Hey all,
First and foremost just like to say hello as I’m new here.
I’m sure this thread has been spoken on in length many times before, but I am curious on how so many of you capture amazing in flight images will lots of detail.
The equipment I am using are a Canon 80d DSLR 24 mega pixels and a sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 contemporary lens.
Settings I use are high speed burst photo mode, f7.1/8 if light allows and a shutter speed of 1250-2500 depending on the bird or subject. Focus I have set to servo or continuous and use either a single point or 9 point again depending on subject. Image stability is on.
it’s gotten quite frustrating firing off a load of shots and not a single one is in focus, I’ve tried handheld and now started using a gimbal head and tripod.
I understand by the nature of it, I will have a load of unusable shots but I can’t seem to get many if any in focus keepers.
How did you all overcome this or was is investment in better gear and more practice or a combination of both.
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Regards
Benji
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Find me on Flickr / All about your camera - The Getting off Auto Index
Swifty Shots, hello and welcome.
Lots of good advice for you from Bob, and also Whistling Joe.
I don't think the 80D has tracking, but I do know the Sigma 150-600 does have an image stabiliser (often shortened to IS). With photography, particularly wildlife in action, a lot can by trial and error, and with the beauty of digital, the only real cost is time to sort and bin or keep.
The Canon 80D is similar to the 750D I used to use, likewise the Sigma 150-600 lens. Practice does make for better photos because you start to understand your camera and lens setup, plus watching birds in flight, will also make things a little easier. But they can, and will often, be unpredictable, and just when you think you've grasped it.....
Light is a very important factor, at times I find white birds, like egrets, and dark birds, like cormorants, can throw the focus out. Also water, snow and ice can also confuse focusing and exposure.
December, and certainly the current general weather conditions, being cloud and dull, don't make for easy photography, particularly for beginners.
Finally, with the image stabiliser in the Sigma, try a mix of slower moving subjects with the IS on and off, while keeping the other settings fixed. There are times when the IS can be beneficial and times when it isn't.
My guesses for your ID's, and as always, I welcome any corrections, because I am still learning.
Keep at it, don't give up, ask and there should be an answer somewhere.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler