Birding & Struggling.

[CdTSnap]

So ive been trying to get some bird shots but I cant seem to get close to good quality, they just seem either out of focus or to grainy.

Can you birders give me some advice? What settings do you usually use on a sunny/slightly overcast day?

I generally try and keep my ISO as low as poss and been shooting around 1/640. Been practicing on bigger birds, just seaguls and things like that as they are slower moving. Mostly using centre focus point, continuous. Using my D7100 and Tamron 70-300mm VC SP. Ive had mixed results using the VC but i try not to if im shooting faster than 1/500th

 

[TheNevadanStig]

I like a faster shutter speed, specially if any movement is involved. Being that you said "slower moving" are you trying to get them in flight? If in flight, start out with a shutter at least 1/1000. For a sunny or slightly overcast day, there's no reason you can't pull 1/1000, f/8, iso 400. A directly sunny day I can run ISO 200 with those settings.
I like center single focus point, and spot metering.

 

[DarkShadow]

I use center single point,Center weighted metering,Back Button focus around 1/1600 for Gulls,Osprey,Egrets using Auto ISO. Can you post some sample with the EXIF Data.What's your Exposure like after the shots OOC.

 

[CdTSnap]

I use center single point,Center weighted metering,Back Button focus around 1/1600 for Gulls,Osprey,Egrets using Auto ISO. Can you post some sample with the EXIF Data.

Yea will do when I get home, what do you mean back button focus?

 

[DarkShadow]

It really does mean nothing as far as noise. MY canon has a dedicated back button focus - AF On. So rather then holding the shutter button half press I use the back button pressed For exposure and focus and then the shutter button just to control the shutter release. Here is an article on it. 3 Reasons Why You Should Switch To Back Button Focus - Digital Photography School

 

[CdTSnap]

Oh ok so AE/AF lock button for Nikon? I mean mostly for moving shots, sorry I should have specified. Im cool with stills its just the flying I am struggling with.

 

[TheNevadanStig]

I wouldn't lock focus on a bird in flight, as its always moving. I use AF-C. Set the camera to keep firing as you hold the shutter button down, get that center focus point on the bird, hold the button down and just track it best you can as it passes.

 

[DarkShadow]

Yes Al Servo continues tracking on the canons while holding down BBF and getting focus point on or as close to the eyes as possible then fire away as many as you like.Most important part is to relax and pan smooth with the bird so your focus point is staying on it.It takes a lot of practice and patience and frustrating at times. I been trying for months to get a sparrow in flight and finally Got lucky. I used a 1/4000 shutter speed on this one.

IMG_0559 by DarkShadow191145, on Flickr

 

[Aloicious]

I use center single point,Center weighted metering,Back Button focus around 1/1600 for Gulls,Osprey,Egrets using Auto ISO. Can you post some sample with the EXIF Data.What's your Exposure like after the shots OOC.

this is essentially what I do as well. 1/1600 is about where I like to sit too, depending on conditions I'll drop or raise that as needed, I'll usually be shooting within a stop of wide open (up to and including wide open), if it's really bright outside I'll go within 2 stops, but rarely am I stopped down much more than that as I'd rather keep the shutter speed high, and ISO low. I usually set my auto-ISO to go up to 3200 as needed, but you should set it at the maximum you're comfortable going to, which will vary from body to body.

I use single point focus, center weighted metering (with a 12mm metering circle, just one step up from the smallest which I think is 8mm). AF-C (which is nikon's terminology for the AI-servo that darkshadow is talking about)

I the higher end nikons have a dedicated AF-on button for decoupled focus, but I think you can program the AE/AF button on your d7100 to work the same. decoupled focus is great once you get used to it.

realistically many different settings can give you successful shots, but some will definitely help give you a better success rate.

try getting your shutter speed up to help with blur, the noise is likely from 2 things 1) increased ISO, which lets face it, is usually something that is necessary for wildlife, combined with 2) heavy cropping needed from only 300mm max focal length. unfortunately 300mm is pretty short when it comes to birds and will require heavy cropping much of the time. it's still useful, but just understand its limitations. you can also study about how to stalk your subject in order to get a closer shot, which can be difficult depending on what species you're shooting and the environment, but the main thing is to just get out and practice.

 

[CdTSnap]

Thanks guys, I was thinking about getting a Kenko 1.4x telephoto thingy mabobby doohiky (its Friday and im tired lol) on my Tamron which APPARENTLY will make it sharper also! Will find out soon as im not ready to fork out for a proper lens when im pretty convinced that Portaits and Landscapes is my game.

 

[snerd]

............ im pretty convinced that Portaits and Landscapes is my game.

Until you happen to get that ONE great bird shot!! Then the descent starts........................................

 

[Aloicious]

teleconverters definitely do NOT make it sharper. they will usually degrade the image quality to some extent, 1.4x's aren't usually bad, but on a relatively slow lens to begin with you'll be pretty crippled with it. basically with a teleconverter, you're sacrificing light for focal length...for example, a 1.4x TC will increase your focal length 1.4x (so at 300mm with the TC it would be 420mm), however it will cost you 1 full stop of light, so when you're zoomed all the way out at 300mm, you can normally get to f5.6, however with the teleconverter, your new max aperture would be f8.

unless I'm mistaken I believe the d7100 can autofocus still at f8, so its a possibility, but you'll likely sacrifice some AF performance with the TC.

TC's are designed to be used on FAST glass to begin with (usually f4 or faster) this limits their negative consequences while providing a good focal length increase. (for example a 300 f2.8 with a 1.4x becomes a 420mm f4...not too shabby, still room to stop down to overcome the IQ degrading that the TC introduces)

 

[nzmacro]

We are all different that's for sure. The gear is what changes the most Chris. Techniques we all use slightly different as well, but at the end of the day as long as the image looks fine, its all good. I only use manual focus and that requires a different technique, some things don't change though. For a BIF, I can never get a shutter speed fast enough. On smaller birds even at 1/8000 the wings can still be blurred, so I generally hit as fast as I can get and with a lowish ISO.

Main settings I use are 1/2500 - 1/4000 at ISO 200 - 400 for BIF's. That's on APS-C, with FF you can use higher ISO's. The lenses are pretty sharp wide open (F/4.5 and F/5.6) and that's where they stay, wide open. I've used and had 3 2xTC's, all Canon and never liked them. Now days a 1/4x TC does get added to the 800mm, just depends what I'm after and the 1.4 is only used on a stationary bird. On a wider, brighter lens the 1.4x TC is a popular option (300mm) and we do see some fantastic shots taken with them.

Metering I do use spot, but with using an EVF I can see the result in the EVF if I change ISO or the shutter speed. Not perfect, but pretty close to what you will get. The main thing is lighting. Sun at the back is my favourite to keep up those speeds, be stubborn and patient, relaxing while shooting is a hard one to get use to, but that does come in time.

All the best Chris. Long but no easy answer.

Danny.

 

[Civchic]

Just patience. And many missed shots. Good light, fast shutter speed, AI-Servo focus, continuous shooting, and patience. I actually haven't gotten a BIF in awhile because I've been concentrating on spotting new little birds on migration, and I will probably have a nervous breakdown trying to get a warbler in flight. Big birds like swans or seagulls or geese are good starter BIF.

This one was MY "OMG this is fun!" shot:


mar 21 swan in flight best by civgirlca, on Flickr

 

[CdTSnap]

_DSC2004 by Christopher Turner Photography, on Flickr