Safari Technique

[Bengalmin]

More collective wisdom required. After purchasing my 100-400L safari lens (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photography_gear1/f/8/t/5347.aspx)for a trip to Tanzania this summer I need to get my technique sorted and practiced before I go.


Being in the south east UK, the only places I can go to shoot 'big' wildlife are deer in Windsor great park, or in one of the other parks in London. Windsor is only 30minutes fromme so I plan to go there a few times. Other than that it is birds (do get plenty of red kites near here, would be great if I knew where a nest was) or mycats stalking blackbirdsin the garden. Hopefully that is enough to practice on until July.


Given that I'll be mostly (completely) shooting from a vehicle on safari a simple support (was going to take a super clamp and bean bag) or handheld is what I'll be doing.


So how do you keep your long lens photos (640mm eq) sharpshooting handheld? I'm currently shooting handheld using TV set to 1/600 and auto ISO with IS on and get reasonably sharp images in good light, but with low light (overcast or in shade)I end up athigh ISO, whichisn't great and thenend up withmore noise due to under exposure. If I improve my technique to make better use of the IS and gain a couple of stopsI think I'd see better results overall (lower ISO, less noise, more sharpness).


Tips, advice, comments very welcome. I'd be interested inrecommended camera settings, handheld technique, practice tips etc. Thanks

[Bill W]

Bengalmin;


I suggest you read this thread (found on the first page of the community); My frustration level is at its peak right now!


There are many good pointers in this thread.


Low light and capturing a moving subject is the bane of this lens.


My first recommendation is get out and shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot anything that moves and learn it's limitations, e.g. lighting, focusing and what's the maximum distance you can tolerate. It's a relatively easy lens to hand hold....after awhile. A simple rule of thumb I follow is; for a person to fill the frame you need a 100mm for every 10 yards (approximation)....adjust accordingly.


BTW....this lens, at 100mm or so, is an excellent landscape lens and you can make some nice panos w/it also.


Good luck and enjoy your safari


Bill

[Jordan]

1/600sec is nice but you can get as low as 1/400sec for moving objects and, if they're not moving, you can get even lower... a little under 1/100sec with the IS on that lens. I would recommend a nice monopod over a beanbag any day. It is indeed tough to shoot at those sorts of focal lengths when there isn't much light, but between IS and a monopod, you should do alright. I like the idea of auto ISO (what kind of camera do you have?) but yea, sometimes it'll get too high. The camera usually likes to bump up the ISO more just to be "safe" - so I would just keep the ISO manual and change it when necessary. In fact, I'd shoot everything manual, if for instance, the light and focal lengths aren't changing much. If they are changing (either or both) then I think you have the right idea, to shoot in Tv. But... I'd set my ISO if I were you.


I'm jealous of your safari!!!! The EF 100-400 is a very nice lens and you'll get some great photos!

[HDNitehawk]

So how do you keep your long lens photos (640mm eq) sharpshooting handheld? I'm currently shooting handheld using TV set to 1/600 and auto ISO with IS on and get reasonably sharp images in good light, but with low light (overcast or in shade)I end up athigh ISO, whichisn't great and thenend up withmore noise due to under exposure. If I improve my technique to make better use of the IS and gain a couple of stopsI think I'd see better results overall (lower ISO, less noise, more sharpness).

Personally I think 1/600 is going to be a little slow for birds in flight or fast action. But then light is going to dictate your settings more than anything. A lot of people use AV mode for wildlife and everyone seems to have their own style when it comes to using Auto ISO or setting it. I used AV mode for a long time its just a matter of how much control you want to give the camera. Since you will be using the 100-400mm you will most likely be at 400mm at F5.6, in AV mode you are going to be light limited as you very seldom be much over F8. Most of your shots will probably be at F5.6.


I use manual mode with the 1D IV and its fully auto ISO I just monitor the ISO to make sure it doesn't get to high adjusting the aperture and shutter to where I want. If you switch to using Manual Mode I would practice a lot before you went on your trip. In AV and TV mode the camera can give you somewhat of an education as to what it is thinking it needs to get the right shot and learn from it. In Manual it will tell you if you have the proper combination of settings picked to meet the requirements of the exposure, but not if its the proper ISO, Shutter Speed, or Aperture for the shot you want.





The other thing is I was never impressed with the teleconverters on my 100-400L, I felt they never got the IQ I wanted. I would shoot a bit with the teleconverter on before you went on safari if that is what you want to use, and make sure you are going to be happy with it. It would be bad to go on the trip and when you get home put them on the computer and find they aren't as good as you expected.

[Andy Stringer]

Hi Bengalmin,

Others have pointed you in the right direction for tips on shooting fast moving wildlife with the 100-400mm, but much of what you see on safari will not be moving fast. It will be asleep under a tree, or wallowing in a water hole, or browsing on grassy plains. The action comes in short, sharp, bursts, so you'll need to be ready for it, but be prepared to end up with ten animal portrait shots for each action shot.

If you haven't already, get a protective filter (UV) for each lens. It's very dusty out there and a lens hood won't stop the dust getting on your front element if it's unprotected. If you can, take a second camera body, partly as a backup, but also to avoid changing lenses, which could let dust onto your sensor. Take something to clean your sensor (I use an Arctic Butterfly sensor cleaning brush) and something to clean your lenses and camera body.

You have the right idea with a bean bag, don't bother taking a tripod or monopod - there probably won't be room in the vehicle unless there are just a couple of you. A bean bag is stable enough, probably more stable than a monopod (all the following shots were taken with a bean bag).


1D Mark IV, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM, f/2.8, 1/1600s, ISO 160

You will need lots of luck. At the first sign of a kill, vehicles will gather around it and if you're not first on the scene you will have to wait for the others to move on. I got lucky for this shot - I saw the kill from my tent a quarter of a mile away (we were in an unfenced camp!) so we jumped straight into the vehicles for a closer look before anyone else arrived.

1D Mark IV, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM, f/4, 1/250s, ISO 200

When composing a wildlife shot, avoid including a lot of foreground - it doesn't add anything to the shot. Focus on the subject's eyes. At 400mm the depth of field is very thin, so your focusing needs to be accurate. Get some binoculars to help spot the wildlife, especially the wildlife with spots. Leopards like hiding so you need to go and find them, they won't just come to you. Well, you might get lucky...

1D Mark IV, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM, f/2.8, 1/800s, ISO 640, spot metering (sorry, lame joke)

One technique you can practice before you go is panning with a slow shutter speed. The aim is to track a moving subject, keeping its eyes in focus during the exposure. This way, you can keep shooting in very low light and get shots like this lioness.

1D Mark IV, EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM+1.4x EF II, f/7.1, 1/15s, ISO 100

The key is practice. Get to know how your camera's focus tracking works. Use the different modes and see what works best for different situations.

Good luck.

[HDNitehawk]

Andy


Nice shots


The first few don

[Andy Stringer]

The shooting distances were:

• 25.5m from the tourists (cropped to 75% of the frame)
• 13.8m from the lion kill (cropped to 20% of the frame)
• 11.3m from the leopard (cropped to 60% of the frame)
• 17.8m from the walking lioness (cropped to 50% of the frame).

We were told to keep a safe distance from other tourists, but to let the wildlife come as close as it wanted to.

[HDNitehawk]

We were told to keep a safe distance from other tourists, but to let the wildlife come as close as it wanted to.

[:P] I think your guides english was not so good


So you think 300mm was long enough, or if I ever go should I take my 500mm?

[Andy Stringer]

I think your guides english was not so good

Our guide was English!


Take the longest lens you have. If I ever go back, it will be after I geta 500mm lens.


If you see a predator chasing prey, it won't be close to you. A lot of the best action was a good distance away, and 300mm was not long enough for that. I got some shots, but they would have been so much better at 500mm.

[Steve U]

Great post Andy, love the pictures and the captions.