Capturing Wildlife in Super Low-light - all you need to know

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Filmmakers wanting to shoot in extreme low light or even no light conditions have never had it so good. Camera technology had advanced to enable the recording of the most unbelievable images in almost total darkness.

https://vmi.tv/training/useful-stuff/Capturing-Wildlife-in-Super-Low-light

The principal beneficiaries of this are natural history filmmakers for whom capturing wildlife in its natural habitat means as little disturbance as possible. 

Most productions will use a specialist low-light camera as a B-camera, used for particular sequences to record unique behaviour, but the nature of much natural history filming means that kit is needed in the field for weeks or months with a consequent knock-on to the budget and this article quotes Natural History film makers' experience using both the Canon ME20-FSH and also Sony A7S Mk II to compare and contrast their capabilities to capture productions in extremely low light.

While filmmakers could choose to shoot infra-red, a method now familiar to viewers in the form of serviceable but generally indistinct black and white images, or military grade thermal images like the Selex, by some margin most decisions centre around the Sony A7S Mk II and the Canon ME20-FSH.  

Both Sony A7S Mk II and Canon ME20-FSH are fantastic units for low light shooting but their characteristics - and prices - do differ.

The main considerations in choosing between A7S Mk II and Canon ME20 are:

1 Cost. The Canon ME20 is more expensive than the Sony and there is no way around that and no camera truly suitable for low light operation fits in the middle ground. For a ballpark figure the A7S carries a bookable rate of £85 per day against the approx. daily rate of £350 for the ME20.

2. IR versus colour. The Sony A7S Mk II shoots using an Infra Red (IR) filter whereas, the Canon offers this and additionally the ability to shoot in colour at night thanks to a 2.2MP sensor with sensitivity rated in excess of ISO 4 million (+75dB). 

3. HD versus UHD. The A7S will shoot 4K, whereas the Canon ME20 will only record HD (1920x1080). When more and more productions need to meet 4K deliverables, perhaps this is a deal breaker.

A side by side comparison is frequently conducted to assess their suitability for given projects

Because of all these variables, many producers and DPs arrange a side by side test replicating as far possible the expected conditions in the field. We asked those who have used both sets of equipment why they made the selections that they did.

The BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) for example evaluated both cameras prior to embarking on Blue Planet 2 for a scene to record the bioluminescence display of mobula rays.  This required a camera capable of filming in extreme low light and the BBC used both the Sony A7S Mk II and Canon ME20, though the majority of sequences were captured by the A7S Mk II.  Both cameras were mounted in suitable underwater housings to film this sequence which had before been captured.

Feedback is provided here on the basis of personal experience and does not imply any level of official testing or approval by the Corporation.

Joe Treddenick, Assistant Producer, NHU Landmark, BBC Natural History Unit explains, "After our side by side test at VMI, we deemed that it was possible to push the Canon slightly further in terms ISO before noise became too much of a problem. Also, it produced more randomised noise than the A7S, which was more linear (banding), meaning that it was easier to clean up in post."

He emphasises that the Sony AS7 Mk II is another great option for low light capture.

It's easy to use, cost effective and can record at a good resolution [A7S Mk II]. However, while we used both cameras on this production, we found that the Canon ME20 was easier to effectively de-noise in post than the A7S II.

Producer Robin Dimbleby also found that the A7S II “required a lot more work,” in post than the ME20 in order to clean up image. "You do sacrifice a lot of sharpness in trying to resolve the noise when using the Sony A7S Mk II," he says.

Dimbleby has used the ME20 on productions with Offspring, most recently in South Africa and Kenya filming the nocturnal behaviour of a lion pack for Sky One’s Big Beasts: Last of the Giants with DP Mark Payne-Gill.

“The A7S delivers an electronic rendering of 4K – it is not a native 4K sensor,” explains Dimbleby. "This means that if there is any noise which you try to resolve in post, you are also destroying resolution. If you record a high ISO on the A7S you are no longer shooting in 4K - shooting beyond HD for sure – but not 4K. So, this gives you pause for thought. HD images from the ME20 shot in low light will deliver a much cleaner image with no uprezzing in post than uprezzing to 4K with the A7S."

Handling gain

While the ME20 records HD in low light with minimal noise, it does record a level of gain (noise) which can prove unacceptable if not handled correctly. To aid filmmakers, Canon has given the ME20 various ‘sweet spots’ to capture extreme low light images with as little perceptible noise as possible. Producers and operators need to be aware of this peculiarity in order to minimise the noise being filmed.

“The ME20 seemed to have a sweet spot at 42 dB, it terms of a minimal grain to light ratio,” reports Treddenick. “But as with all low light filming, the most important factor was having a fast lens on the front of it. We found we could take the ISO slightly higher on the Canon before the grain became too noticeable, but it was marginal.”

Before travelling to the Indonesian jungle to film Tarsier monkey for Offspring Films’ Monkeys: An Amazing Animal Family (Sky 1), Payne-Gill tested the ME20 and found it produced excellent results up to 45dbs (approx. 140,000 ISO) “after which noise became noticeable but with noise reduction would still produce incredible results. We got close-ups of the animal's faces with their massive pupils and in colour so we could properly tell their story.”

For a sequence in Offspring Film’s production about the Elephant shrew, Payne-Gill’s team were able to use very low soft key lighting at dusk and night time provided by an Aladdin 'A' light and Eyelight LEDs, without effecting the creature’s behaviour.

“As a result, we only needed to shoot between 18 and 21dbs (approx 50,000 -70,000 ISO),” says Payne-Gill.

DP Lee Jackson and his AC Garth McConnell used the ME20 in Botswana for a follow up to Naledi: One Little Elephant for Off the Fence Productions.

“You have to be very careful not to use the incorrect ISO,” Jackson warns. “You can experiment with different levels of ISO on location and you can see it change on a monitor. In post a lot of the noise can be removed with software. You need to be careful of the strong pink glare in the IR lights, though. The ME20 only needs minimal IR illumination.

“Our regular max was 48db, though sometimes we pushed to 52 db,” Jackson informs. “Our post guys did some noise reduction with some of our early footage and reported back with promising results. This allowed us to push some of our shots, especially when there was no moonlight.”

Shooting in IR or shooting in colour

The traditional method for filming in low-light conditions makes use of infrared illumination, a technique that only yields footage in black and white. The ME20 is uniquely capable of capturing colour video in similar conditions without the need for an IR filter.

“It is useful to have the option to film in IR when filming species that cannot tolerate anything but red light, but in terms of overall capability the ME20’s ability to record in low light in colour is the camera’s best attribute,” says Treddenick.

Off the Fence filmed the live birth of an elephant in Naledi: One Little Elephant using IR lights. For the follow up, the producers wanted to film another elephant birth in colour.

“This time, we wanted something different, something original,” says Jackson.  “We were monitoring gain in complete darkness using the Odyssey 7Q+. I found the IR function to be best used as a monitoring application, switching to colour mode when [animal] behaviour changed. We found that there was usable footage with colour in the shadows, however, there need to be at least a gentle fill."

For Offspring Film’s production about the Elephant shrew in the African savannah, producer/director Anwar Mamon with Payne-Gill selected the ME20.

Obviously, telling the story of an animal’s life over 24 hours means filming at night,” explains Mamon. “The traditional way of doing this is to use IR imaging which gives you a look which is quite cold. In contrast for this series, the commissioning channel wanted to give the show a warmth and that meant making the animals look natural by capturing as much colour as possible.

When editing a sequence featuring the tiny nocturnal Tarsiers the producers felt they had to show the audience a shot of the ME20 as part of the editorial.

The results looked like we were filming day for night so we showed the presenter explaining to camera that we were using a new high-tech camera otherwise the audience wouldn’t believe that we filming these animals in their actual environment rather than in a zoo, says Dimbelby.

“Rather than seeing something that has already been filmed and seen, which are heavily lit night time and infrared sequences, you can push the boundaries of what is possible and set your show apart by using full colour at night,” he adds.

Dimbleby and Payne-Gill have also shot during a full moon with both the Sony and Canon units in Kenya. “We were having to enhance the monitor to see what the camera was seeing and by doing that made a mistake of then not lifting the ISO on the A7S,” says Dimbelby. “So, what we thought we were exposing was actually a lot darker when we saw the rushes. We never had that issue with the ME20. With both cameras we were recording to an offboard Convergent Design Odyssey but the difference with the ME20 was that we were seeing and capturing a true image of what we were filming.”

Field work

For Dimbleby, the ME20 is the “go-to camera in the field” not least because of its sturdier metal construction. He has taken it to Indonesia for another block of NHNZ filming.

"It’s a heftier unit, more waterproof and battle hardy whereas the A7S is a smaller, more fiddley camera to deal with. Normally we’d take the Canon into the field already rigged and ready to go. We’d carry the camera body with lens and Odyssey on a tripod rather than taking a pelicase or portabrace into the field. It’s a very light camera to lug around even attached to hefty tripod legs.

"The A7S is a lot lighter but it doesn’t balance the same way. Even if you use a shorter lens it won’t balance so well since it’s all to do with weight of the glass. Plus, the sheer physical heft of the ME20 means you can trust it won’t break. You’d put your AS7 in a housing or camera trap to the protect camera when you leave it whereas we’ve filmed with the ME20 in rain and never had a problem. We’ve had issues with condensation and water ingress in the lenses but not the body.”

Jackson’s experience of the ME20 is that it’s “a relatively light rig” but one that “could be a little clumsy if you were moving ‘run & gun’ style.”

He adds, “It has a solid industrial body, a simple menu construction and cooling fans which handle condensation well allowing it to remain running for long periods. Fans also keep the sensor cool allowing for a cleaner IR image.”

Conclusions

The Canon ME20-FSH, which only captures HD and is up to five times more expensive to rent than a camera such as the Sony A7S Mk II, is consistently being chosen by producers and DPs for ground-breaking wildlife sequences.

On balance, and provided due consideration is given to handling levels of noise, the ME20 is widely voted a superior tool to deliver full colour HD images in all conditions, including the dead of night.

“Disturbing elephants while they were sleeping at night was most definitely a ‘no, no’ but the ME20’s ability to literally see in the dark enabled us to achieve the look that the director’s wanted,” says Jackson. “It’s a super powerful IR HD camera.”

Providing some balance, Colin Jackson, Innovation Lead, BBC NHU concludes, “Overall the ME20 in extreme low light situations has a marginal edge over the A7SII generally in terms of noise. But for many requirements in low light, the A7SII is a simpler and more cost-effective solution.”

Dimbley advises, If you end up with a muddy looking shot you won’t want to use it even if it’s in 4K. Resolution is a bit of a myth for filmmakers since most of us want to prioritise the story rather than enter a resolution arms race. That’s why we retain a lot of HD sequences in programming destined for 4K delivery [meeting Sky’s delivery specification]. The ME20 delivers the more ground breaking modern image that audiences want to see.”