Tips (1 Viewer)

I've had the SLR kit now for a few weeks. Always been a digiscoper previously.

I was trying to get a Marsh Tit yesterday, and had baited an area so it would land on a nice moss covered stump. The problems I were experiencing are set out below and these seem to be the things I'm struggling with so far:-

1) What's the best setting for the focal point - is it spot, centre-weighted etc. I guess it can depend on the scale of the shot/subject. What would it be for a Common Crane for example? Also, where do you aim - at the eye?

2) Should I use manual focus or auto focus when I know the bird will come back to a stump? The problem yesterday is auto focus wants to either focus on the stump, but of course the bird is not the stump and therefore focus would be out. So...I position the camera to the back of the stump in readiness, and of course because the bird isn't there until it lands, (obviously) it tries to then focus beyond the stump to the distance. I don't want to wait until the bird lands to then do auto focus as it is in and out so quick that by the time I focus, I get the tail end of a disappearing bird. So........I think manual, but again I get the stump all nice and sharp in manual and the bird lands at the back of it and is out of focus. That's why I'm wondering if (1) above can be worked in conjunction with manual to ensure the bird plus stump are sharp.

3) When I used to digiscope it was better not to zoom using the camera. Take the bird as a small image and zoom on the computer - sharper than zoom in the field. Does this apply to SLR. If I use 150 and zoom up later, will the image be sharper than say using 300 in the field?

Thanks.

Images attached to paint the picture

Unless the 60D has introduced some new operational parameters, with which I am unfamiliar, spot and centre weighted average are metering modes for exposure and have nothing at all to do with focusing.

For the situation you have here my advice would be to use AF and switch to back button focusing for your AF. Then you will have the option whether to focus and take the shot or simply to take the shot without changing the focus at all. I would prefocus on the top of the stump (as far towards the back of the stump as I could) and see where the bird landed. I'd use centre point AF and only bother to AF if I could see, or knew, that the focus was not in the right place. While centre point limits composition, with framing as loose as this I'd tidy that up in post.

Unless your lens is particulalry soft at max zoom I'd try to fill the frame as much as possible. The more pixels you can get on your subject and the less cropping you have to do the better. If you can get closer to the subject then that will help.

Here is an example from my 7D and 100-400 lens at 400mm and uncropped. I was (I think) under 10' from the bird....

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_.../1Fo7Bjxnc30/s800/20110116_110044_4069_LR.jpg

To be honest if the bird is coming to a fixed point like this I'd be setting the camera on a tripod within a metre or two of the stump to fill the frame and using manual focus with an electronic remote shutter release.

If the food is placed in the same spot each time then most times the bird should be in focus - espeically if the light is good and you can up the aperture.

If using autofocus then I generally select the single centre spot on it's own and aim for the eye or the legs.

Again if the setting and lighting are remaining constant I'd be inlcined to use manual exposure. Just try a few test shots on the stump until the expsoure looks correct. As a rule I use spot or centre weighted metering when using an auto expsoure mode.

As well as all the above and not knowing what lens/camera you're using etc, etc. I'd say the big thing with these shots is that you're too far away from the subject. As Ian says setting up the camera and using a remote trigger is a great way to do this but I'd also consider getting myself physically closer too, using a hide is a great way and if you're feeding the spot regularly then the birds should get used to the hide being there and come in really close.

Someone pasted this link in a thread about using flash but it's got some really good stuff about hides and feeding stations which might be useful.

http://translate.google.co.uk/trans.../camuflaje/index.htm&sl=es&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8

Taking pictures with a DLSR is completely different from digiscoping, and you have to get close to get good pics. I use an 800mm lens and idealy I still want to be within 4-5 metres of the subject to get that cracking detail we all crave.

Hope that helps a bit, I'm sure others will chip in with lots more technical advice too.

Best of luck.

I guess another alternative is just to plonk your self down on the ground close to the feeders as I did this morning in similar circumstances. I just sat on a tree stump about 4m from where I'd put out food on another tree stump. Within a couple of minutes birds appeared from nowhere.

As I said above I just took a few test shots to check exposure using manual exposure and autofucus and hand held the camera. As long as you sit still the birds ignore you - a dozen species were coming to the food whilst I snapped away. I was wearing a camo jacket and gloves so hand movements and the camo coated lens didn't disturb them though I'm not sure how much that matters.

I did the same thing with food placed on a fence post at another location nearby and leaned on the fence for support three posts further along.

IanF said:

I guess another alternative is just to plonk your self down on the ground close to the feeders as I did this morning in similar circumstances. I just sat on a tree stump about 4m from where I'd put out food on another tree stump. Within a couple of minutes birds appeared from nowhere.

As I said above I just took a few test shots to check exposure using manual exposure and autofucus and hand held the camera. As long as you sit still the birds ignore you - a dozen species were coming to the food whilst I snapped away. I was wearing a camo jacket and gloves so hand movements and the camo coated lens didn't disturb them though I'm not sure how much that matters.

I did the same thing with food placed on a fence post at another location nearby and leaned on the fence for support three posts further along.

Click to expand...

Yep good advice. Sitting still and waiting is tried and tested. Also you may look a bit of a 'Parus' if anyone sees you but face masks are very good for this kind of thing as well. So long as you cover up exposed flesh and don't make sudden and jerky moves birds will be surprisngly tolerant over the winter period as the need for food can diminish their natural cautiousness, even more so it's snowy or very cold. Although as we're moving into Spring you may find you don't have long left before they're busy with other matters.

Thanks for all the advice. I was only a few metres from the bird. So...next time I'll up it from 150 to 3-400mm

I just thought using 150 and zooming up later on the comp. would give a brighter and sharper image than 3-400 in the field. I thought at a higher mm that blur would be more likely. This is the case with digiscoping with mag.

Also getting the vibe to use auto focus

Just shows what I know about photography - I did also think the spot or centre-weighted etc. was focus not exposure:'D

Main thing I need is getting focus sharp - will keep trying.

Just keep getting out there and practising Steve and it'll come. We've all been there.

Lawts said:

Thanks for all the advice. I was only a few metres from the bird. So...next time I'll up it from 150 to 3-400mm

I just thought using 150 and zooming up later on the comp. would give a brighter and sharper image than 3-400 in the field.

Click to expand...

It's a whole different ball game in that respect I'm afraid, as if the detail isn't in the image then you can't zoom in on the computer and expect it to be there. I don't know if you have one but a post edit programme might help too.

Another tip would be to take your lens out in the garden and try to establish the focus sweet spot in the lens as zooms tend to be a bit soft at their max. zoom so you might have to back off from 400mm a little bit to get it perfectly in focus. Once you know what your lens can do then as Jaff said it's all practice and one day it will all come together.

Thanks - digiscoping completely different then - worst thing you can do is zoom in with your optical, (not always but usually).

Far better images taken with no zoom and cropping afterwards. Zoom = shake = blur and a duller image when digiscoping.

Lawts said:

Thanks - digiscoping completely different then - worst thing you can do is zoom in with your optical, (not always but usually).

Far better images taken with no zoom and cropping afterwards. Zoom = shake = blur and a duller image when digiscoping.

Click to expand...

In digiscoping, unless you are using a very specialized eye-piece, you are starting at 1200-1800mm equivalent reach and zooming might get you to 3-4 times that. Therefore, you may be exceeding the resolving power of the optical system and/or magnifying minuscule shake if you zoom in during digiscoping. Using a say 400 mm lens on your canon or nikon SLR you would be getting to 550 mm equivalent reach, so much less than your starting point for digiscoping. Therefore, as said before, it is a completely different ballgame.

Niels