Birds in flight and still birds

[WalkingintheAir25]

-

 

[Mach0]

I borrowed an 80-400mm f/5.6 lens to get closer to the birds and moon. I'm not sure which mode to shoot in when trying to get birds in flight. Some websites I've read say use shutter priority, others say use aperture priority. I've been using shutter priority. I find that if I use a shutter speed of anything over 1,250 it comes out dark unless I'm shooting up against the sky on a very bright, clear day. I've also read I should use dynamic focus instead of single area for birds flying so I've been doing that. Does anybody have any advice for what modes to shoot birds in flight and still birds?

Increase your ISO

 

[DarkShadow]

ETTR. (Exposure To The Right)

 

[sm4him]

You really just have to find what works for YOU. There's no ONE "right" way to get good bird shots.

Personally, I usually shoot in manual mode, but with my auto-ISO turned on. I primarily use a Sigma 150-500 for birds, and like to TRY to keep it around f/8, but if there's not enough light, I'll open it wider.
I *generally* use a shutter speed of about 1/1000 to 1/1250--but I might go as high as 1/2000, or as low as 1/500 (or lower, really)--just depends on whether it's a perched bird that isn't easily scared off (like, say, a Mockingbird) or a fast bird in flight, or maybe something like an Osprey diving towards the water.

By setting it to auto-ISO, I have the shutter speed I need, I set my aperture to whatever I think I can work with in the lighting conditions, and then I let the ISO work itself out to get decent exposure. But then, sometimes, you also need a little Exposure compensation, to avoid blowing out the whites on birds like ospreys.

Admittedly, sometimes I get an unusable photo, because the ISO was too high and it's just too noisy. But when that happens, I can just about guarantee that if the ISO was lower (meaning either a lower shutter speed, a smaller aperture, or both--to compensate), it STILL would have been a bad picture. Might have been brighter, but out of focus--and I'd rather try to deal with the noise on a sharp image than deal with focus issues on an image without noise.

I also use single-point AF, which I think is different from what a lot of people use, but I've tried the other methods and single-point just tends to work best FOR ME.

Experiment and find the best options for you and your lens.

 

[BJF]

Use shutter priority and shoot in RAW. Then you can fill light back using software if the shots appear dim.

 

[SCraig]

If your shots are coming out dark in shutter priority when you shoot over 1250 then there isn't enough light to support that shutter speed. Your camera should be giving you a "Low" indication of some kind to denote that there is not enough light for the exposure combination you are trying to use. A shutter speed of 1/1250 second is rather fast and will not be usable in some light conditions.

As to what settings, there is no magic combination. As SM4HIM pointed out you will have to find what works best for you. The settings I use are those pertinent to the particular situation and are not always the same. I use shutter priority frequently, as well as aperture priority and manual depending on what I need.

I will say that I never, ever, not for ANY reason whatsoever use dynamic area autofocus. Period. I've tried it a few times and have NEVER gotten a decent shot using it so I won't even try again. I always use single-point autofocus, and always use AF-C (continuous servo) autofocus. I don't like Auto-ISO so I never enable it. Aperture is usually 1 or 2 stops from wide open, or less if I have to for the light that is available. Shutter speed is as fast as I can get using the ISO and aperture I think is appropriate.

This is what works for ME. It may not work for you or anyone else but it's what I like.

I borrowed an 80-400mm f/5.6 lens to get closer to the birds and moon.

I'm not sure which mode to shoot in when trying to get birds in flight. Some websites I've read say use shutter priority, others say use aperture priority.
I've been using shutter priority. I find that if I use a shutter speed of anything over 1,250 it comes out dark unless I'm shooting up against the sky on a very bright, clear day. I've also read I should use dynamic focus instead of single area for birds flying so I've been doing that.

Does anybody have any advice for what modes to shoot birds in flight and still birds?

 

[grafxman]

You really just have to find what works for YOU. There's no ONE "right" way to get good bird shots.

Personally, I usually shoot in manual mode, but with my auto-ISO turned on. I primarily use a Sigma 150-500 for birds, and like to TRY to keep it around f/8, but if there's not enough light, I'll open it wider.
I *generally* use a shutter speed of about 1/1000 to 1/1250--but I might go as high as 1/2000, or as low as 1/500 (or lower, really)--just depends on whether it's a perched bird that isn't easily scared off (like, say, a Mockingbird) or a fast bird in flight, or maybe something like an Osprey diving towards the water.

By setting it to auto-ISO, I have the shutter speed I need, I set my aperture to whatever I think I can work with in the lighting conditions, and then I let the ISO work itself out to get decent exposure. But then, sometimes, you also need a little Exposure compensation, to avoid blowing out the whites on birds like ospreys.

Admittedly, sometimes I get an unusable photo, because the ISO was too high and it's just too noisy. But when that happens, I can just about guarantee that if the ISO was lower (meaning either a lower shutter speed, a smaller aperture, or both--to compensate), it STILL would have been a bad picture. Might have been brighter, but out of focus--and I'd rather try to deal with the noise on a sharp image than deal with focus issues on an image without noise.

I also use single-point AF, which I think is different from what a lot of people use, but I've tried the other methods and single-point just tends to work best FOR ME.

Experiment and find the best options for you and your lens.

You shoot exactly the same way I do.

 

[studioh22]

In my case, I usually shoot flying birds in full manual mode. I tried the suggestions of others before until I've learned the technique where I'm most comfortable with. Sometimes, I also use a manual flash and a tripod.