I had considered BIF. Again, figure out the fastest their wings can flap, set shutter to that as your minimum. Build your other settings around a fixed minimum shutter. Done. I don’t shoot BIF but - bird species depending - I would start at 1/2500 or 1/3200 shutter and see what happens. Adjust as needed.
If you’re proposing a setting that changes aperture and/or ISO to accommodate shutter based on metered readings, in order to generate relatively consistent exposures in shifting lighting conditions, well… I’ve got news for you…
snapsy wrote: jlafferty wrote:
What does it matter? Set for their fastest speed and you’re done. Oh what, are you going to pick up 2/3rds a stop in exposure latitude 1 out of 5 frames otherwise? Are your photos going to be that dramatically better? This is a solution in search of a problem.
snapsy wrote: jlafferty wrote:
Strong disagree. None of these engineers looking for solutions to problems that are 101 level photo lessons are worth the time, energy and resources necessary. It takes a few seconds to figure out motion blur and then you just stash a rough idea going forward and you’re set. Similar with DOF. These are base level skills you should acquire as a photographer.
What about subjects that don't move at a constant speed?
The rate of change in motion in some subjects is far greater than 2/3 stop. Consider BIF - even a bird flying at a constant speed goes through a flapping cycle with drastically-different amounts of motion depending on when you catch it in the cycle. And yes, the photos can be dramatically better, the difference between usable feather detail vs not, esp in challenging light conditions.
I had considered BIF. Again, figure out the fastest their wings can flap, set shutter to that as your minimum. Build your other settings around a fixed minimum shutter. Done. I don’t shoot BIF but I would start at 1/2500 shutter and see what happens. Adjust as needed.
If you’re proposing a setting that changes aperture and/or ISO to accommodate shutter based on metered readings, in order to generate relatively consistent exposures in shifting lighting conditions, well… I’ve got news for you…
snapsy wrote: jlafferty wrote:
What does it matter? Set for their fastest speed and you’re done. Oh what, are you going to pick up 2/3rds a stop in exposure latitude 1 out of 5 frames otherwise? Are your photos going to be that dramatically better? This is a solution in search of a problem.
snapsy wrote: jlafferty wrote:
Strong disagree. None of these engineers looking for solutions to problems that are 101 level photo lessons are worth the time, energy and resources necessary. It takes a few seconds to figure out motion blur and then you just stash a rough idea going forward and you’re set. Similar with DOF. These are base level skills you should acquire as a photographer.
What about subjects that don't move at a constant speed?
The rate of change in motion in some subjects is far greater than 2/3 stop. Consider BIF - even a bird flying at a constant speed goes through a flapping cycle with drastically-different amounts of motion depending on when you catch it in the cycle. And yes, the photos can be dramatically better, the difference between usable feather detail vs not, esp in challenging light conditions.
Aug 18, 2025 at 08:02 AM
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