How to take clear picture of bird in flight with my Canon sx280?

[snapsnap1973]

Hi.

Just yesterday I purchases a Canon SX280 for $155 from a local dept. store and got a discount due to it being a "display model" and the last one in stock. Anyways, I like taking pictures of birds in flight sometimes and yesterday snapped one of a local Osprey here in Maine. The picture came out "fuzzy" around the wings as the bird was in flight.

I know very little about photography and was wondering what a good speed setting, etc I should use to take "clear" or clearer pictures of birds in flight. Should I be using a quicker shutter speed? What other settings should I use? If my camera is set up right does that mean that all "bird in flight" pictures would be clear necessarily?

Is "auto" a good setting for birds in flight or fast moving objects? I'd rather not use auto and learn how to set the camera up myself though.

Thanks

 

[Raj_55555]

Hi Snapsnap.

The fastest way to improve in this scenario would be to bump up the shutter speed to at least 1/800 to 1/3200(max possible in sx280), at the same time ensuring you're not overexposing(too bright)/underexposing(too dark) the subjects (birds).
I am assuming you've got a manual with the camera, read it thoroughly and you'll know how to increase the shutter speed. If you find it too difficult to control the exposure, you could try using the sports mode if you have one in your camera. It might just do the trick. And read a lot about ISO, shutter speed, aperture and the relation between them, google is you friend .

 

[Ido]

The easiest way is to set the camera into "Moving Subjects (Sports)" mode. Turn the mode dial to the running man illustration, and off you go. Press the shutter button halfway, and the camera will continuously focus and meter for the correct exposure. Press it all the way down, and the camera will shoot in a burst; it will keep shooting for as long as you press it, until the buffer is full (the maximum number of shots were fired) or you took your finger off the shutter button.

If you want to learn how to do so yourself, read up on the basics of the exposure triangle over at Cambridge in Colour.