4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I'm looking at getting a 4K camcorder for shooting wildlife and the front-runner at this stage is the Panasonic UX180.

Does anyone here use the UX180 for wildlife? If so, how do you find it?

I'm concerned about the reach of the lens and the picture quality. The samples I've seen online are okay, but don't blow me away. Highlight roll-off doesn't look too good and there looks to be significant noise reduction smearing, even in good light.

But I see the same problems in any cameras in this price range.

Are you using something else similar, and if so, how do you find it?

The PXW-Z150 doesn't seem to have very good 4K specs. I'd miss 50p/60p.

I could push the budget to something like an EVA1, FS5 or similar, but any lens that I'm going to be happy with would cost way more than I'm able to spend.

Weight is also a big issue with me, hence why I'm looking at cameras with an integrated lens.

My research seems to suggest that add-on tele-extenders are not really available any more, especially for 4K. Am I mistaken?

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Not sure if you have seen Doug Jensen's video of Florida wildlife using the PXW Z150. Well worth a watch.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Thanks for the reply, Donald.

I had seen Doug's footage. Yes, it's good, as is everything I've seen from Doug, but those shots all look to have been captured in nice lighting conditions. It's on the edge that I really need to know which performs better, and the only way I could do that is to test them side by side.

The main reasons I've not looked too closely at the Z150 is the 12x zoom and maximum frame rate of 30p in 4K. I like to almost always shoot in 50p (I'm in PAL land) to allow for smoother slow motion if needed.

I find that many of the shots I want to get are of small animals at quite a distance, and often in quite poor light.

I have seen some good footage from both cameras online, but also a lot of uninspiring footage, but perhaps that comes down to the user more so than the cameras.

Here's some examples of the sort of stuff I do (all shot with a very cheap camera and tripod (modified Panasonic HDC-SD90 and Manfrotto 055 legs/128LP head)):

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I should mention that where I live makes it impossible for me to try any cameras out without a plane trip, but ultimately I could do that if it gets down to a tough decision.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

If, like me, you like the smooth motion of 50/60P then you could look at the Canon XF400/405 or the Panasonic HC-X1/UX180. Both 1" sensors. If you do not need to zoom a lot like a camcorder then you could look at the Panasonic GH5 then you can choose the lens you want. I have one and am very pleased with performance.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I agree with Ron. I also have the GH5 and am happy with it. Add the Panasonic 100-400 zoom and you would have a great combination.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Thanks for the reply, Ron.

Yes, the UX180 is the front runner at the moment. I've eliminated the XF400 because of not enough zoom range.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I'm in my 50s and have used SLRs for stills and 16mm and video cameras for motion pictures since the age of 14. Although video and photography has been mostly a hobby for many years, my first job was as a film and video camera operator. I used cameras and lenses that cost as much as a house.

I've never been able to feel comfortable with the idea of using a stills camera for video, but really, the only times I've tried were with my Nikon D90. I found it very clunky to operate and of course the picture quality left a lot to be desired.

But I have read some good things about the GH5 (and the GH4 for that matter).

With wildlife, things often happen very fast. Is the GH5 something that's possible to change settings very quickly?

Also, I'm assuming it's not possible to zoom while filming with the 100-400.

I'll put some more thought into going the GH5 route and see if I can track down some wildlife footage shot with that combination.

Thanks Mark and Ron for the suggestion.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

If the UX180 is the top of your list and you do not need SDI or timecode link then the HC-X1 is identical and a bit cheaper. The GH5 is not as convenient to zoom as a camcorder when your shooting but it does have a LANC control for the few power zoom lenses that are around though most would view them as not being up to the quality of the GH5. If you are shooting at 50P in UHD then you can of course zoom in about 4:1 if you are delivering HD but focus is VERY critical in UHD.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

The UX180 is pretty much the same price as the HC-X1 on the street in Australia. Since I do occasionally get called on to do the odd video job, having timecode might come in handy.

That's another mark against the GH5, I guess. I do get asked to shoot an occasional commercial video and the GH5 will be less desirable there.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

If they are the similar price then of course get the UX180 but for me in Canada there is quite a difference. I think they both have timecode the difference is a timecode sync connector for multicam. The SDI is only HD too so any UHD has to be from the HDMI common to both. So the UX180 has the advantage in a studio multicam environment with SDI monitoring. As a one man band I see no advantage over the HC-X1 as picture and sound are identical. I choose the GH5 because it offered 10bit 4:2:2 on the HDMI for an external recorder like the Atomos Shogun/Ninja Inferno. My use is always on a tripod, fixed in the theatre.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I have a friend in Perth, Robert Humphries, and he's done a lot of wildlife shooting with a camcorder, don't know which one. Here is his email, and I'm sure he would love to give his thoughts on cameras. Here is his email.

auriga99 AT hotmail DOT com

Also, here is a link to some footage he just got of a Frogmouth plus other stuff from South Africa http://www.hbw.com/ibc/u/24680.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Thanks for your reply, Don.

Those videos appear to be much lower resolution than 4K.

I've sent Robert an email to solicit his opinion.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I've been exchanging emails with Robert. He also has his eye on the UX180/HC-X1.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I ordered a UX180 today along with a spare battery, a couple of 128GB SD cards, a Rode wireless mic kit, Rode NTG1 shotgun mic, and a shock mount for the mic.

All except the spare battery should arrive mid next week.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Ready to go...

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Don't you just love the new Flowtech75 tripod? I've had one since last spring that sachtler gave me to test and the speed at which it can be deployed has made the difference a few times between getting the shot or not. I'm not sending it back even if they ask!

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I've only used it in the back yard so far, but yes, setup time is wonderful. I find it comfortable to rest on my shoulder too.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Hi Michael,
Now that you've had the 180 a few weeks any thoughts? I just put in an order for one. The 20x zoom and UHD 60p were really the deciding factors. I'm replacing my Sony Z100 that was damaged beyond repair and had both of those features that I used frequently. Loved that camera except for the noise in the picture. Hoping the Panny is a step up.
- David

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I never thought I could get truly excited for a set of stix, but the Flowtech is really a bit of genius. It is almost too easy to set them up! I just hope it's robust enough, because I am going to beat the hell out of those things!

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Yes, quite a few. I'm in the process of writing a review, but time constraints mean it's only about 30% done so far.

Here's a little bit from the draft:

In a nutshell, my opinion is that the AG-UX180 is a very capable HD camera with an amazing array of features that also happens to do UHD and 4K, albeit with a reduced feature set.

Mainly, I've been shooting the pair of Honeyeaters and their 2 babies. I'm actually getting more interesting shots with my little camera (Panasonic HC-WXF985M) because I have set up a tripod very close to the nest and can operate the little camera by wireless remote from my phone while sitting quite a distance away. In my opinion, the remote control app available for the UX180/HC-X1 is as good as useless since it doesn't allow for remote viewing.

However, when I compare the footage from the WXF985 to the UX180, viewed on a 55" UHD TV, the UX180 wins by a large margin on technical quality, even though they are both UHD. I suspect the differences will be less obvious once the files are compressed for the Internet.

Operationally, the UX180, of course, wins hands down. I'm still fumbling with a lot of the controls, but slowly getting more competent. Nailing manual focus on 4K is quite difficult, and although the auto focus is pretty good, it can't know to focus on the bird behind the foreground branches, so it has to be manual focus in those situations.

Overall, I very much like the UX180 for the price, but there are a few annoyances with it, a couple of which caught me by surprise, even after all my research.

The main one is the waveform monitor. An invaluable exposure tool that I find almost useless since it can't be on the screen at the same time as any other information. Not only that, but it will not work on the viewfinder, only on the LCD.

Another problem with the WFM is it will not work if focus peaking is active. As a programmer, this one particularly annoys me as all it requires is 4 lines of code to fix. Simply automatically switch off peaking before switching on the WFM and then automatically switch peaking back on when the WFM is switched off.

Instead, if I press the WFM button while peaking is on I get an "Invalid" message.

These pictures are cropped frame grabs. It's nice to be able to extract 8MP stills from the video.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Here's my UX180 review: Panasonic AG-UX180 Review - mike-warren.net

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Thanks for the insight, Mike. My 180 just arrived. Definitely has some quirks to it, but I think it will serve my purposes pretty well. I'm pleased with the picture from it and the low light improvement from the Z100 is benefit enough.

I think I'm also replacing my FS700 with the EVA1 so it looks like my ecosystem is switching to Panasonic from Sony. I'll still have my A7S2 for awhile but maybe there's a GH5 in my future as well! Interesting times.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Michael,

It's a bit late, but in answer to your question about the ease of rapid changes in settings for wildlife in the GH-5, it is quite easy. The camera has three positions on one of the main dials for pre-set custom settings. One click gets you from one to the other. I have, for example, a setting for shooting in HD with maximum tele, another for shooting in 4K with half as much tele, and a third for shooting in 4K at 120 frames per second for slow motion. I can switch between these in 1-2 seconds. Each one provides for any parameters you care to put in in advance. In addition, shutter speed and iso are quickly changed with other, autonymous dials, no matter what preselected choice you happen to be in at the time. No need to go into menus or touch touchscreens. I change the iris on the lens. So changing settings is as easy as with any camcorder I have ever used. 4K images and the ability to shoot smooth slow motion has sold me on the GH-5.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Thanks Steve.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

I have a GH5 and I don't think that it does 4K at 120 fps. Even UHD is limited to 60 fps.

Re: 4K Camcorder for Wildlife
 

Sorry, I misspoke. 120 fps gives 1920 x 1080, but it still looks good.