I still miss the 400L for BIF, the AF speed is much better for tracking
I got a heck of a lot more shots like this than with my 100-400L, although for slowly flying birds the 100-400 is fine; it's when they are erratically moving it struggles.
Edward Rotberg wrote:
To PetKal who suggested using TV mode, this goes against what most birders use. Most of us use AV mode or Manual (I tend to use Manual).
= Ed =
That may well be, Edward, I don't know what other folks use. I like the Tv mode for birds in flight only, especially so when tracking a brird against a typical sequence of changing background such as sky---->green foliage----->water
I have seldom had a ruined shot because the aperture dropped to f/2.8 or increased to f/16 in Tv mode.
I have had lottsa ruined shots because the shutter speed dropped to f/400 or some such low value in Av mode, which is really a double trouble....from the camera shake standpoint as well as stopping the bird movement and flap.
PetKal wrote:
That may well be, Edward, I don't know what other folks use. I like the Tv mode for birds in flight only, especially so when tracking a brird against a typical sequence of changing background such as sky---->green foliage----->water
I have seldom had a ruined shot because the aperture dropped to f/2.8 or increased to f/16 in Tv mode.
I have had lottsa ruined shots because the shutter speed dropped to f/400 or some such low value in Av mode, which is really a double trouble....from the camera shake standpoint as well as stopping the bird movement and flap.
Go manual exposure at BIFs, Pete..... the exposure meter won't be fooled regardless of changing BG. It does take some practice to get used to it, but once mastered, I find it faster and easier than Av or Tv priority.
Here's a sample burst with a changing BG (IS off BTW )
Romy, that was truly an enjoyable video. I think young man Pogito should be teaming up with Jim Neiger as a business partner.
I agree with you on the use of manual exposure for BIF photography in order to eliminate the effect of changing background.
PetKal wrote:
Romy, that was truly an enjoyable video. I think young man Pogito should be teaming up with Jim Neiger as a business partner.
I agree with you on the use of manual exposure for BIF photography in order to eliminate the effect of changing background.
Thanks, Pete.
troy12n wrote:
what kind of tripod setup was that? specifically the head, thats pretty wild
The head is a Manfrotto 3421 (also known as 393) gimbal head, of which I use a couple. The tripod is a heavy Manfrotto 475B, stable enough to support the Sigmonster + TCs. Here's my user review of the 3421:
PetKal wrote:
Good luck with that. Jim Neiger went into a considerable detail describing his technique of "focus bumping". I tried to understand it but couldn't. That's probably because I am just an old photo hack. I also tried to learn from a seemingly related instruction by A.Morris on BIF prefocusing method and turning the focus search off and some such. Again, to no avail.
I suppose one just needs to do it a lot, then perhaps improvements would come naturally.
Well, that makes two of us old photo hacks that couldn't understand it. I wish someone would define exactly what "focus bumping" means.
I don't shoot BIF but I suspect the concept could help my photograping cutting horses.
The 100-400mm lens is an excellant lens for bird photography and for BIF. A sharp copy of this lens will perform as well as the 400mm with the added flexability of zoom and IS. I started shootig BIF with a 10D and this lens and I still own both. It's not the lens of choice for BIF, but it is the lens of choice for BIF in it's price range. The added reach of the 40D with the 1.6 crop combined with the 100-400mm zoom makes a great all around bird photography setup for the money.
Because this camera/lens aren't the fastest, skills like initial aquisition, pre-focus, and bumping the focus all become more critical. If you use the center AF point only, shoot in manual exposure mode, and practice alot, the BIF images will come.
Ed,
Thanks for the kind words. The camera stand (hood) handles mud and a little moisture quite well. Wading in water more than a couple of inches becomes a bit of a problem, but there are ways of dealing with that as well.
PetKal wrote:
Good luck with that. Jim Neiger went into a considerable detail describing his technique of "focus bumping". I tried to understand it but couldn't. That's probably because I am just an old photo hack. I also tried to learn from a seemingly related instruction by A.Morris on BIF prefocusing method and turning the focus search off and some such. Again, to no avail.
I suppose one just needs to do it a lot, then perhaps improvements would come naturally.
If you let me know what exacly you don't understand, I will try to help.
Artie's prefocusing method is for the same purpose as my bumping the focus #1 to pre-focus (see the bumping the focus for bif thread). He does the same thing using the manual focus ring. His method works great on a tripod, but is too clumsy when hand holding. Focus search off was an attempt to avoid focusing on the bg when shooting bif against a varied bg. It may help in some cases, but I use focus search on and bump focus for bif on varied bgs. See bumping focus for bif #3.
Question, is it better to move the focus button off the shutter via Custom function _ XX? I did this recently and I seem to get a couple more in focus via al servo and one shot. I use the 100-400 also. Agree with above, but saving for a 400 2.8. 100-400 is sluggish in low light...
I noticed most of the BIF shots posted here the bird is going past. Does anyone have any advice for BIF shots where the bird is coming at you? This is where my 100-400 struggles.
When shooting BIF with the 100 - 400 mm you might want to try leaving the Stabilizer Mode on # 1. Another thing you are going to have to learn is playing around with which Focus Point to use 1.8 or 6.5.
It is a good lens and does take a while to learn how to use.
Big lenses are, uh, big. And the 100-400 is, indeed, larger and heavier than smaller lenses.
Have you tried using a tripod? When I photograph birds in flight I frequently put the lens/camera on a tripod with the drag loose enough that I can still freely pivot/rotate the lens. This not only reduces the physical toll from holding the heavy gear but it also steadies the camera and, for me, makes panning with moving birds a smoother operation.
Also, don't expect 100% success rates with your shots of BIF. It isn't that easy. I might shoot 200 frames to get one that I think is quite good and a few others that are decent. I delete a lot of files at the end of the day.
AI-Servo can be a good option. It may also be worthwhile to try using only the center AF point. Unless the bird fills the frame the camera/lens can easily AF on something other than the bird when the whole subject field is in motion.
Pre-focusing can work well in some situations. I sometimes shoot Pacific coast seabirds from bluffs and rocky outcroppings, and the birds often follow very similar paths across these areas. If I prefocus and shoot in burst mode as they come by - and time my shots carefully - they frequently fly right through the pre focused distance.
"Three Pelicans in Flight. Point Lobos State Reserve, California. August 25, 2008. Copyright G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved."
(Photographed with Canon 5D and EF 100-400mm lens at 400mm. And, no, the birds were not photoshopped into this configuration - they actually were very cooperative about posing for me!)
troy12n wrote:
Just got my 100-400L on Friday and spent the weekend getting to get a feel for it. First impressions was how much bigger and heavier it is than my next largest lens 70-200/4L. Also the push-pull zoom is taking some getting used to. For the most part, I really like this lens, the only thing I dont seems to be the focusing speed. But from what I have read, it seems to be the M.O. for this lens. I shoot with a 40D usually in AI-Focus mode, but when trying to shoot BIF's, I switch over to AI-Servo. It seems here at times the lens really hunts, especially when a bird would fly over a light background like a cloud. Is this a limitation of the lens, or the camera body? It seems to get confused at times. Anyone have some advice on this? I was considering the EF 400/5.6 prime and this lens, and for its versatility I am glad I picked the 100-400. But after a few days of handholding this thing all day, I am SORE!!!! The end of today, I pulled out my 400D which is now my backup body, and put the 70-200/4 on it and it was like I was holding a P&S it was so light (relatively speaking) and nimble feeling....Show more →
jerrykur wrote:
I noticed most of the BIF shots posted here the bird is going past. Does anyone have any advice for BIF shots where the bird is coming at you? This is where my 100-400 struggles.
jerry
Jerry, that's where EOS cameras' AF systems struggle. The sluggishness of the zoom probably just aggravates the situation.
Naturally, much depends on the bird size (frontal cross section really), colour/contrast and speed of approach.
Mine were approaching my position obliquely - not really "going past" exactly, though they did go almost directly overhead. I think you can see this in the photo from the positions of the pelicans.
Edited by danmitchell on Aug 31, 2008 at 07:30 PM GMT
PetKal wrote:
Jerry, that's where EOS cameras' AF systems struggle.
It's a pet peeve of mine...saying that BIF's traveling perpendicular require fast AF. Here's a very fast flying Swallow, with a high slew rate (he's not flying across the scene, but at me.) 1Ds and 400 5.6 + 1.4x TC II. This is a 100% crop, BTW.
Imagemaster wrote:
Funny that some claim that the 100-400 is great for BIF, yet not a single good shot of a small, fast-flying BIF.
It is great for BIF in some circumstances, but perhaps for very small birds a longer lens could be better? (I don't think my pelican shot is too bad, but they certainly aren't small birds! However, when I shoot them I often find that I need to go to a _shorter_ focal length than 400mm.)
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