p.3 #1 · 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 →
I see Peter. The AF point in the APSC screen is relatively bigger than that in a FF screen, should be ok
p.3 #2 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
Perhaps a slight progress has been made today with swallows. Had to terminate the test early because the Sun coming in and out of the clouds once per minute drove me nuts. You see, manual exposure is great as long as the light on the subject doesn't vary much, otherwise it doesn't work.
I still have a way to go before something good comes out of this swallow shoot.
Incidentally, I have checked my current shutter count associated with SIF alone: around 220. Zero keepers, several progress monitoring grade shots.
When I did a similar shoot probably in 2008, can't remember exactly because all of those files got lost, my SIF keeper rate was 0.5 to 2% max. At that time I used 1DMkIIN plus a variety of fast lenses.
p.3 #3 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
StillFingerz wrote:
Peter, your banking swallows remind me of an A4 Skyhawk, it's a very nimble fighter jet often used in dog-fight training out at Nellis AFB in Nevada. They and F-5's use to run rings around the 'faster' fighter jets like the F-14/15/16/18. A few flew down south at Miramar here in CA where the Marine Air wing was based...lots of cool pijuns be flyin about all over
This post made me call a friend of mine who happens to fly the A4 in the aggressor squadrons out west including at Nellis. He said "although the A4 is indeed very nimble and in the stripped down mode we fly them against the fully loaded US and Canadian fighters, we can usually out turn any of them except the F-14 B and D models. In fact, I'd be happy to fly against you with me in the F-14 B or D and you in the A4 anytime."
He is a current A4 aggressor jockey and a former Top Gun graduate with thousands of hours in both types and a ton of hours fighting F-18, F-16 and F-15 variants while in the F-14 and now the A4.
May 13, 2015 at 07:39 AM
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p.3 #4 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
Peter, the last shot in the latest batch made me wonder if it's a bird or a flying fish for a few seconds.
p.3 #7 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
StillFingerz wrote:
Do these tiny pijuns train well also, Peter, what a combo, a wimped out AF Rebel and one of the fastest AFing primes, you sure know your gearz
Indeed, a lens of the 135L caliber certainly compensates to some extent for the low light sensitivity and sluggish response of the Rebel's AF system. However, that is not all bad, in fact it is probably great for a Rebel class dSLR.
p.3 #9 · Rebel T6s does swallows and pijuns in flight
Peter,
I agree with those who note that the 135mm means you need to be closer. Tis hard to do, but I've gotten a few. I think it was in this thread where several noted that "woodsmenship" or simply good stalking technique gives an incredible boost to getting good shots. Utterly agree with that.
Now stalking swallows rates just below catching leprechauns - reportedly possible but never met anyone who actually did it
Peter, your rates might be a tich lower than what I got in the two years of shooting fork tails in a meadow down the dead end road from where I lived. Still it takes a lot of shots to get "lucky." I was shooting with my old 1DIIn - still my all time favorite camera along with the 1DsII - and the 200mm f/2.8L another vastly overlooked superb lens. Not quite as fast at AF but near enough that the misses were me not the lens. (We're talking maybe 3,000 clicks in the two springs.)
I think I got to the point were I could touch 5%, by which I mean I got them in the frame and properly focused. Of course many of those failed on artistic merit. I have kept a few of the best including getting two in the frame, another with a hummer and a swallow in the frame, and those few that were really beautiful.
No swallows here in the desert, but plenty of other things to chase. I appreciate you putting on a master show of the 135mm f/2.0L - a legendary lens by anyone's standard.
I do think we (the collective Canon gear head world) do get caught up in the lens arms race. "Well if I can get it with a 200 think how much better it would be at 400, Damn and what sort of heaven would 800 be!!" I'm sure Canon loves us, but I really am carefully re-evaluating my lenses. Example: since I went for the 100-400 II where does it leave my superb 300mm f/4.0L (non-IS) - taken some beauties with that - or my 400mm f/5.6L, again an excellent piece of glass. Does one somewhat slower zoom with IS trump two great primes?
Haven't worked that one out yet, but as always it's a joy to see your work.
