Extreme low-light hand-held night video with f1.4 lenses and the M6ii

Larry Rexley wrote:

Photato wrote:

Larry Rexley wrote:

Photato wrote:

Interesting as a challenge exercise but under such difficult conditions and more so for videos, I'd use a gimbal.
You are reaching the limits on what in-camera or lenses stabilization can do.

Very true, definitely the limits for the M series... the R7 would have some advantages here with its IBIS and higher quality video modes.

I do have a Zhiyun Crane M2 gimbal and thought it would solve all my stability problems ---- turns out for trains it really does not work, the tracking and framing needs to be far quicker and more precise than what I could get with any of the gimbal modes, even with sensitivity customizations. The camera EVF to the eye is far superior, I think. Also the gimbal was only useful for wide angle shots --- for telephoto images it was impossible to control and keep the train framed as it moved.

Good thought though..... I'll experiment with ithe gimbal more at some point. The gimbal does work amazingly well what the things it's good at, and I'm sure I'll get some good use out of it.

Interesting, I think ultimately, you could do it, but requires lots practice.
Probably would be easier with the gimbal set on a tripod.
I've been using the DJI Ronin SC with my M6ii and is a lot of fun, not just for videos.

Possibly I could improve, but the bigger problem is that i really have a hard time composing on the rear screen and tracking the action. My vision is such that only using the EVF allows me to concentrate on the subject and composition seamlessly without focusing on the camera controls.

If i used a tripod, like I do for dragon boat shooting, the gimbal is not needed.

As I chase the trains on bike and often have just a few seconds to jump off the bike and start shooting, the gimbal was also way too cumbersome and time-consuming. With it i would have to plan the shots and set up in advance and would miss most of what I can shoot now.

I have been thinking that a monopod might be a good compromise... One that was super fast to extend and clip the camera onto. Trouble is i shoot with 2 bodies in low light.... One with a fast wide, the other a fast tele.

Currently I'm putting together a PTZ setup (Pan, Tilt & Zoom)
With that I can get great pictures of all kinds of stuff with less effort.

When I have the time I'm planning to practice doing something similar, shooting planes at my local airport, here in Clearwater. Would post pictures if successful.

Ah ok, it looks like a complicated action packed affair.

I was gonna ask you how you knew the trains schedule, I thought you were using a train tracking app, like airplanes have. That way you could prepare better when the trains arrive.