What I Use to Film Surf (2019)
I’ve had quite a few people ask me what I’m using to film surf here in Central Florida so I figured I’d take some time and make a blog post so that I can point to it in the future. I’ll go over all of my gear, video settings, software, and all that good stuff. I’m sure my gear will change but this is what I’ve been using to film from 2018 to 2019.
My Drone: DJI Mavic Air
Link here: https://amzn.to/2MCx5kY
Simply put, I bought a drone because I wanted to capture the surf here in Central Florida from a unique perspective and have another excuse to be by the beach when I wasn’t surfing. The reason I initially chose the DJI mavic air back in 2018 was mainly due to it’s size and portability as well as the lower entry price point when compared to the DJI mavic pro or the DJI phantom. I wanted to be able to practice flying and get used to operating a drone by the water with a slightly cheaper drone in case something went wrong and I lost the drone to the ocean. The reason I still have the mavic air is because… it works!
It’s true that the mavic air isn’t the fastest drone, or the drone with the best image quality, or the drone with the longest range but… it definitely works for my purposes. Some things that it does great are: It takes great video (I shoot at 2.7k, 60FPS), it does not disturb surfers too much with it’s small size and quieter propellers, and it fits in a small carrying case.
Until this drone fails, I don’t see myself getting rid of it. I’d like to eventually upgrade to the mavic 2 zoom just so that I can use the optical zoom to get closer shots of surfers without being right up in their face. The one thing that I do not like about the mavic air is the battery life… I average about 12-13 minutes per battery which isn’t much, especially when you need to manage part of that battery life zipping around while you negotiate with waves and surfers and also consider getting back to the beach, sometimes having to fly further away to avoid flying around beach goers. But… for now, I’m extremely happy with the mavic air!
ND Filters: Fstop Labs Kit
Link: https://amzn.to/2P9yQYE
Neutral Density (ND) filters are a great accessory for your drone lens since they allow you the limit the amount of light entering the sensor, allowing you to decrease the shutter speed when it is really sunny (too much light) and give more of a cinematic look to your shots by adding motion blur. Essentially, think of them as sunglasses for your camera lens, helps fight of glare and the brutal sun. I won’t spend too much time going over ND filters but essentially… I use them most of the time when filming surf here in Florida. I normally use a polarized ND filter either 4 or 8 depending on how much light there is while I’m shooting. I went with the Fstop Labs ND filters because they are a great budget option and the kit comes with a variety of different options to choose from. I have also heard great things about the Polar Pro ND filters but they are a little more pricey.
Editing Software: Adobe Premiere CC
Link: https://amzn.to/33NIqoj
I was lucky enough to have a sister who had an Adobe Cloud license for her job and so she let me use her account to download Adobe Premiere CC. Honestly, it is the only video editing software I have used so it is hard for me to compare against others but I will say it is nice that there are tons of Youtube videos out there on Adobe Premiere so you can teach yourself just about anything if you have the patience for it. I’ve learned to really enjoy the editing process and I would have to say a big part of it is due to Adobe Premiere’s very intuitive platform and user-friendly interface. Don’t have much to say aside from I hope my sister doesn’t lose her Adobe user license any time soon.
Battery Charger: Fstop Labs 6-in-1 Parallel Charging Hub
Link: https://amzn.to/2MxMeEe
I cannot say how useful this charger has been… and I truly wish I would have picked one up a long time ago. I have a total of 5 batteries for my DJI mavic air which… doesn’t seem like much; but, without this parallel charger that would take me 5 hours to charge all of those batteries. I save 4 hours and am able to charge all 5 of my batteries in just 1 hour. I cannot say how much of a convenience that is when you need to get out there and film before high tide… or when you wake up early and forgot to charge your batteries the night before.
For less than $40 you get to save 4 hours of your time… every time! Super worth the investment as it will save you so much time. You can also charge your drone remote controller and cellphone off of this charger which is totally nuts. I would recommend picking up a LiPo fire retardant bag while charging your drone batteries since you know… fire suck and stuff.
I think that about covers the main components in my gear bag… I might add to this blog post as more questions pop up or if my gear changes. Hope you found this useful! Feel free to reach out with any questions and thanks for reading. Yewwww!