Flying birds

[radical]

I'm having a very hard time shooting flying birds, can you give me any tips on this subject?
Thanks
Sorry about that I'm using a 70-300mm lense.

[bob_r]

What size are the birds? If you're trying to capture small songbirds in flight, you're not going to get a lot of keepers. Vultures, Herons, Egrets and others in that size category are the easiest and they get increasing more difficult as the size of the birds decrease. Which brand 70-300 are you using? I have a Canon 70-300 and a Canon 100-400 and they have 2 settings for the IS. Setting 2 is used for panning and is what I normally use when trying to shoot birds in flight.

[radical]

I'm using a NikonD3100 with there 70-300mm tele lense. I'll have to check about that setting but I don't think it has one.

[bob_r]

I'm using a NikonD3100 with there 70-300mm tele lense. I'll have to check about that setting but I don't think it has one.

If your lens is a Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR, the VR does allow for panning when set to the "normal" position. "Active" position attempts to eliminate all motion.

What type of birds are you shooting and can you post some pics? If you post your pics with the "exif" intact, it might make it easier to make suggestions that could improve your capture rate.

[radical]

I tried to post pics yesterday but it said that the file was to big, also the pics I have dosen't show the exif with them.
I try to take pics of mostly waterfoul, ducks, geese, cranes ect. I just can't get them clear by zooming in and when I take them zoomed out then the pic isn't as big as I want.

[radical]

I just thought about something, should I be shooting with or without the hood attached?

[bob_r]

I just read the review of your lens on Photozone.de and they show your lens is not as sharp on the long end. They show it excellent at the short end, but suggest shooting a f/8 - f/11 when shooting a 300mm. They went on to say that this increases the chances of CA, but that can usually be corrected while post processing. You do want to use your hood when shooting. It not only protects the glass, but also helps reduce the possibility of lens flare.

If you want, you can email me a sample pic and I'll reduce the size and post it for you. Of course, if it doesn't have exif metadata, then it won't offer much insight into your problem. Perhaps you could explain which settings you normally use when shooting birds. Are you setting the AF points or allowing the camera to select your subject? Are you using Aperture or Shutter Priority or one of the automatic program settings? Are you setting ISO high enough that your shutter speed is adequate to capture birds in flight?

Here are a few of my birds in flight pics with the setting I used to capture them. The settings would change dependent upon available light, but it may give you some idea of what settings are required.
Hope they help. BTW, I nearly always shoot in aperture priority mode.

This was shot at sunrise with a Canon 30D and a Sigma 80-400.
1/1000s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso800 - F/5.6 is wide open for this lens and I needed ISO 800 because of the low light conditions.


This was shot with the same camera and lens, but on a bright day.
1/1600s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso400


This shot of a turkey vulture was also taken on a bright, sunny day.
I used a Canon 30D and a Canon 100-400 lens for this shot.


This black vulture was shot under similar conditions with the same camera and lens.
1/800s f/5.6 at 400.0mm iso200

[J. R. WEEMS]

Here is another offering. I am still working to improve things.



This has helped me a lot. You will find Joe a nice guy as well.

http://joenoordman.smugmug.com/Photogra ... 3178_RgPPM