GroundPod Skimmer Review ! An amazing tool for Wildlife Photography and why you need to GET LOW !
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 тра 2022
- We have a review of the GroundPod Skimmer for use in Wildlife Photography, If you shoot waterfowl this is a MUST have in your bag. We also discuss why you need to GET LOW !
_________________________________________
Affiliate links mean I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This helps support my channel at no additional cost to you.
Canon EOS R10 adorama.rfvk.net/15Aqaz
Canon EOS R5 amzn.to/3xbg48A
Canon EOS R7 adorama.rfvk.net/LPkbz0
Rode VideoMic GO II amzn.to/3DcKKtJ
Atomos Ninja V amzn.to/3DdzJZl
IFOOTAGE Cobra 2 C180-II amzn.to/3B53E31
Peak Design Travel Tripod amzn.to/3RqYlC6
DJi Pocket 2 Creator Kit. amzn.to/3RCrnPe
WANDRD PRVKE 21L Photography Backpack amzn.to/3BcYVg0
Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS USM Lens adorama.rfvk.net/jWbWr0
Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens adorama.rfvk.net/P0x0yQ
Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM Lens adorama.rfvk.net/kj6j0d
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens adorama.rfvk.net/a1g1nM
_____________________________________________________________
SOCIAL MEDIA & WEB
Instagram:
/ sdwest11
Facebook Page:
/ sdwest11
Website & Shop:
westakphoto.com
WHO I AM.
My name is Scott West and I am a nature and wildlife photographer located in Alaska. I am very lucky to live in a place surrounded by amazing landscapes and even more amazing wildlife.
☊ MUSIC
All music licensed through Music Vine. musicvine.com/
Photography gear used in this video:
Canon R5
Atomos Ninja V
GroundPod Skimmer
Benro Gimbal GH5C
DJI Pocket 2
Best Wishes
Funny video! That loon was having fun!
yes he was
Thanks for the tips. I never considered using my gimbal. Next time out, I will use that set up. Thank you Scott.
yeah the gimbal makes it balance much better as the grounded is never level
Amazing video....love your channel. I bought a GroundPod Skimmer a few months ago and love it!
Thanks. its a great tool.
Good Review and explanation. Very interesting demonstration on how to achieve blur getting low. Funny episode with the splashing bird. I am from Denmark, Europe, and I was at that lake in march 2015 freezing my ears off. Nice to see lake Hood without ice. Continue your good reviews. /Per
Glad it was helpful.
Ya, once we get free of ice the Loons come in ;) They are fun.
New subscriber here and going back through some content and saw this. That loon lived up to its name! Great stuff. Very brave bird who seemed to think you were encroaching on his territory I guess. Thanks for the great vids.
Thanks for watching and welcome aboard. There are 2 of these loons on the float plane base here in Anchorage that were fed in the past and swim up next to anyone along the shore and carry on. They can be quite comical at times.
Hysterical loon sequences. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it
Good review of the ground pod & explanation why to get low. I'm an amateur photographer and couldn't justify the price of the ground pod. My wife gave me an aluminum pizza pan, I added a 3/8 - 16 bolt and small base for the gimbal head, then painted it flat black. Same results, but homemade :-) Loved the loon in the video, he definitely was the star of the show.
oh that Loon and I have some adventures lol.
Ya there are a ton of DIY videos on the grounded. I'm just lazy :) Plus my tinkering skills it would fall apart ;)
@@WILDALASKA - I should have mentioned Scott I'm also saving up to upgrade my Canon 7D MKII to either a Canon R6 or R7. For me it made sense to go the DIY route. Appreciate your videos that reviewed the R6 & R7. Lots of good information. Keep up the good work and sharing your amazing photos.
That diver is a bucket list bird for me (in the UK) and there it is just feet away from you, unbelievable =)
Always pretty fun to find the loons. Such a cool bird.
@@WILDALASKA Yeah, really smart looking birds in summer plumage, along with the larger Great Northern Diver.
Hilarious, you’re a loon magnet! I think it enjoyed splashing you!
The loons ate lake hood are weird. there's 2 and they both will come right up to you.
Bonjour, il faut prendre une vieille poêle en alu plus légère et couper le manche
Merci pour le partage
Bonne journée 👍
thanks
It’s a loony bird! At least you get close up they are usually out at sea a good distance away for us
I love when they show up here in Anchorage each spring. And these guys are super goofy lol.
The others I see throughout the state, you can't get close to them without anticipating their swim directions and hiding yourself well and waiting a LONG time ;)
Wish I had those kinds of problems chasing birds! They just make me look foolish!
Well this one made me look foolish. Splashed me the entire time. lol
that loon LOL!!!!
He was a mess. SO fun !
@@WILDALASKA I thought it was cute. I suspect that others are feeding him (never a good idea) and he was bugging you for food. I've just managed to be able to afford to buy the Benro TMA38CL tripod, and I'm looking to get the GH5C gimbal in the next couple of weeks hopefully. The skimmer pod II is on my want list as well. I'm only just getting into birding photography and don't really have a long lens (300mm F4 IS L and 1.4x TC mark I). Bodies are older 1D, 1D Mark IIn and 60D. AF on the 60D sucks, but 18mp is just gonna be better than the 8mp of the Mark IIn sadly. I'll probably eventually sell the Mark IIn and 60D to fund a new camera body, but after the tripod/gimbal (at least) purchses, my focus is to slowly (very slowly, limited income) save for a used 500mm F4 IS L (1st gen - can't afford a 2nd gen unit, even used as it'll be well and truly out of my price range). Toying with the idea of a f4.5 lens instead, but the lack of IS, very old age, are probably good enough reasons to go with the 1st gen IS version. I'll need to get a Mark III 1.4x TC too. Will probably try and sell my 1st gen 1.4x and 2x TCs along with the older bodies. The original 4mp 1D CCD based camera will be kept at all costs - IQ of that CCD sensor beats any CMOS Canon camera I have used imho. Plus, 1/16000 shutter speed and 1/500 flash sync speed! My Mark IIn probably only has 9k shutter actuations and my 1D ~6k. So, both very low usage.
The R7's high ISO noise performance is better than expected, but I am still not happy with it and the buffer is only good with this camera if using CRAW, super fast card and mechanical 15 fps shutter imho. And of course that rolling shutter is a huge issue with the R7 (see Duade Patton's thoughts on the R7 in his latest video from a few hours ago).
@@davepastern The area is mainly lots for pilots and their float planes. Talking to them none know why these Loons have this behavior and its been like this for more than one bird for a LONG time. They all say no-one feeds them, but i guess someone had a some point in time.
There are 2 loons in this area and this one is aggressive and the other is more 'cordial'
The Benro gimball is a but expensive and there are cheaper alternatives. That lens combo should be good. I don't want a long distance for over water shots anyway due to atmospheric distortion that is greater over water.
Any of the new mirrorless cameras from almost any brand now are amazing and worth a look.
Happy shooting :)
@@WILDALASKA that is really interesting behaviour from the loons. I'm not really super familiar with bird species in Australia, let alone North America, but very few birds are that friendly from my experiences.
I know the Benro is expensive, but I'd rather buy something really good quality, and with my lower back problems, every weight reduction that I can achieve is a win! So, carbon fibre to the rescue lol.
My only worry with the 500mm F4 IS L mark 1 is with my luck, something will break on it shortly after I shell out AUD $4k or so, and Canon doesn't repair them anymore, so I'd basically have wasted a lot of money on a dud. I'm not the luckiest of guys!
I have too much invested in Canon gear to switch marques, plus, I dislike the Sony UI with a passion. Nikon I can tolerate, but I simply prefer Canon after nearly 35 years of using EOS cameras (I also have a D60, 1n film). Plus, the Canon AF subsystems are in a class of their own imho.
I am thinking of probably going with the R6, as my current 300+1.4x on my 60D gives me 672mm reach and the 500mm with the 1.4x TC on a R6 will give me 700mm, so pretty similar. I'm finding that 672mm is enough for me. I just need to get way better at approaching birds, improve my patience levels, improve my research (what bird, where, what type of behaviour, how to best approach, etc) and learn more about hides and setups (responsible setups of course). The R7 would give me more reach of course, but do I really need that reach, and I don't think that I do.
Have you heard any rumours on Mark II versions of the R6? I'm hoping it's BSI and 26mp with a better EVF (matching the R5's).
Anyway, time for bed, it's 2am here in Brisbane, Australia.
@@davepastern so the mk II version of r5 and r6 will probably be 2 years out. Canon is rpetty good on timing on time between models 3-4 years.
im with you on gear purchases. you get what you pay for.
the mk 1 500 f4 . yes a bit long in the tooth. if you can get a mk ii like inhale its better. plus get insurance on it if you can.
and finally im with canon also as I have invested too much in the glass. which is where you should put your money before body l( but the new bodies are amazing.
thanks for your replies and feedback.
That's hilarious how it kept splashing you. Normally we can't get close enough to the birds, you have the opposite problem there...
yes there's a couple that are a bit odd near the float plane base ;)
@@WILDALASKA it seems that one was aptly named.
Terrible vid, really think your trying to kill me or at least disable, that ground pod is not made for the elderly. If I get down like you did, at 78 years old I’d probably still be there next spring.😂😂😂😂 but really a great tip, will try to get closer to the ground. Will be watching for your next vid👁👀.
IM not that far along yet, but the years do start to have their tolls :P
The group pod is cool for anytime you want to slide your rig around..so even on like a picnic table, bed cover on a truck etc. But getting on eye or lower level..just amazing shots.