HELP!!!! need advice from bif guys --swallows in flight --GOT ONE!!!!

[Brendan7]

Hey Jim,


f/11 isn't really necessary at 400mm for BIF. Small apertures like that (for the most part, at least) come into play in bird photography when shooting with really long lenses (600mm, 800mm) when DoF is tiny regardless of the small aperture. Shutter speed has to be at least 1/1000, with eagles you can usually get away with 1/800 but for anything faster you'll need a faster shutter.


Unless you're shooting the swallows from a nesting box or a birdfeeder where you know they'll be it's incredibly hard (read: impossible) to get a quality BIF shot. Like nate said, they are tiny and don't fly in a predictable path. I haven't seen a quality BIf shot of that sort of bird. Ever.


At fast shutter speeds IS is useless so if you prefer the focus of the 70-200 + TC and don't mind the EFL reduction I'd pick that combo. Just try not to frustrate yourself attempting to get a good shot of a songbird in flight. There are a select few who can take those shots (Alan Murphy comes to mind, but I don't think even he has a swallow in flight) and it might be (in my opinion) the hardest 'variety' of bird photography.


Good Luck!


brendan

[lynx0069]

GOT ONE........at least i think this is better [] took around 15 shots last night of a couple of the swallows burning around the field hunting, got a couple decent shots, and this shot i think is the best, let me know what you guys think, i'll put up the uncropped shot and the cropped shot. once again i used my 100-400L lens, handheld, with a shutter speed of 1/1000s, f/6.3, iso640. i am going to try my 70-200f/4L and 1.4TC combo today to see if i get a better keeper rate, but i am not at all disapointed in the fact i got a couple keepersout of 15 or so shots, especially on such a fast, unpredictable bird.......I'M HAPPY[][:P]









thanks for the help guys, and please let me know what you think of this shot, both uncropped and cropped


jim

[Brendan7]

Hey Jim,


First, I agree with Peety3. Absolutely true.


Second, I like your 2nd attempt much more. It's sharper and you did much better to freeze the bird's motion. But eye/head detail is non-existent. The swallow is underexposed and the background is a bit overexposed. However, I don't think I could've done any better. If you could get one of these guys to nest in a nesting box you'd have a much easier time b/c you'd know where they'd come out of. But in any case a swallow in flight is incredibly hard to shoot.


brendan





PS try these tips

[lynx0069]

thanks guys......[].........the sun was over my right shoulder, it was around 6 in the evening when i took the shots, and there was a slight breeze comming out of the west, as i sat on a slight rise under the shade of a maple, facing south. and, brendan, what would the proper settings be to correct the exposure to bring out more detail in the head? i used DPP to process the shots from RAW, but i could not make any more detail pop out than what i acheived already. also today, i went to an old barn i know that has about fifty nesting barn swallows in it to try and get some shots with my 70-200f/4L and didnt get any shots i was happy with, just po'd a lot of swallows, lol.


jim

[MjrTom]

Hello,





You have some very good shots for your first attempts.


Swallows in flight are about as hard as it gets for BIF, only swifts, house martins, and finches are as challenging.





Looking at you photos the issue seems to be your chosen shutter speed. For these type of shots you really should be looking to try and get 1/1600 second.





I specialise in bird photography and have been trying for the last few months to try and capture one of these speedy flyers with my Canon 7D and EF 300mm f/4L IS USM with and without the Canon EF Extender 1.4x II and it is very difficult.


Here are a few examples I have managed this year.


[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...awaii/utility/]


[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...awaii/utility/]


House martin:


[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...awaii/utility/]


Swift:


[View:http://community.the-digital-picture...awaii/utility/]


None of the results are outstanding but not too shabby either.


I try and aim to shoot around 1/1600 sec, f/7.1, ISO400, AI Servo, AF point expansion or Centre point only.


If the weather is overcast and miserable I will just not bother trying.


I have been trying to capture swallows hunting over corn fields similar to what you are trying and my success rate is far lower due to the background confusing the AF system.
I would be tempted to try the prefocus method as mentioned by others.

[MjrTom]

Arrh cant get the photos hosted, cant remember the script coding on this site...

[neuroanatomist]

Don't script it - just paste the link into the Insert Media pop-up - two buttons to the left of the smiley icon (or if you prefer, the next 'active' button to the left). You can specify dimensions when you do that, if you like (max width of 800 pixels to display properly here).