Pages: 1 [2]   Go Down

Author Topic: shooting flying bird, still and movie  (Read 12857 times)

Ajoy Roy

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 117
Re: shooting flying bird, still and movie
« Reply #20 on: January 23, 2014, 07:27:24 am »

Apart from a good lens, you can try using a gun grip to ease the tracking of birds in flight.
http://www.peterpeterpeter.com/pages/bushhawk.htm

One of the most popular combos for BIF is the Nikon camera with the 300mmF4 lense and a 1.4TC. With a FF camera you get around 420mmf5.6, and with a DX sensor around 650mm equivalent.

Regarding Auto Focus, the best method is to pre focus your camera and then shoot the bird.
Logged
Ajoy Roy, image processing

telyt

  • Guest
Re: shooting flying bird, still and movie
« Reply #21 on: January 23, 2014, 09:57:14 am »

No personal experience but several who have tried the Sony a7r are delighted with the EVF for manual focus.

Now that I've had an opportunity to handle the A7 and A7r I don't see a problem using manual focus.

Apart from a good lens, you can try using a gun grip to ease the tracking of birds in flight.
http://www.peterpeterpeter.com/pages/bushhawk.htm

I use an old model Leitz shoulder stock.
Logged

Isaac

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3123
Re: shooting flying bird, still and movie
« Reply #22 on: January 23, 2014, 11:56:37 am »

Now that I've had an opportunity to handle the A7 and A7r I don't see a problem using manual focus.

So EVF technology has become good enough for you?
Logged

telyt

  • Guest
Re: shooting flying bird, still and movie
« Reply #23 on: January 23, 2014, 02:00:18 pm »

So EVF technology has become good enough for you?

I'd have to be able to use it for a few days to make that determination.  The manual focus capability of the A7 and A7r seems good, but I have not determined if viewfinder lag would be a problem for me.  I have to say I prefer the view through a good OVF (Nikon F/F2, Leicaflex SL or Leica R8) but the other features an EVF bring to the game are intriguing and in many cases can outweigh the percieved disadvantages of an EVF.
Logged

NancyP

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2513
Re: shooting flying bird, still and movie
« Reply #24 on: January 24, 2014, 01:20:33 pm »

In Canon-land, the 7D is currently the best APS-C body for bird photography, and for beginner's budget OEM lenses, you will hear the endless debate about 1. 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L with image stabilization versus 2. 400mm f/5.6L without image stabilization. I shoot with the 60D (slower frame rate at 5 vs 7D's 8 fps) and the 400mm f/5.6L. It took me a while to learn how to locate bird quickly, pan smoothly with the center AF point smack on the bird's head, and engage shutter smoothly. Once learned, the combo is a breeze to hand-hold all day at 2 kg total (1.25 kg lens, 0.75 kg camera body). I don't know much about adjusting AF parameters - the 60D doesn't have any, other than the mode choice between AI servo (for birds) and one-shot. The 7D is cheap now, so if you can afford a few hundred dollars more, get the 7D rather than the 60D. Skip the 70D for stills, but consider it for video. For Canon, Nikon, and Sony, Tamron just released a 150-600mm f/4.5-6.3 with stabilization that may be very good optically - reports are not yet commenting on the AF speed, the lens has been released for Canon only for a week or so.
Logged
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Up