Tips for Whales, Sharks, Schools of Fish, Flocks of Birds and Deer and other Wildlife? Which drone is best/adequate?

[dronerat]

Anyone here use their drone to shoot wildlife, like whales, sharks, schools of fish, flocks of birds, deer, etc? I'm curious which drones you find the best for this kind of activity? Can you take some good wildlife photos with an Air 2S? Or is a telephoto imperative? I've wondered if I would really need a telephoto like that on the Mavic 3--but on the other hand, considering one has to find the animal first, and they can move quickly, maybe a telephoto is not the answer as it is likely hard to track a moving animal with a telephoto from a drone anyway. And I've heard mixed reviews about the quality/capabilities of the M3 telephoto camera anyway.

So which drone do you recommend for this kind of photography? Which drone is the best? And which is adequate?

What are some important tips for doing this kind of drone photography?

 

[Meta4]

So which drone do you recommend for this kind of photography? Which drone is the best? And which is adequate?

The wideangle lenses on drones are of very limited use for most wildlife photography.
Wideangle lenses make things look further away than they actually are.
So unless you are thinking of photographing whales, you aren't likely to get good results.
If you could get close enough, you would scare most animals away.

The tele lens on the Mavic 3 would be more use, but it could be tricky to get the results you'd want.

 

[edfrombama]

Good morning to all-
I agree with Meta4- using your drone to get wildlife shots is not easy at all. Primarily, drone videos and photos of wildlife tend to be of the "landscape with animals in it at a distance" type shot. That doesn't mean you can't get good wildlife shots, but most critters are going to spook and leave at a high rate of speed if you get close enough with nearly any consumer level drone to get a tight shot of the animals. the cool animal videos we see on TV are generally shot with telephoto-equipped extremely expensive professional drones- way, way out of my financial ballpark.
Fish- this is different. Here you are mainly limited by water clarity and light reflection off the surface. I have seen- and shot a few- really cool photos of schooling fish with my drones, but it takes a bit of luck and good fortune.
My Mini 2 drones are generally effective at long-distance shots of landscape and animals in the landscape, but I think just about any good quality drone will work. It's just that you need to keep the limitations of the system in mind.
I hope you get some good wildlife shots, and I hope you will share your technique with me. I would love to be better at wildlife drone shooting.

you all be safe and keep well- Ed

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

When the Mavic 2 Zoom came out, getting closer to wildlife was one of their selling points. I think the footage was of a giraffe IIRC. I don't know what the difference would be between the Mavic 3 zoom capabilities vs the Mavic 2 Zoom capabilities would be however. Just throwing it out there.

 

[Aerophile]

I've been able to get decent footage of...a cow. It just looked up and stared at the drone, it appeared to be trying to figure out WTF it was. Other animals I've tried to approach quickly get spooked and disappear.

Honestly, I think you may need to calibrate your expectations for this. Wildlife shots all start with being in the right place at the right time, and that usually takes a lot of effort (and/or a lot of luck) to get right. Usually, that "right place" is someplace inconvenient and difficult to reach (it it wasn't, people would go there, and the animals wouldn't). And it always requires a lot of patience -- more than most folks are willing to invest. Just managing to find the wildlife and photograph it with the right equipment (very expensive, long fast lenses) is hard enough to pull off, adding the complexities and limitations of drones into the mix...I wish you luck but I hope you have a heckuva lot of patience.

You might also look into regulations requiring you (and your gear) to keep your distance from any protected species. Where I live, there are lots of laws governing how close you (or your boat or airplane) can get to marine mammals (whales, etc.).

 

[Robert Prior]

What are some important tips for doing this kind of drone photography?

Checking the laws of the country you are flying in. Many have restrictions on how close you can get to wildlife.

In both the United States and Australia, specific legislation regulates how close drones can be flown to marine mammals. In the United States, drones must be kept at least:

• 100 yards from whales (except the specific species below) and at least 50 yards away from dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions.
• 100 yards from humpback whales in Hawaiian and Alaskan waters.
• 200 yards away from killer whales in Washington State inland waters.
• 500 yards away from North Atlantic right whales anywhere in U.S. waters.

Drones and wildlife laws - Wildlife Drones

Wanting to fly a drone? Make sure to check government drone regulations. Here are 3 things you need to know about drones and wildlife laws.

wildlifedrones.net

 

[Capt KO]

Quiet, flight time, 4K all are important, several fit the bill. A2s is most bang for the buck. Enjoy

 

[Dale D]

Anyone here use their drone to shoot wildlife, like whales, sharks, schools of fish, flocks of birds, deer, etc? I'm curious which drones you find the best for this kind of activity? Can you take some good wildlife photos with an Air 2S? Or is a telephoto imperative? I've wondered if I would really need a telephoto like that on the Mavic 3--but on the other hand, considering one has to find the animal first, and they can move quickly, maybe a telephoto is not the answer as it is likely hard to track a moving animal with a telephoto from a drone anyway. And I've heard mixed reviews about the quality/capabilities of the M3 telephoto camera anyway.

So which drone do you recommend for this kind of photography? Which drone is the best? And which is adequate?

What are some important tips for doing this kind of drone photography?

If you want to be a serious wildlife photographer, forget about the drone! You can rent (LensPro To Go) a 600mm prime lens (f/4.0) and use a great tripod. Here are some examples (shot in Botswana 2013).

Dale
Miami

 

[17mTs950]

Check out south fork salt on YouTube he’s a long islander and gets great video

 

[Elthree]

When the Mavic 2 Zoom came out, getting closer to wildlife was one of their selling points. I think the footage was of a giraffe IIRC. I don't know what the difference would be between the Mavic 3 zoom capabilities vs the Mavic 2 Zoom capabilities would be however. Just throwing it out there.

The Mavic 2 Zoom's lens is the equivalent of a 24-48mm zoom. A lot less than the 162mm-equivalent of the Mavic 3's telephoto lens.

A 2x zoom may have been one of their marketing points, but not a strong one.

 

[Dbez1]

If you want to be a serious wildlife photographer, forget about the drone! You can rent (LensPro To Go) a 600mm prime lens (f/4.0) View attachment 156005View attachment 156007View attachment 156005and use a great tripod. Here are some examples (shot in Botswana 2013).

Dale
Miami

Those are nice shots Dale.
Re drones: Unfortunately, the Air2S only has telephoto capabilities in video mode and not stills. You could take video and grab a frame from that but don’t expect anything like the quality Dale got. Additionally, unlike a still camera, the closer you zoom, the more the image is degraded. If you’re really set on using a drone for wildlife, the Mav3 or the zoom may be your best choices unless you’re able to spend the REALLY big bucks. Best wishes and have fun with your photography.

 

[Torque]

I realize this thread is 2 years old, but the topic reminded me of the use of drones to study the Orcas here in the Salish Sea.

A bird’s-eye view of orcas! How, when, and why?

In the following Q & A with CWR’s Dr. Michael Weiss, we learn what it’s like to fly a drone over top of whales and the new knowledge gained from the captured video footage. Photographs and video © Copyright 2021 Center for Whale Research. Southern Resident orcas J22, J51, and J58 chasing salmon...

www.whaleresearch.com

 

[shawgod]

The Mavic 3 is going to be your best bet. With the zoom capability of it and the quality camera equipment compared to the Air2s equipment. You will find the Mavic 3 has by far a better drone experience for taking wildlife. And this is coming from a person that has a Air2S and loves the drone.

 

[AMann]

Those are nice shots Dale.
Re drones: Unfortunately, the Air2S only has telephoto capabilities in video mode and not stills. You could take video and grab a frame from that but don’t expect anything like the quality Dale got. Additionally, unlike a still camera, the closer you zoom, the more the image is degraded. If you’re really set on using a drone for wildlife, the Mav3 or the zoom may be your best choices unless you’re able to spend the REALLY big bucks. Best wishes and have fun with your photography.

Personally, if I was doing it as a pro- a custom built drone with a mirrorless camera with exchangeable lens would be best- for about the same price as a new model 600mm/f4. For land-based wildlife photography that is a great lens though- I bought an older used manual focus one (they have the same glass as the newer ones). Mine was a Reuters News Agency one that went around the block a few times but is in good condition - the old MF ones are tanks and can be purchased for about $1K, and the AF ones for less than $2K.