Videos - Production to Publishing

My goal is to publish Animal Special videos in 4k for each frog, snake, turtle, bird, or mammal species that spends one or more seasons in Southern Quebec, as well as Soundscape videos in 4k with ambient sound for each type of habitat across every season.

Last changed on 2025-06-17

Camera & Lens

Footage for Soundscapes is recorded with either NIKON Z8 / NIKKOR Z 24-70mm or iPhone 11. Footage for Animal Specials and Animal Trivias is recorded with NIKON Z8 / NIKKOR Z 100-400mm. Whenever possible I am using tripods for camera stabilization. For details about field sound recording see Sounds - Production to Publishing.

Production

For soundscapes, the decision to use the iPhone 11 or the NIKON Z8 depends on lighting conditions. If there is a wide range of light, I prefer working with the NIKON Z8, as its footage provides greater flexibility in post-production. Both cameras record in 4K, although NIKON Z8 footage is saved as a RAW file, while iPhone 11 footage is compressed. Camera settings are:

iPhone: 4k in 24fps
NIKON Z8: video format NIKON RAW 12-Bit, 4.1k (4128x2322px) in 24fps, high quality

For wildlife recording, I always use the NIKON Z8 with the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm lens, occasionally extended with the TC 2.0 teleconverter. Recording is done in Nikon RAW 12-bit N-Log at 4.1K, high quality. The frame rate is either 24 fps or 60 fps, depending on whether the main subjects are fast- or slow-moving and whether I expect to slow down the footage in post-production.

If you plan to record with the NIKON Z8 in N-RAW 12-bit at high frame rates, 60 fps or higher, ensure that you have a fast-writing memory card. Check Nikon's website for suitable brands and models.