pontiac1940
CE Members
Posts: 6,359
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
|
Post by pontiac1940 on Oct 17, 2021 3:49:27 GMT
We have been discussing rapid shooting. It is essential for moving anything: cars, kids, trains, running critters and birds flying. Fortunately, my camera shoots up to 10 fps and it's a godsend for BIFs...birds in flight. Before going to the summer place today (chores vs R&R  ), I stopped at the ponds for a few minutes. Not great light, but it is what it is. Canada geese landing   |
|
|
|
Post by hmca on Oct 17, 2021 13:45:46 GMT
Excellent examples, Clive. What also works is the beautifully blurred backgrounds you so often achieve. I understand that you use manual focus but wonder how wide of a focus area you select? Spot focus, S, M, L?......or something else?
|
|
|
|
Post by cats4jan on Oct 17, 2021 14:40:06 GMT
What also works is the beautifully blurred backgrounds So that's why I like Clive's work so much. Besides, of course, the fact that his wildlife and scenery photos are some of the best I've ever seen. Thanks, Clive - always enjoy the beauty of your photos. |
|
pontiac1940
CE Members
Posts: 6,359
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
|
Post by pontiac1940 on Oct 17, 2021 15:40:39 GMT
What also works is the beautifully blurred backgrounds you so often achieve. I understand that you use manual focus Thank you Helen and Janice. The big lens has a nice bokeh and of course narrow DOF. In the second image, the cattails behind were "de-noised" just a titch which, IMHO, can work better than slight blurring. Helen, I use M exposure mode only and use AF for focusing ... even with a decent AF system it is still hard to get good focus. Depending on light conditions, I manually set aperture, speed and ISO, but sometimes use auto ISO, that can be fooled but works okay. AF is so good to have. This is an "original" (levelled and cropped a bit). I was unhappy with the noise, so denoise just the background a bit. You can see the one I posted is a pretty big crop and is therefore not tack sharp. This bird was quite a ways off.  |
|
pontiac1940
CE Members
Posts: 6,359
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
|
Post by pontiac1940 on Oct 17, 2021 16:08:12 GMT
I understand that you use manual focus but wonder how wide of a focus area you select? Spot focus, S, M, L?......or something else? I used the large "flexible" spot auto focus...sometimes medium or small spot. It is almost always in the center of the view screen, but can be moved anywhere. Deciding where to position the spot focus can be tricky especially on flying birds. My biggest problem is actually finding the bird in the view finder especially when set at 600 mm...sometimes back off focal length to 300 or so and then zoom while tracking. There is an auto tracking feature, but I don't use it. |
|
|
|
Post by BuckSkin on Oct 17, 2021 16:44:05 GMT
I used the large "flexible" spot auto focus...sometimes medium or small spot. It is almost always in the center of the view screen, but can be moved anywhere. Deciding where to position the spot focus can be tricky especially on flying birds. My biggest problem is actually finding the bird in the view finder especially when set at 600 mm...sometimes back off focal length to 300 or so and then zoom while tracking. There is an auto tracking feature, but I don't use it. Maybe you can shed some light on something that I have puzzled over for some time; I think I know the answer, but am not sure. Let's say I have the center spot chosen as my focus point, along with AI-Servo (focus tracking ?) and back-button focusing. A flying saucer is my target. I put my chosen focus spot/point on the flying saucer and hold down the focus button. The camera achieves good sharp focus at this instant in the scenario. Okay, the flying saucer darts to the top-left of the frame and fifty feet farther away, and is no longer under my chosen center point; have I now lost focus; or, since I had acquired the target and am still holding the button, does focus follow the target even though the target is no longer under my selected point ? I tend to think that one must keep the selected point on the target; and, once the point gets off the target, focus is lost, right ? Of course, focus is entirely a distance thing; and, my understanding is, once something is in focus, no matter where in the frame, vertically, laterally, or diagonally, the target may go, so long as it remains at exactly the same distance away, it remains in focus, right ? |
|
|
|
Post by BuckSkin on Oct 17, 2021 16:58:53 GMT
My biggest problem is actually finding the bird in the view finder I know exactly what you mean; I hear a helicopter; I grab the camera with 500mm lens and run out the door; and, by the time I have found the chopper in the lens, it is only a distant speck in the sky. To achieve deadly accuracy on moving targets with a rifle, one must train themselves to completely ignore the rifle and keep their eyes on the target, bringing the rifle and therefore the sights to the target instead of the other way around. I am going to start practicing this technique with the camera and I bet the same will apply. I need to find me an insect-infested outdoor light with a flock of bats fluttering around as a good source of constant subjects to test my theory; that, or a Blue Heeler in a flock of chickens. |
|
pontiac1940
CE Members
Posts: 6,359
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
|
Post by pontiac1940 on Oct 17, 2021 17:39:16 GMT
does focus follow the target even though the target is no longer under my selected point ? No. Focus is lost. I tend to think that one must keep the selected point on the target; and, once the point gets off the target, focus is lost, right ? Yes ... but if he background is flat (sky) the cam might hold focus for a fraction of a second anyway. It can be a real crapshoot. 
It's a big problem. Geese are easier than most because they are large and tend to fly in a predictable path. Small birds, magpies, crows etc fly so erratically it's hard to find them while zoomed out. One solution for flying birds is to zoom out, find the target and then zoom in all the while using focus button on the back of the camera.  My Sony 200-600 zooms in with just a 90° turn of the zoom ring, so that helps. Another hand and a younger brain and reflexes would help! hmca you mentioned manual focus. Below is a prime example of where MF is a must. When switched to MF pixel peaking is invoked as is the the MF magnifier, which is great. The problem with the magnifier is when handholding at 600 mm AND the powerful magnifier on the target subject is sooooo shaky. I almost always walk with the camera attached to a monopod. Helps. Impossible to AF in the whitetail fawn's eyes, eh?  |
|
|
|
Post by BuckSkin on Oct 17, 2021 18:38:13 GMT
when handholding at 600 mm AND the powerful magnifier on the target subject is sooooo shaky. Of course you have known this for years, but for the benefit of those who might not, at low magnification or very high, the shake is the same, the magnification just amplifies it and lets one see just how shaky they are. |
|
), I stopped at the ponds for a few minutes. Not great light, but it is what it is.
My Sony 200-600 zooms in with just a 90° turn of the zoom ring, so that helps. Another hand and a younger brain and reflexes would help!