Gearing up for DSLR Video

If you have a fairly new DSLR camera, you probably also have video capabilities. From a technical quality standpoint, the DSLR video cameras are excellent! It's the handling and operations that are the weak points.

When you bring your video DSLR on a trek, you can shoot video just like that, but... You have to be really carefull to get that high-high quality footage that your DSLR is capable of. If you're not careful, it doesn't really matter if you use a 5000$ camera or a 500$ camera!

So if you already have the expensive, good-quality dSLR camera and want to do video as well, I recommend you bring some extra items, like at least a video tripod and a external microphone. That will improve your video shooting capabilities enormously! For trekking, there is the added challenge of carrying it though. Especially the video tripod, it's really a lightweight killer. It's such a dilemma for trekking. So you do need to consider this point. For me, photography and videography is the reason for trekking in the first place, so I've gone ahead and gotten the good and heavy gear. And of course, I can also use it when I'm not trekking!

So here's my recommendations for gearing up to do video from a DSLR (in my case, Canon 5d-2) :

1. Tripod, bite the bullet and get it! For pro-looking video, it's essential. As recommended by dslrvideoshooter.com, this one is great for the reasonable price: Davis & Sanford PROVISTAGR18 Tripod with FM 18 Head
   
   
2. Mic, as much as I love pictures, I now know that sound is the more important of the two when it comes to video! The Røde videomic is widely used, for good reasons. It's compact, reasonably priced and good quality. For outdoor use, make sure you get the 'dead cat' as well (furry windjammer): Rode VideoMic Pro VMP Shotgun Microphone
   
   
3. Trigger for time-lapse etc, if you enjoy that sort of thing. Can produce stunning nature video footage, and it's one of the few pieces of equipment that's actually lightweight :-)... A good and cheap option is the Hahnel Giga T Pro 300' Wireless Shutter Release Timer Remote (for Canon DSLR)
   
   
4. ND filters, for those gorgeous, large aperture shots in full daylight. Get the size that's right for you, but make sure it's a B+W filter. They are the best! B+W Neutral Density #103
   
   
5. Batteries, since you can't always recharge in the field and when there's 3 days walk to the nearest power plug you'll hate yourself from running out of juice! Remember, batteries discharge quicker in cold conditions, and they're really not that expensie anymore. Find your extra camera batteries here
   
   
6. Memory cards, as quality video quickly takes up one GB after another, especially since 1 minute of useable footage usually requires 10-100 minutes of recorded footage (depending on your experience). Memory cards aren't really cheap, but the good thing is they are small and easy to carry..... here's the link: SanDisk Extreme HD Video 16 GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card (SDSDRX3-016G-A21)
   

That's it. Now get it ordered and start trekking! Make sure you can enjoy and share your impressive footage for years to come!

PS: You can order all the stuff at once from Amazon.uk here:

1. The Tripod
   
2. The Microphone (plus the dead cat and the extension cable)
   
3. The Trigger
   
4. The ND Filters
   
5. The Batteries
6. The Memory Cards