Filming gear

A question I get a lot is "what cameras does Stu use?", so here's the gear I film the videos with: the cameras, the wireless microphones and the drone. Most of it is small DJI gear that fits in a dry bag, and between the cameras and the mics there's a lot to remember: what charges with what, which mic pairs with which camera, and how to get decent footage in bright sun on the water. These are my notes, so other people filming their own boat jobs can skip some of the trial and error.

The kit

Wireless mics

Clear audio matters more than sharp video: people will watch a slightly soft picture, but not put up with sound they can't make out over an engine. The three DJI mics look similar but behave quite differently.

The backup recording is the most important feature. If the wireless link drops out, the mic still has its own copy, so a once-only moment isn't lost. The Mic Mini doesn't have one, so it gets the jobs where losing a bit of sound doesn't matter.

32-bit float stops loud sound distorting. An ordinary recording clips if a sound is louder than the level it was set for: an engine starting, someone shouting, or a mic close to your mouth. A 32-bit float recording keeps everything, so you turn it down afterwards with no distortion. It only applies to the copy inside the mic, not the sound sent to the camera, so use that file in the edit and line it up with the video (Final Cut can do it from the waveforms).

How I use them:

• Mic 3: my voice, especially anywhere loud. It's small enough to forget about, and it records 32-bit float.
• Mic 2: a second voice, or anything that can't be redone, like talking to someone on the dock.
• Mic Mini: engine or exhaust sound to mix in, clipped somewhere safe from heat and water. Turn its noise cancelling off (one press of its button), or it treats the engine as noise and removes it, and turn its level down on the camera so it doesn't clip. It's also the cheapest one to lose overboard.

Pairing. The DJI cameras take DJI mics directly, without a receiver, up to two at a time. On the camera, swipe down from the top of the screen, open the settings and choose Wireless Microphone (Wireless Mic on the Action 6), start linking, then hold the mic's link button until its light flashes. After the first time they reconnect by themselves. Not every mic works with every camera, so pair each one with each camera once at home rather than finding out on the day.

The receiver. The Mic 3 receiver only works with Mic 3 transmitters, not the Mic 2 or Mic Mini. It takes the sound into a phone or computer (USB-C) or a non-DJI camera (3.5 mm), but only by cable: it can't pass the sound on wirelessly. The other thing I like it for is its level meter. Stuck somewhere I can see it, it confirms at a glance that the mic is on and picking me up, which you can't otherwise know until you're editing.

Charging

• The Pocket 3, Action 6, Mic 2 and the Mic 3 receiver all charge from an ordinary USB-C cable, so one good USB-C charger covers most of it.
• The Mic 3 and Mic Mini have no USB-C port. The Mic 3 needs its magnetic charging cable (or the charging case) and the Mic Mini its little dock. Keep each charger with its mic, or they're useless on the boat.
• The Osmo 360's batteries charge in its battery case, which also works as a power bank.
• The drone's batteries charge in its hub, two at a time, about 70 minutes with a 65 W charger.

Memory cards

All of these cameras and the drone take microSD cards (not full-size SD). Buy cards marked UHS-I, U3 and V30, 512 GB or smaller so the same card fits all of them. I use SanDisk Extreme Pro 256 GB, and DJI also recommends Kingston Canvas Go! Plus and Lexar Professional cards. UHS-II cards work but aren't any faster in these cameras. Format each card in the camera you'll use it in.

ND filters for bright days on the water

On a sunny day an action camera picks a very fast shutter, which makes moving water and anything going past look jittery. An ND (neutral density) filter is sunglasses for the lens: it cuts the light so the shutter can be slower, giving a little natural motion blur.

1. Pick the shutter from the frame rate. The rule is shutter = 1 ÷ (2 × frame rate), so 1/50 at 25 fps or 1/100 at 50 fps. For less blur, double it (1/100 at 25 fps). In Australia stay on 25 or 50 fps: mains lights here run at 50 Hz and flicker on camera at 30 or 60.

2. Lock the camera. In Pro mode (on the Action 6, tap the Image/Audio Settings icon, then PRO in the top right corner, and set Exposure to M), set ISO to 100, the shutter to your speed from step 1, and a fixed white balance. On the Action 6, set the aperture to Fixed (f/2.8) so it can't change under the filter.

3. Choose the filter. Before fitting one, let the camera choose the shutter on auto exposure, at ISO 100, pointed at the scene, and read the speed it picks. Then:

Filter = auto shutter ÷ target shutter. If auto picks 1/1600 and you want 1/50, 1600 ÷ 50 = 32, so fit the ND32. Use the nearest filter you have.

As a rough guide without measuring: bright midday sun on the water needs ND32 to ND64, morning or afternoon sun ND16 to ND32, and an overcast day ND8 to ND16. Water and white decks reflect a lot of light, so on the water you'll often need one filter stronger than on land. If the sky goes white the filter is too weak; if the picture goes dark and grainy it's too strong. In mixed light, choose for the sun: dark areas brighten in the edit far better than a blown-out sky recovers.

Flying the drone

In Australia CASA's rules apply even to small drones: stay under 120 m, at least 30 m from other people, keep it in sight, and keep away from airports. Flying from a moving boat makes keeping it in sight and landing it back on board the hard part, so practise on land first. If you fly for a business, including a YouTube channel that earns money, CASA also wants the drone registered and the operator accredited, which is free: check their website before you start.