Butterflies

[jlykins]

I'm planning on heading down to the Butterfly show here in Cincinnati, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience in shooting this subject? I am planning on taking my 18-200 on my d40 and my 50mm on my d70. Do you think these will be enough? Also does anyone have any tips for shooting butterflies?

 

[rjackjames]

A macro lens will be nice and flash....good luck shooting.

 

[carlostau]

You should get quite a few good pics with the 55-200 VR. I have one and it takes awesome pics at 150-200. If you are going to use a tripod for some of the shots make sure you disable VR on the lens.. I heard it is not recomended to use both at the same time. Good luck, and post some of the pics when you get back!

 

[JerryPH]

Leave the 18-200 at home, its a great lens (I own one), but not very good in poorly lit situations like museums and what not.

Use your fastest lenses to get the best possible indor shots.

Flash is not going to help much if your subjects are behind glass... all you will get is a ton of glare, unless you are good with off-camera flash!

 

[jlykins]

Leave the 18-200 at home, its a great lens (I own one), but not very good in poorly lit situations like museums and what not.

Use your fastest lenses to get the best possible indor shots.

Flash is not going to help much if your subjects are behind glass... all you will get is a ton of glare, unless you are good with off-camera flash!

They aren't behind glass, they are free flying in side of a huge greenhouse, which allows for plenty of light, that's why I thought that the 18-200 will work ok.

 

[JerryPH]

Ah, there you go. Last butterfly exhibition I saw was in a museum (all dead, low light and all behind glass).

If you go during a time that it is very bright you should be able to use the 18-200 pretty well.

As far as tips, shoot fast... lol. They are not always known for sticking around when there is a lens stuck in their faces. You may want to try continual focus for best results.