I Tracked Down the Rarest Bird in the Forest 

Glad to have others enjoy! Persistence it did take after 3 mornings back to back at 3AM 😂

Glad it was worth a second watch 😍 thanks man!

Thank you so much! Glad to have you here on the channel :)

Thank you! It was a tough one!

At least that’s what I tell myself 😂

I love that you felt the anticipation and can relate to the quote 🙌🏻 was worth the experience and the single photo. Glad to represent ☺️

Thanks so much for the compliment, I’m honored to be seen that way 🙌🏻 And yes I definitely do have those impulses too haha. But over time I’ve gotten so used to and good with MF that even when shooting on reputable AF bodies that camera companies loan to me I still like shooting in MF a lot. That being said, the S5II actually has some of the best AF out there now, so even if you stick in the L Mount you have a good option now, and things are only going to get better for Panasonic. So I was heavily debating switching up until the end of last year but now I’m sticking with L Mount. I’d encourage you to check out my review on the S5II on this channel if you haven’t seen it ☺️

Thanks Giuseppe! :) so glad it inspired you

It really was an amazing moment! But man I was so heartbroken by how quick it was and knowing it could have been even better haha.

On it.

Couldn’t agree more!! Patience is a great teacher 🙌🏻 thanks for the compliment!

Thanks! :) Unfortunately that's probably not on my radar anytime soon as I have the next few months of videos already mapped, but maybe someday I'll try it out again

@@JeremyNeippThanks, good to know!

Thank you! Such an awesome bird, I hope you get your chance with it soon!

Next time you’re in Cali hit me up, you’ll get the Creator discount 😉

@@JeremyNeipp We can make a video where I dress up as a bird and you try and find me. My name would dictate a challenge.

@@fatherofbirds 😂😂

She helped with half of it, the other half was a different videographer I hired. They did a great job! And thank you for the encouragement! Was a fun expedition to go on :)

Thank you!!

Thank you! Yes it is 👌

Thanks for your compliments! I appreciate that encouragement ☺️🙌🏻 I actually do own an S5II and use that occasionally. In regards to AF i have used much much better systems as you’ve already mentioned are available, but even on those systems I find myself shooting MF a lot as for me I’ve gotten so used to it over the years I don’t mind and still find the AF systems of Sony and OM Systems, etc. overhyped. In regards to video that’s the biggest reason why I will be switching off the S1R soon is due to those limitations, I’m just waiting for a specific “tool” that is coming out in the future. And many times I’ve debated bringing a gimbal as I own two for my video production company, it’s just hard in the aspect of needing to travel light and discreetly for my second shooter. Also, having shot with a gimbal many times in my career it’s a hassle and hurts your back carrying one for a whole day, let alone on a hike haha. So it’s a balance I’ve debated many times. Also one of the two shooters I hired for this video was his first time helping me out specifically and many of his shots were those shaky broll ones… so a thing I’m working on to improve with him ☺️

@@JeremyNeipp I am very curious what that new tool might be ;) However your statement on AF being overhyped is very controversial, rare among even the most prominent (at least on social media) wildlife photographers/videographers, and it also doesn't match my experience. There are some instances like swifts in flight where MF is impossible to use with any hope of semi-decent keeper rate by which I mean probability significantly higher than zero. Also such techniques as pulling focus are very limiting as it basically give you up to 2-3 tack sharp photos and that is only when your drive mode is at least 20 fps which cannot be taken for granted with Lumix gear. And with follow focus of fast moving targets you are on a constant risk of being imprecise. Frankly speaking misfocus was visible in your A-roll. Not that AF always handles birds in grass flawlessly but these systems keeps being improved and you cannot improve human physiology. Yet. And definately not with increasing age. Most wildlife shooters cannot emphasise enough the importance of AF. Such emphasis on MF could be only justified by Lumix cameras users. As for the shaky handheld footage (that I am guilty of very often too), I must say that one simple technique works for me very well. Camera hangs on my neck on a strap, I grab it and tense the strap a bit so that camera is anchored in a way to may neck and to my elbows that are tucked against my ribs. It works well for my for static frame, simple panning-tilting and walking on reasonable even terrain. Many people suggest normal stance with eye pressed against EVF, and elbow egainst the ribs. It works very well for stills but in my opinion for video it is OK only for short static frames. After several seconds the sway appears, whereas panning always ends up being too dynamic. I also was once shown a technique for low-angle moving frames where the strap is being grabbed in the middle of its length (two layers at a time) to create a loop you put under the lens so that it create a double handle like in a shopping bag that camera hangs on.

Most definitely, not saying I’m perfect either with MF, far from, but in many cases of wildlife photography I’ve still found MF a very useful skill while using the best AF camera bodies. Ex. Lots of foiliage in the foreground (which is a style of shooting I try to trademark as my own), or small bird in frame shots where the subject is too tiny (which is another style of shooting I commonly like shooting around 150-200mm), So I’d argue there is still lots of value to it. And I’ve shot White-Throated Swifts in flight before manual focus and you’d be amazed what I was able to pull off, check out my video on that and you might see things a little differently about MF. I know I hold a controversial opinion but I’m okay with that. And im aware of all those stabilization methods. I do tell my shooters to press elbows into the rib cage, 3 points of contact wherever possible. In some of those situations we were also in scramble or in deeper mud than it probably seemed in the video so that made stepping uneasy. Camera straps I don’t like to use because they get in the way with other types of shots like when doing ground level shots, or even just simply pulling it off and on a slider/tripod all day long, but it’s definitely not bad to reconsider. You’re right that some of the in the moment shots came out more unstable than I would prefer too, so reconsidering solutions isn’t a bad idea ☺️

@@JeremyNeipp Well, I find these strap essential element of my IS "method". Far from perfect though. Of course such amazing MF skills are very handy. In described scenarios I use MF override along C-AF too. However I doubt most people can develop such skills in reasonable ammount of time, and still I think that MF cannot replace reliable AF, instead it assist it, whereas top tier AF systems most often can be used without relying on MF except for most specific cases. There is a lot of skills to aquire in wildlife shooting and a lot of tasks to do, while the resources and oportunities are limited. At least I cannot afford discarding these technological advances. But I am only a hobbyist.