Necessary equipment in jungle shoots?

[william howell]

So... Recently I asked about portable lighting for the jungle... Thanks to a forum member, i stumbled across a whole world of info on reduser about the subject... F&V and bbs lights...

I'm hoping this thread will do the same.

basically.

Is there a tripod/fluid head anyone can recommend for spending a couple of weeks in a south/central american jungle?

jib?

slider? (I dragged a full size Kessler cineslider up a mountain this winter for slider shots and time lapse photography, and the cold weather had a dramatic effect on the reliability of the time lapse functions in the oracle... Not worried about that so much in the jungle, but the whole motor/motion control system is rather cumbersome to drag up a mountain... Wires, batteries, control modules, two controllers if you want to use the revolution head...) Is there anything more compact with the same functions as a cineslider/revolution head combo? Not worried about cost at this point... Just looking to see what's out there.. If it fits in the budget, then cool... If not... Meh..

Light stands?

what equipment is a "must have" when shooting nature?

i tried to document leaf cutter ants last time I went into the jungle, and my lack of proper equipment basically kept me from achieving my goals... I want to be over prepared this time.

spiders... ants... Monkeys... Cats... Federales... Surfers... Whatever we run into along the way..

extremely small crew.

access to off road vehicles for most of the shoot...

A few serious hiking shots.

3-4 people at most.

 

[Jeff Whitehurst]

Is there a tripod/fluid head anyone can recommend for spending a couple of weeks in a south/central american jungle?

Researched extensively looking for a stable and smooth yet lightweight tripod head/sticks combo since I needed to carry all my own gear on multi-day trips in rough terrain. I decided on the Miller Compass 15 head, Really Right Stuff TVC-33S tripod with TA-3-LHDL leveling base handle with hook. Total weight is ~10 lbs, collapsed length is 30". It can go down to 10" off the ground with the head, 5" with only the leveling base. I've loaded it up to ~25 lbs with long lenses, matte box, microphone, etc. It works great with this weight and I was able to get smooth moves tracking tiny birds in the tree canopy. If it was real windy, I carried a screw-in dog leash stake to tie down the tripod to the ground, but I usually only needed it if it was pretty gusty and exposed.

I originally planned to add a Compass 25 and 100mm legs to the mix, but never saw the need. I spent most of last year hiking solo around the rain forests of Hawaii Island filming native birds, and I was very happy with the Compass 15 setup. Carried it strapped to an assortment of packs, but since you're going to be in the jungle, you might like the Lowepro Dryzone 200. Could be a bit bigger, but it's absolutely watertight and great piece of mind when you're working in the mud, in a downpour or crossing rivers.
Hope it helps, Jeff

 

[Bob Gilles]

Reflectors are rain covers are key, there is pools of light in the jungle, a large popout reflecor and some clips can put it right where you need it.

 

[PatrickFaith]

Reflectors are rain covers are key, there is pools of light in the jungle, a large popout reflecor and some clips can put it right where you need it.

+1 I really like "california sunbounce" 4x6 reflectors as they are way beefy, low weight and with just a pocket of light through the canopy can fill an area 20 feet away. I do have "scrim jim" reflectors, they are a bit lighter but not very rugged. I am also a big believer in not going native and covering every piece of my body, I love my head fly net that seals around my neck and also having pants which seal between the shoes and the pant legs.

 

[David W. Jones]

A very good first aid kit and a GPS unit.

 

[Michael Dalton]

I agree, not a big fan of lighting the jungle, but do use bounce boards a lot. I have a few sizes with me on my Africa shoots. I always seem to come out with amazing light. If I do use lights, it's often high lumen flashlights like these http://fenixtactical.com with some of their diffusers to cut the harshness. Great for lighting things like log hollows etc. They are light weight, last long, and more manageable then camera lights.