under $2,000. Buy a second lens before next hunting season. Was looking at something on par with Fujifilm X-T30 / Sony a6500 / Nikon z50.
    You'll be hard-pressed to find anything better than a phoneskope at the price point for shooting video at long distances(assuming you have a more recent phone and a decent spotter).

    Going mirrorless is gonna save you space/weight but you do need to be(more) careful when switching lenses, especially in the field.
    There have been great suggestions in this thread already when it comes to lens choice, ultimately it all boils down to price and weight. I run a 16-35mm wide and a 24-70mm at F2.8, but they're not cheap!

    I believe having a mid-range zoom lens to be the most important for your kit as a hunter. You could easily go with a prime lens(fixed mm) for the wide/night shots, just need to make sure it's F2.8 or lower, you'll save a few bucks by doing this. I wouldn't suggest anything over 70mm unless you know you are going to use it lots as they are just plain heavy.
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