My frustration level is at its peak right now!

[ddt0725]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Looks like I was off on many counts!


I do have a carbon fiber tripod but not a gitzo which I brought with and yep, should have brought my monopod instead! For the first hour, all the bird did was sit in the tree so I used the tripod, 1.4x for some of the shots (which I just started doing to work on MF) and the shutter release but then during BIF I ditched all of those. I did try the polarizer filter for only a handful of shots but soon ditched that too. So for the most part, looks like I have to work on my settings. I got so caught up in the moment, going from sitting to in flight, I forget to change them.


So, for the next time ...


Manual select: AF expansion, or Manual select : Zone AF
evaluative metering
AF-ON, back button for tracking and auto-focusing
Highlight Tone Priority "enabled"
No polarizer
No tripod
Monopod or handheld


Got it!


Thanks,
Denise

[DavidEccleston]

5) I would suggest shooting in High Speed Continuous, as opposed to your current setting of Single. Every time you press the shutter button, you have a chance of jerking the camera, as opposed to holding the shutter button down continuously.

And for more reasons. I once found an article describing how an old 1D's AI Servo worked. Like a 1D mkI or II. I have no idea if the servo modes work exactly the same today, but I certainly get better results in a burst on my Rebel. Since the Rebel has a high shutter lag, I think this description still applies.


While your shutter is half-pressed, it's tracking the movement of an object, attempting to lock onto where it is <span style="color: #ff0000;"]NOW.
As the object moves, it refocuses to track the movement, to where it is <span style="color: #ff0000;"]NOW.
When you hit the shutter, it takes that shot immediately. Due to AF lag, and shutter lag, the object won't be focussed quite right.
As you hold the shutter down, for continous bursts, <span style="color: #ff0000;"]it changes modes after the first shot.
For shots 2+, it is predicting movement, and will focus where the object <span style="color: #ff0000;"]WILL BE when the shutter opens.
If it can't track fast enough or the movement is erratic, <span style="color: #ff0000;"]IT WON'T SHOOT.


The FIRST shot will be slightly OOF due to lag when tracking, and due to not guaranteeing focus lock before it shoots. All the remaining shots in the burst will be focusing via prediction, not tracking. You can still get OOF shots, if the movement changes during the shutter lag time, or you hit the wrong part of the subject, or a nearby branch, but your results should be much better.

[Richard Lane]

<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]I got so caught up in the moment, going from sitting to in flight, I forget to change them.


Denise

Hi Denise,


<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]Don't forget Drive Mode: High Speed Continuous





<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]If you set all of these settings as described above, and then you have a bird in a tree, all you have to do is change the AF point selection from; AF Point expansion or Zone AF to..., Single Point AF or Spot AF.


<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]This can easily and quickly be done by looking in the VF, without going into the Menu and taking your eyes off your subject, by pressing the AF Point selection button on the rear of the camera and then use the M-fn button to select the type of AF point you desire, and then use either the multi-controller or the quick control dial to select the position of the AF point that you would like.


<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]Try it and practice it until it becomes second nature.


<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]Good Luck,


<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]Rich

[Steve U]

I am learning so much just following this thread, excellent suggestions Richard and the other contributors.


Steve

[clemmb]

As Sean said, I'll figure it out ...eventually!
<div style="clear: both;"]</div>

Denise,


Remember, A good photographer practices till they get it right. A professional photographer practices till they can not get it wrong.

When I started photography a year ago,

Keep practicing. The frustration is just beginning[] LOL


Mark

[HDNitehawk]

If you set all of these settings as described above, and then you have a bird in a tree, all you have to do is change the AF point selection from; AF Point expansion or Zone AF to..., Single Point AF or Spot AF.

Rich


With the 1D IV I can use AI servo mode and get really good focus on sitting subjects. That wasn't always the case on the 7D or the 5D II. Single Shot, single point was always more accurate than AI mode. So for me I would switch from AI to single shot if I thought I had a subject sitting for a while. Then switch back to AI servo if I were thinking it was getting ready to bolt.


Or maybe I am miss understanding your wording of single point or spot af and that is what you were saying.


Rick

[Richard Lane]

If you set all of these settings as described above, and then you have a bird in a tree, all you have to do is change the AF point selection from; AF Point expansion or Zone AF to..., Single Point AF or Spot AF.

Rich


With the 1D IV I can use AI servo mode and get really good focus on sitting subjects. That wasn't always the case on the 7D or the 5D II. Single Shot, single point was always more accurate than AI mode. So for me I would switch from AI to single shot if I thought I had a subject sitting for a while. Then switch back to AI servo if I were thinking it was getting ready to bolt.


Or maybe I am miss understanding your wording of single point or spot af and that is what you were saying.


Rick


<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]

<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]Hi Rick,


<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]I'll try to clarify. The reason that I had suggested to switch to Single AF Point or the smaller Spot AF was so that the camera would not focus on a branch, which the AF expansion point or the Zone AF would do (if the bird was in a tree). It had nothing to do with AI Servo vs. One Shot.


When I use the AF-On back button for focusing and tracking I can effectively go from AI servo mode to One Shot by lettting go of the AF-On back button when focus is locked, and then just compose and press the shutter button for capture only, this affectively behaves as ONE SHOT since tracking has been suspended when you take your thumb off of the AF-On back button.


Are you using the AF-On for tracking? Because another advantage is that it is much easier to track by fully pressing the AF-ON button, then it is to track with a half-press shutter button.





Rich


<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;"]

[banman1]

Hi all,


Denise i was going to come on here and ask a lot of the same questions u did and after my saturday shooting the eagles arround here i to was a little bummed. I also took a lot of picts and looking at them on the cam thought i hade a lot of great shots only to come home and put them on my comp and was not impressed.Ive been useing the 100-400 l for about a year and at times i love it and at times im not sure whats going on.I bought it for shooting airshows mostly and wildlife like the eagles and hawks arround here.I know some people on here have said u need to watch for soft copys of this lens and i think mabe thats what i have but then i start to think its the cam to.Ive tryed a lot of different thing to see if its me or the cam or lens and im not sure but at least we r not wasteing film when the picts do not come out great lol.Ive been thinking about upgradeing to a new 7d from my 50d but im not sure if its a big enough upgrade so im waiting to see what comes out next.oh well keep the faith as they say lol 1 day we will figure it all out.Here r a few of my shots from saturday a few of a female eagle shotfrom about 100yrds from the tree and it was about 75ft up and the hawk was just flying rite over my truck about 100ft away......all with 50d and 100-400 l at 400mm eagle shots r f7.1 1/800 iso 100 hawk shots r f7.1 1/640 iso 160.......





thanks Rod


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[Kayaker72]

Hi Denise,


I am an engineer, so I naturally think in bullet points....weird, I know:

• I like your pictures, in particular, the last one.
• Thanks for posting. Seriously. This is something l love about this forum. Out of your post, I now have several new ideas to try. Thanks[]
• My one comment to Rich's list: my first time outthis winterI used evaluative metering. For me, it exposed the background (usually sky or clouds) better than the ABE (and often, we are trying to expose the belly side of the eagle). From my first trip, I thought most of the ABEs were under exposed by 1.5-2 stops. I've since switched to manual mode and use my first few pictures to dial in exposure on the ABEs and then just leave (or make minor adjustments)the settings in manual. Now, most of my pics do need to be adjusted for exposure, but usually less than 1/3 of a stop one direction or another, but I often am blowing out the background. Please let me know if anyone sees a problem with this method.
• To keep with others hunting analogy, I am beginning to view a great picture of an ABEs as an ellusive trophy. Some game makes it easy....some, very difficult.

Banman1....Others here are much better at evaluating photosthan I am,but I am actually wondering if these were taken mid-day and this is a "harsh light" issue.


Brant

[Richard Lane]

• My one comment to Rich's list: my first time outthis winterI used evaluative metering. For me, it exposed the background (usually sky or clouds) better than the ABE (and often, we are trying to expose the belly side of the eagle). From my first trip, I thought most of the ABEs were under exposed by 1.5-2 stops. I've since switched to manual mode and use my first few pictures to dial in exposure on the ABEs and then just leave (or make minor adjustments)the settings in manual. Now, most of my pics do need to be adjusted for exposure, but usually less than 1/3 of a stop one direction or another, but I often am blowing out the background. Please let me know if anyone sees a problem with this method
• Brant

Regarding spot metering, I feel that when you have a short focal length and you are shooting action photography or BIF that are moving quickly and in an undetermined manner, it is more difficult to use spot metering than evaluative metering, since you have a good chance of missing your target. I do think that a white sky with clouds can wreak havoc on metering and in that case I would add exposure compensation or EV to the equation. I think that for stationary subjects that have a busy background or are backlit, spot metering would be the better choice.


If the sky background is blue, and the bird is black and white, the evaluaitive metering should do a pretty good job, of splitting the difference, since a light blue sky (is similar to an 18% gray card) is somewhat in between the black and white bird. As suggested above this also works better with longer focal lengths where the bird fills more of the frame.


Using manual mode to dial in exposure is very good including; aperture, shutter speed and ISO.


Keep in mind that there are many ways to get a good exposure, and you should use what works best for you in any given situation. I'm also continuing to learn all of the time as well.





Rich