I'm new to bird photography and was wondering what is the recommended metering setting with sony cameras for bald eagles. I normally have it set on multi for most birds but afraid this will make the head feathers overblown. I am also not confident in my in flight tracking to use center metering So I was wondering if anyone has experience using highlight metering for this use case.
I shoot bald eagles quite a bit at Conowingo during the seasons. I use manual shutter speed and aperture and auto ISO. I use the "-" in exposure compensation a lot to deal with the white feather. You may know that only adult eagles have white heads and tails. One of the best things I love Sony cameras is the super easy access to the EC dial, no need to press this, then turn that kind of nonsense.
Douglas L wrote:
I shoot bald eagles quite a bit at Conowingo during the seasons. I use manual shutter speed and aperture and auto ISO. I use the "-" in exposure compensation a lot to deal with the white feather. You may know that only adult eagles have white heads and tails. One of the best things I love Sony cameras is the super easy access to the EC dial, no need to press this, then turn that kind of nonsense.
Do you shoot at -.07 EC? Not new to photography just to birds so I know my way around a camera. Only problem is worried if I shoot at too low of exposure my autofocus won't keep up since I primarily shoot on a non native lens and at sunrise. Also is 1/3200 enough for freezing an eagle in a dive?
I always shoot manual and eyeball it with the occasional peek at the histogram. With bald eagles, set your exposure to the head and tail of the adults and lift the shadows in the scenery and dark feathers. Do not underestimate the reflections off the head/tail feathers, which can clip very easily in bright sunlight. I usually adjust my exposure on-the-fly by adjusting the shutter speed as I track the bird.
One tip is to look for the brightest spot in your location (preferably light in color with reflected sunlight) and set your baseline exposure to that. You can also figure out how far above 17% grey before your camera clips and use blinkies to guide your exposure. For example, when I shot bald eagles on the A7R2, I could go 2/3 stop above 17% so I would adjust my shutter speed until the blinkies appear (which was usually the head) and expose to 1/3 stop above that level.
scrappydog wrote:
I always shoot manual and eyeball it with the occasional peek at the histogram. With bald eagles, set your exposure to the head and tail of the adults and lift the shadows in the scenery and dark feathers. Do not underestimate the reflections off the head/tail feathers, which can clip very easily in bright sunlight. I usually adjust my exposure on-the-fly by adjusting the shutter speed as I track the bird.
One tip is to look for the brightest spot in your location (preferably light in color with reflected sunlight) and set your baseline exposure to that. You can also figure out how far above 17% grey before your camera clips and use blinkies to guide your exposure. For example, when I shot bald eagles on the A7R2, I could go 2/3 stop above 17% so I would adjust my shutter speed until the blinkies appear (which was usually the head) and expose to 1/3 stop above that level....Show more →
Noted, most birds I shoot I am usually on shutter priority or manual but with auto iso so I rely on the cameras own metering quite a bit. Will try this out and see how it goes.
In Auto ISO just dial the compensation negative.
Are you not checking the Zebras?
If the backgrounds are highly variable then consider manual exposure.
EB-1 wrote:
In Auto ISO just dial the compensation negative.
Are you not checking the Zebras?
If the backgrounds are highly variable then consider manual exposure.
EBH
I think people are misunderstanding my question. My original question was which metering mode to use for the camera is adjust exposure automatically as in matrix or highlight metering in my Sony body.
SaberArtori wrote: EB-1 wroteIn Auto ISO just dial the compensation negative.
Are you not checking the Zebras?
If the backgrounds are highly variable then consider manual exposure.
EBHI think people are misunderstanding my question. My original question was which metering mode to use for the camera is adjust exposure automatically as in matrix or highlight metering in my Sony body.
If the white feathers are the brightest thing, then I would use highlight metering.
SaberArtori wrote: EB-1 wroteIn Auto ISO just dial the compensation negative.
Are you not checking the Zebras?
If the backgrounds are highly variable then consider manual exposure.
EBHI think people are misunderstanding my question. My original question was which metering mode to use for the camera is adjust exposure automatically as in matrix or highlight metering in my Sony body.
The best thing to do is shoot in full manual, set exposure for the whites. Turn on Zebras custom to +107 or +109.
If you want to shoot with Auto-ISO then I'd try highlight weighted metering. If, and that is a big if, the white parts of the eagle are large enough in the frame then it should protect them. But if they are too small in the frame it won't work. You'll have to go negative EC but that won't always work if the bird is against a dark background it could still easily blow the whites. That is why full M is better.
Full M is the best for any and all BIF. The correct metering will constantly be changing for a BIF as the background changes and as the size of the bird relative to the background changes. Auto-ISO is only helpful if the light hitting the bird is constantly changing but even then those other two issues will still need a change to EC.
I would highly recommend trying to get used to shooting in full M. Sony cameras make it easier than any other brand because they have Zebras in stills. You also have three (actually 4) wheels to use and have all three variables ready to go. Even if the light hitting the bird is going to change during a BIF sequence then just setup the exposure for when it is in the brightest light. When it goes to the shade the exposure will be underexposed but it won't be any worse than if you had upped the ISO to compensate. The sensors are ISO invariant so you can just lift exposure in post and get the same image you would have with a correct exposure in camera. Sony cameras aren't that sensitive to needing a correct exposure to do good AF so I don't worry if I'm shooting a BIF underexposed.
1/3200 is fine for a diving eagle. Once you are practiced in tracking and keeping the bird fairly centered in the frame you should be able to get away with even slower. I'd be fine at 1/1600 for diving....1/800 for one just flying horizontal across the frame.