p.2 #1 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
PetKal wrote:
No progress has been made this morning. The setup used was still T6s + 135L.
Those birds flew all around me, and one might believe that such proximity would make it very easy to capture them in flight with the 135mm lens. However, exactly opposite is the case. Imagine watching a championship table tennis match, say China vs. South Korea, by sitting at a side of the net, your face a foot from it.
In this case the BIF is still too fast for a 135mm (x1.6 crop factor) and the human response, I would choose center single point AF with 4 assist points that will maximize the 1st AF acquisition speed once your lens pointed to the bird.
p.2 #2 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
Geoff and KK, I have indeed been trying all AF area modes, from single point to all 19 pt. auto selection. Unfortunately, T6s doesn't have center AF pt. expansion....it's either one AF point or all. Now, there is zone AF which is fairly effective against 'empty' (e.g. the sky) or very distant backgrounds, but it doesn't work all too well on a small fast bird skimming above water surface.
It's a shame that a camera with such an excellent imaging machine could not be given a bit more responsive AF system, but then , if it had, it would not have been an "economy" Rebel any longer. (Mind you, $850 camera is hardly '" economy" in my books, but Canon does the pricing not I.)
p.2 #4 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
Lan11 wrote:
PetKal wrote: “As long as ISO is no higher than 1600 , as a general rule of thumb, the little camera very clearly surpasses 1DX in image quality.”
Looks like PetKal’s old 1Dx or the lens is not up to snuff, so I say, humbug!
Since “seeing is believing”, check this:
while I’m wondering if I should divulge a secret how to successfully photograph small BIF.
Nah, I don't want no "secrets", I like to learn the hard way by trial and error.........as long as my aged reflexes let me do it. If not, I can still kinda shoot bigger birds in flight such as Bald eagles and Canada geese.
May 10, 2015 at 11:44 AM
Lan11 Offline [X]
p.2 #5 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
PetKal wrote: “ Nah, I don't want no "secrets", I like to learn the hard way by trial and error.........as long as my aged reflexes let me do it. If not, I can still kinda shoot bigger birds in flight such as Bald eagles and Canada geese."
It has nothing to do with age, reflex or even eyesight. My poor vision caused me to confuse the Tree Swallows with Martins in the recent post. But, if there are no takers my secret will remain a secret. An interesting alternative to what you mentioned are kid flying kites.
p.2 #6 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
I have to disagree about the T6s ISO capabilities. It is clearly better than my 5D11 at ISO 6400 (no purple blooming in the shadows, no banding in the shadows), and more than holds it own at 3200. It was one of the reasons I finally scrapped my Rebel XSI to acquire this camera ( and many more) . Here are some ISO 3200 shots I did yesterday, all with slow kit lenses and a bunch of patience: http://anscochrome.zenfolio.com/p749198970
p.2 #8 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
anscochrome wrote:
I have to disagree about the T6s ISO capabilities. It is clearly better than my 5D11 at ISO 6400 (no purple blooming in the shadows, no banding in the shadows), and more than holds it own at 3200. It was one of the reasons I finally scrapped my Rebel XSI to acquire this camera ( and many more) . Here are some ISO 3200 shots I did yesterday, all with slow kit lenses and a bunch of patience: http://anscochrome.zenfolio.com/p749198970
I am not sure what you are disagreeing with, but let me reiterate my simple and practical assessment of T6s IQ and high ISO performance:
(1) ISO 100-1600: IQ better than 1DX
(2) ISO 3200: a crossover point, as other factors such as light/exposure and a degree of cropping will decide if T6 IQ will be similar to or worse than 1DX. But it will generally not be better than 1DX.
(3) ISO >3200: T6 IQ starts to quickly fall apart compared to 1DX.
p.2 #10 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
anscochrome wrote:
I have to disagree about the T6s ISO capabilities. It is clearly better than my 5D11 at ISO 6400 (no purple blooming in the shadows, no banding in the shadows), and more than holds it own at 3200. It was one of the reasons I finally scrapped my Rebel XSI to acquire this camera ( and many more) . Here are some ISO 3200 shots I did yesterday, all with slow kit lenses and a bunch of patience: http://anscochrome.zenfolio.com/p749198970
A 5D2 is a long ways away from a 1DX that Peter is comparing to. But that is impressive if it does beat a 5D2 at 6400. What about if you aren't pushing shadows? Is the noise less in neutral tones?
p.2 #11 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
arbitrage wrote:
A 5D2 is a long ways away from a 1DX that Peter is comparing to. But that is impressive if it does beat a 5D2 at 6400. What about if you aren't pushing shadows? Is the noise less in neutral tones?
No pushing shadows involved-expose both identically at 6400-and you see purple blooming in the shadows of the 5DII shot. And, I have always seen banding @6400 with the 5D11-most typically seen when shooting club music gigs with abysmal lighting. I think the T6s is a great step forward for Canon APS-C cameras. It is an amazing upgrade from what I used to with my old Rebel XSI body.
p.2 #12 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
anscochrome wrote:
No pushing shadows involved-expose both identically at 6400-and you see purple blooming in the shadows of the 5DII shot. And, I have always seen banding @6400 with the 5D11-most typically seen when shooting club music gigs with abysmal lighting. I think the T6s is a great step forward for Canon APS-C cameras. It is an amazing upgrade from what I used to with my old Rebel XSI body.
That is good to know. Canon although no where near Nikon in pushing shadows and having good shadow IQ, has at least improved their banding. In the 5D3 they eliminated one dimension of the banding. In the 1DX, 6D, 7D2 and now T6s they managed to remove banding and have made the noise much more manageable.
p.2 #13 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
PetKal wrote:
Geoff and KK, I have indeed been trying all AF area modes, from single point to all 19 pt. auto selection. Unfortunately, T6s doesn't have center AF pt. expansion....it's either one AF point or all. Now, there is zone AF which is fairly effective against 'empty' (e.g. the sky) or very distant backgrounds, but it doesn't work all too well on a small fast bird skimming above water surface.
It's a shame that a camera with such an excellent imaging machine could not be given a bit more responsive AF system, but then , if it had, it would not have been an "economy" Rebel any longer. (Mind you, $850 camera is hardly '" economy" in my books, but Canon does the pricing not I.)...Show more →
So in one point AF the response should be better and more controllable, right?
p.2 #14 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
KKFung wrote:
So in one point AF the response should be better and more controllable, right?
Yes, as long as one can keep that one point on the target long enough, steady. However, the faster and more erratic flying the bird is, and the longer the lens, the single point AF becomes more of a challenge.
Today we had an overcast foggy morning, not good for any BIF photography, let alone shooting swallows flying over water. Nevertheless, I decided to switch to pijuns, and the results were as good as one could possibly expect them to be under the conditions. Therefore, I am pleased with the camera AF performance in such application.
When you are looking at samples below, please keep in mind that they were shot in low and glary light, thru fog. What matters here is capture and focus, and not IQ.
p.2 #17 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
PetKal wrote:
Yes, it's a faultless lens. Such lens really needs a very high resolution camera in order for the lens to attain its full potential.
+1
I have on occasion wondered just how Canon managed to get that lens so utterly right while others (that will remain nameless here) never quite seem to work truly well. When I read someone wanting a new version with IS I shudder and shout NO! Occasionally something gets made right the first time. Just leave it alone.
p.2 #18 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
As a side note, one could deem 135L to be supertelephoto-like regarding IQ and AF responsiveness. Obviously, it's much shorter, yet much faster too (aperture) than real supertelephoto lenses.
I also think leaving the lens alone would be best for consumers, because it is still relatively affordable, and adding IS etc. would not increase its goodness and utility in a major way.
p.2 #19 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
PetKal wrote:
As a side note, one could deem 135L to be supertelephoto-like regarding IQ and AF responsiveness. Obviously, it's much shorter, yet much faster too (aperture) than real supertelephoto lenses.
I also think leaving the lens alone would be best for consumers, because it is still relatively affordable, and adding IS etc. would not increase its goodness and utility in a major way.
Here's one of my favourite shots done with it.
That is a super shot Peter. If I ever had a bird that close I would pick up a 135L in a heartbeat. Problem is 1920mm hardly cuts it around here.
p.2 #20 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
Thanx Geoff. However, it's not that easy in my neck o'the woods either. That Woodie was kind of an exception: he burst into flight no more than 20 ft from me, and I was ready for that. However, if you take a look at my stationary swallow shots in here (p. #19), they took some sneaking up to the birds and crawling on my knees and elbows. T6s also helped a lot with its high pixel density.
Several years ago I did another SIF shoot using 1DMkIIN and a variety of lenses.
At that time I also concluded that 135L gave me the highest number of keepers, similar to 200 f/2 IS. For proximity fast shooting, those two lenses simply can't be beat.
