p.3 #1 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Why purchase a camera with a fast frame rate, then cripple it in the menu by shooting slower. For birds in flight or any fast action, I want the camera to be snappy and shoot as many frames as possible. Having had the 1D3, 1D4, 1Dx, and 1Dx II, I was very happy with the speed of the 1DX for BIF, but with the unlimited buffer of the 1DX II I am extremely happy with the 14 fps as the images now overlap each other.
I am not a spray shooter that holds down the shutter hoping that I get a shot as I normally would only fire off four or five frames in a burst, but when the moment calls for it I know I can hold down the shutter and get the shot. (hopefully ) I do like that the fact that the images now overlap each other at 14 fps.
p.3 #2 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Mike Veltri wrote:
Why purchase a camera with a fast frame rate, then cripple it in the menu by shooting slower.
Not quite sure what you mean, Mike. I put my 1DX into H or L as required. For walkaround casual shooting L is set at 5fps which regulates me as much as I regulate pressure on the shutter button. H is reserved for down at the stadium - or wherever appropriate.
p.3 #3 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
As a couple of others have said when I went from 10fps to 12fps I think I reached the maximum value; I noticed going from 10 to 12, but not 12 to 14. And maybe even then I just imagined it was better.
I'm working more on better timing of my first shot but still rely on a short burst.
When the Sony A9 came out with 20fps (electronic not mechanical shutter, apparently some other issues there), I wasn't wowed.
p.3 #4 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
14fps is about the mechanical limit of a flapping mirror, Canon might be able to eek out 15fps with a lot more expense but it's not worth it, electronic shutter is the way to go. BTW Canon has released patents for stacked sensor design, so those that think Sony is only one playing this game think again.
p.3 #6 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Ralph Thompson wrote:
A bat on ball is a timing shot. Otherwise it's spray and pray that you get lucky and get the shot. Frame rate is nice for some sequences, but don't discount timing and luck.
Agree, 100% learned this 10 years ago. For me 10 is enough for most situations. Rarely do I just spray and pray anymore.
p.3 #8 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
There's a big difference between trying to "capture the moment", like a bat hitting a ball, and capturing many images of an evolving activity, like player facial expressions during an open-field rugby tackle. With practice, it's quite possible to correctly time a single shot to "capture the moment", but it's of little use when you want to get the best facial expressions during a rapid engagement. In the latter case, you can't time when the best facial expression will appear, because there's no obvious timing sequence. OTOH, with high fps, you can capture enough 'slices' of the activity to increase your chances of getting a keeper or two, out of the sequence.
p.3 #9 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Paul Mo wrote:
Not quite sure what you mean, Mike. I put my 1DX into H or L as required. For walkaround casual shooting L is set at 5fps which regulates me as much as I regulate pressure on the shutter button. H is reserved for down at the stadium - or wherever appropriate.
I guess I have just learned to control the pressure of my index finger. i do put the camera in one shot mode but when in servo I always have it at the max frame rate as I would hate to miss a random fly by and not have the extra frames. I do know a few people that can seem to squeeze off single frames due to the sensitive shutter.
p.3 #10 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
I find the 7fps to be great for action, but too much for general snapshots, on the other hand the slow setting or the silent setting of the 5DIV seems a little slow: it is my only current irritation with the 5DIV (apart from the price).
p.3 #11 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Robin Smith wrote:
I find the 7fps to be great for action, but too much for general snapshots, on the other hand the slow setting or the silent setting of the 5DIV seems a little slow: it is my only current irritation with the 5DIV (apart from the price).
That is the nice thing about the 1 series that allows you to set your Cont. Low and High to whatever you like.
p.3 #12 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Paul Mo wrote:
So when you are going for bat-on-ball shots what burst rate is your camera set at and how many frames around it would you take?
Typically 2-3. Maybe at 10fps or maybe in single shot mode. I have never been able to get the ball compressed on the bat by just spraying. Every time I got it was when I was watching the pitcher release with one eye and the batter with the other. Getting the ball off the bat before it leave the frame is a easier.
p.3 #13 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
dhlewis wrote:
Agree, 100% learned this 10 years ago. For me 10 is enough for most situations. Rarely do I just spray and pray anymore.
Fine when a person is standing in a fixed location and you can pre-focus and just get your timing right, doesn't work like that for wildlife 99.999999% of the time. Try photographing breeching whales when you don't even know where they'll surface, if you are lucky to be in the right spot having 12fps or more is needed to capture the breech which is changing so fast. If your lucky you'll get a few usable shots from the dozen or so. Same with birds when they are dive bombing for food in the water, once you know they are about to dive you want max fps to capture just the right moment. YOur reflexes are no where good enough to think you can wait tom the last millisecond to press the shutter.
p.3 #14 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Pixel Perfect wrote:
Fine when a person is standing in a fixed location and you can pre-focus and just get your timing right, doesn't work like that for wildlife 99.999999% of the time. Try photographing breeching whales when you don't even know where they'll surface, if you are lucky to be in the right spot having 12fps or more is needed to capture the breech which is changing so fast. If your lucky you'll get a few usable shots from the dozen or so. Same with birds when they are dive bombing for food in the water, once you know they are about to dive you want max fps to capture just the right moment. YOur reflexes are no where good enough to think you can wait tom the last millisecond to press the shutter....Show more →
No disagreement with your comment regarding BIF. I guess I was mostly focused on the baseball comment.
p.3 #16 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Thanks David I actually have that Birds in Flights settings page saved too, has lots of great info. Just been mostly a hit od miss with focus even with those settings, but then again Birds in Flight tend to be that way anyways.
p.3 #17 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Paul Mo wrote:
I think it's more a question of both - you watch the pitcher out of one eye for ball release while being focussed on the batter, counting the ball flight in.
One without the other more or less fails.
when I want to get an image of "bat on ball" I try to take the photo when the bat is 90 degrees to the player, mid swing. If the pitcher does his job and the batter does their's you'll "maybe" get the shot. Even at 14 FPS the ball travels too far between frames to assure you get bat on ball.
p.3 #18 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
I shoot large swim meets and have for about ten years. I like 10 fps for starts. Basically I use single shot for a swimmer between strokes when the face is not visible like with butterfly. I shoot so many pictures I do not like multiple exposures as I try to keep final processing down to manageable size. I get 10 fps from my 7DII. On a three day meet I usually wind up with 500 or so pictures to edit down to 150 for publication and printing. The 7DII is adequate for my purposes. If I were to use multiple exposures about three shots would be as much as I could capture while the swimmers face is visible on each stroke and only one of those would be used. My simple minded method as a swimmer myself is to move up and down movement in sync with the swimmer and press the shutter while like I would lead a bird with a shotgun.
p.3 #19 · How many FPS do you actually have to have ?
Right now I'm shooting most at 12 fps bursts (Nikon D5). I have the D500 that "only" goes 10Fps I notice that. My tiny Sony RX100 MKV will go 24/25 fps-too fast for me. Today my A9 arrives. It will do 20fps I am going to start on the 15 fps setting.
We live in an, often unnoticed, random world. When I shoot people I do burst shots for expressions and to avoid eye blinks, Posed faces are often boring and unnatural. For best captures of inanimates when shot with a slow shutter shoot a bit to get the best AF-by accident In other words put chance variation on your side.
For my man purpose, Flamenco Dance, I shoot longer bursts depending on what I anticipate the dancer might do. A pirouette would require a long shutter button press and up to 20 frames (depending upon rotations). If there are one or more dancers then I shoot a lot hoping to capture all in a good pose-again somewhat by chance variation.
A good photographer should be a good editor too. Shoot enough so you have good choices.
) I do like that the fact that the images now overlap each other at 14 fps. 
