Help! with shooting Birds in Flight

[Brendan7]

Hi all,


I just got my spanking new EF 300mm f/4l is usm.


I often shoot birds and BIF and would like some advice with:





1) What shutter speeds/ISOs should I use on any given day?


2) What is the minimum shutter speed needed to stop action of a bird, say, catching a fish?


3) For BIF, I should use AI Servo, right?





I know some of those questions seem really stupid and basic, but, well, I am a beginner at this.


All help is very much appreciated.





thanks for your time and help!


brendan [:)]

[HiFiGuy1]

Congratulations on the new glass! I think if you look carefully at the settings of many of the bird shots, especially Nate's, you'll see that 1/1000 seems to be a good starting point for stopping action. Some of his shots I remember have been around 1/640, and others have been much faster. I don't know from experience what the minimum Tv is, but empirically these seem to work anyway.


Definitely post some shots with your new lens so we can learn from your settings what works well.

[musickna]

At the risk of not sounding very helpful, I suggest that the best way to answer this question is for you to take your camera out and just start experimenting. It's the best way to learn in my own experience.


Obviously if you want sharp action, a faster shutter speed is good, if you want motion blur, slower. Just what that speed may be depends a lot on how fast your bird is moving, what type of movement it is (e.g. glide vs. flapping wings). With regards to the fish, here's a shot I took about 18 months ago at 1/200 - it's on the edge of stop action and motion blur as you can see by looking at the fish in the bill and the water drop close to the surface. Hope it helps a bit. (I took this with a 2x extender on the 100-400mm at 400mm, effectively 800mm. Considering how this combo is often spoken about as being less than optimal, I was pleasantly surprised by the result, with manual focus and all).


AI Servo is good for birds coming at you or flying away, yes. I like to use higher ISOs on low light days to keep shutter speed fast.


Camera: Canon EOS 30D
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/11.0
Focal Length: 800 mm
ISO Speed: 100


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/4238557946_36c4c52727_o.jpg

[Sinh Nhut Nguyen]

Congratulation on your new Canon EF 300 f/4L IS USM! [:)]


1. To shoot bird in flight, the faster the shutter speed the better it is. I try to keep my shutter speed at at least 1/1000 by opening the aperture and/or increasing the ISO speed.


2. For bird in flight, you should always use AI Servo AF.


To get good bird in flight shots, you need to practice on your panning and tracking technique, the more you shoot the better you get [:)]


Good luck


Nate,

[Bill W]

Brendan....start practicing w/larger, slower moving birds (e.g. herons, cranes, sea gulls, pelicans, etc.) to gain proficiency in tracking.


Shutter speeds; what Nate said and experiment, experiment, experiment.


Enjoy the new lens and have fun


Bill

[trosky]

i own pigeons, not the racing types, they are a bit different. I've been doing some shooting on them, with the 70-200 2.8 IS USM, and this is the best picture i've been able to accomplish. This was cropped, and uploaded to tinypic, which puts alot of noise on the picture, but you can get the main idea.


Most important parameter, is being able to follow the birds with the eye that usually is closed, and close the one with the camera in front. So u can see more and be able to move the camera with your face. Use the multishot feature as u'll capture out of 10 pictures 1 or 2 that will blow your mind.


http://i49.tinypic.com/jzjluh.jpg

[bob williams]

Brendan, In addition to the other comments, I will add "check your meter and settings often" It is very easy to get caught up in the moment and just start shooting----especially when that special bird flys in front of you. If you are not watching your meter you end up with blown highlights or a silouette or something other than what you desire. Also, if you are shooting from a tripod, make sure your IS is turned off. Some even say turn it off when you are shooting subjects in motion---Of course, your IS has a mode 2 which is supposed to help when panning----experiment to see what works for you-------your pidgeons are a great subjects practice on.

[bob williams]

oops, sorry, the pidgeons are Trosky's