[rb_stern]

I would be interested to know what camera and lens settings people have found most useful for flying and for stationary birds, with the d70 (or d100, which probably has similar choices) and the 80-400VR. In particular, do you use the auto, aperture priority or program mode, and what type of auto focus setting have you found most helpful?

As I have been using mine now for the grand total of 2 days, I am at the very bottom of the learning curve.

[Sumit]

Hi Richard,
Welcome to the 80-400 Club!
My equipment is D100 and VR 80-400.
I generally use AP (aperture priority) for work with stationary birds. Program (P) if fill-flash is being added and Manual (M) for flying birds.
For flying birds I use Single-Servo autofocus for birds with single point focus selection. I may be in a minority here as Continuous autofocus and multi-point predictive focusing etc. are built in to the camera to take better focused shots of moving objects.
I am sure that many others with wider experience will chip in with their techniques/preferences. In the meantime have fun with a great combination of camera and lens.
Cheers!
Sumit

[rb_stern]

Hi,

Thanks, Sumit. As your posted photos are consistently some of the best on the web, I'll try these settings. But - I agree - anyone else have other ideas?

[RichUK]

This isn't going to help much because I use the same techniques as Sumit. I'd certainly use 'manual' for flying birds, as you need the faster shutter speeds, and control the aperture to get as much light as possible - but I guess you know that.

I always found the 'auto' mode to be a little slow for all but the most stationary birds - especially at distance.

As far as focus goes - I'm with Sumit again. Not sure why, but I'm kinda used to it.

Rich.

[Doug Greenberg]

Originally Posted by rb_stern

I would be interested to know what camera and lens settings people have found most useful for flying and for stationary birds, with the d70 (or d100, which probably has similar choices) and the 80-400VR. In particular, do you use the auto, aperture priority or program mode, and what type of auto focus setting have you found most helpful?

As I have been using mine now for the grand total of 2 days, I am at the very bottom of the learning curve.

I use my 80-400mm. VR with my D100, and have found the combination to be WONDERFUL. Don't let anyone tell you that the lens is not sharp, has poor build quality, etc. The only real shortcoming is the relatively slow AF (someday they will come out with an AF-S model, I hope). It's a terrific product.

That said, I use the lens with the aperture priority setting. I set the aperture as "stopped down" as I can while still achieving an adequately fast shutter. And of course, I can adjust using the variable ISO setting. I have found that up to ISO 1000, the noise level with properly exposed photos is quite acceptable. Even with VR, I like to use a shutter speed of 1/640 or faster. Maybe I'm just peculiarly shaky.

I also like to avoid using the lens wide open, as in typical fashion, the performance of the lens will lose just a bit of sharpness at this setting. But even 1/3 of a stop "down" (i.e., f6.3), the lens performance improves a lot.
By f9 or so, the lens is optimally sharp.

Actually, I most commonly use the "S" focus setting, and this is particularly true if the bird is not moving. With the "C" setting the lens will sometimes search a bit even after focusing, and this can be annoying. But of course, if the bird is moving I use "C."

People claim that tracking flying birds with this lens is very difficult because of the slow AF. It's certainly not as easy as with the new, fast, AF-S lenses, but the trick is to (while using the "C" setting) capture the bird in the center of the frame where the (+) focus indicator is located. Once you have locked onto the bird, keep it in line with the focus indicator and it will remain in focus as you track it. This takes a bit of practice, but it's a skill fairly easily mastered.

The last thing I'll mention here is that with this combination of camera and lens re bird photography, It's VERY important that you get accustomed to using your exposure compensation function in a judicious way. The fact is that 'auto' exposures of birds, even if you spot meter, will give you poor exposures in many cases, particularly if the bird is white or very dark. For white birds against a darkish background you MUST be used to underexposing at LEAST one full stop, and for black birds you need to open up your exposure by at least 0.7 stops, sometimes more. Trial and error is the key here, and after some practice and some bracketing you will get a feel for the compensation settings you need to make.

Good luck!

[rb_stern]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone - I have been an admirer of all the pics posted by you all in this thread. I'll try out these suggestions, and hopefully you'll see some results in my posts.

[calvinlo]

Originally Posted by Sumit

Hi Richard,
Welcome to the 80-400 Club!
My equipment is D100 and VR 80-400.
I generally use AP (aperture priority) for work with stationary birds. Program (P) if fill-flash is being added and Manual (M) for flying birds.
For flying birds I use Single-Servo autofocus for birds with single point focus selection. I may be in a minority here as Continuous autofocus and multi-point predictive focusing etc. are built in to the camera to take better focused shots of moving objects.
I am sure that many others with wider experience will chip in with their techniques/preferences. In the meantime have fun with a great combination of camera and lens.
Cheers!
Sumit

Hi, just saw your bird photo gallery, and they are really impressive ...and more so since it's taken by the supposedly slowwwwww 80-400 VR. Personally, I''ve just got a D70, and am thinking of getting the 80-400 VR in about 2 months time. However, I've read from other forums e.g. Dpreview Forum that the AF speed of the len is acceptable ONLY (according to them) if one uses a high-end cam body like the D1H (in contrast with the D100 or D70). Is it true?

What camera did you use with the 80-400 VR to capture those beautiful shots?

Calv

[Photodavo]

I'd just like to chime in here after viewing just a small part of your gallery Sumit. Beautiful photos!

I have a D70 and the 80-200mm f/2.8 ED AF-S plus 1.4X and 2X Nikon AF-S TCs. I don't have any experience with the 80-400 VR so I can't comment there but I'd love to have one. I'm still amazed at the AF speed using the AF-S Nikkors.

[Sumit]

Originally Posted by calvinlo

Hi, just saw your bird photo gallery, and they are really impressive ...and more so since it's taken by the supposedly slowwwwww 80-400 VR. Personally, I''ve just got a D70, and am thinking of getting the 80-400 VR in about 2 months time. However, I've read from other forums e.g. Dpreview Forum that the AF speed of the len is acceptable ONLY (according to them) if one uses a high-end cam body like the D1H (in contrast with the D100 or D70). Is it true?

What camera did you use with the 80-400 VR to capture those beautiful shots?

Calv

Hi Calv,
Thanks! I used F100, F80 and D100 cameras for the shots. Most of the recent ones are with the D100.
Re. autofocus speed, this is a difficult question to answer if comparisons are used to judge efficiency. Of course the primes and newer AF-s focus are faster~ but that is relative. A lot of people who use these lenses will find the 80-400 slow as they have got used to the higher efficiency. So, even if the 80-400 gets the job done, it leaves many unsatisfied. Something like driving a fast car and a slower one. Both get you home but they are not the same to drive!!
In my humble opinion, having used the 80-400 for over 10,000 bird images, I can say with confidence that it will focus satisfactorily in most cases, if you know how to use it. The lens does need a little getting used to and initially you tend to have a few misses. But once you are comfortable using it, focus speed is not an issue. What remains an issue is the ability to focus when light blue or grey are the dominant colours. You can employ a few tricks but cannot gurantee results. This, to my mind is the real weakness, not focus speed.
Attached Asian Palm Swift, one of the smallest and fastest birds I have seen, was shot with the 80-400VR.
Hope that helps!
Cheers!
Sumit

[calvinlo]

[quote=Sumit]Hi Calv,

Re. autofocus speed, this is a difficult question to answer if comparisons are used to judge efficiency. Of course the primes and newer AF-s focus are faster~ but that is relative. A lot of people who use these lenses will find the 80-400 slow as they have got used to the higher efficiency. So, even if the 80-400 gets the job done, it leaves many unsatisfied. Something like driving a fast car and a slower one. Both get you home but they are not the same to drive!!

Well...about this driving of cars illustration, before getting the D70, I am (and still uses it) using the Panasonic FZ10 with TCON-17...so I think I'll not complain about the 'slow' AF speed of the 80-400 VR with the D70. I'm quite sure it'll be in many ways better than my good old FZ10. Thanks!

Calv

[rb_stern]

Hi,

After using my Nikon d70/ 80-400vr combo. now for a few weeks, I have settled on a few settings that seem to work for me. Firstly, I have not found that the auto-focus on that lens is slooooow ...., indeed, it works fast enough for all the purposes I have found, except that in difficult focussing situations, such as small birds moving around in the middle of thickets, it tends to hunt a lot - so for these, and flying birds that are moving quickly, especially against a clear sky, I have taken to using manual focus, with good results. I too have found that aperture priority, generally with the lens stopped down a bit (e.g. f7 or 8), and an iso of 400 - 800, gives me fast enough shutter speeds in most situations.

Cheers,

Richard

[marcotrov]

Hi Richard
Just got myself an 80-400VR. What have you found best combination with D70? Particularly with which VR mode to use 1 or 2? I am using a monopod with VR but I think I need to refine my technique any ideas would help
marco

[rezMole]

I use a D70 with Tamron 200-500mm lens. I tend to adopt a different approach in that i use shutter priority and aim to get as fast as i can. I also set ISO to auto, so that if i set say 1/500th sec, and it ends up still too dark with the aperture wide open, the camera ups the ISO. This doesn't always work as the ISO sometimes ends up too high, as in this picture i took yesterday -

http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/...cat/500/page/1

But, it was better than getting no shot at all. Unusally i'll get a couple of quick shots in, then try other things if i get the chance (in this case the hawk flew off before i got the chance).

As for focusing, i often use manual focus as i often find it quicker, especially for flying subjects. Continuous is ok, but if you "lose" the bird slightly from the focusing area, the focus hunts. With manual, it is quite easy to make slight adjustments, and if the bird goes out of shot, when you get it back, it is usually in focus again.

[rb_stern]

Originally Posted by marcotrov

Hi Richard
Just got myself an 80-400VR. What have you found best combination with D70? Particularly with which VR mode to use 1 or 2? I am using a monopod with VR but I think I need to refine my technique any ideas would help
marco

Hi,

Aperture priority , ISO set to try and aim for shutter speed of at least 1/250 for a still bird, or 1/1000 for a moving bird, but generally below 800 to mininise noise, VR mode 1 (it saves having to worry about how far away the bird is), and hand-held. If you use a monopod or tripod, you should turn the VR off. I have never got along with monopods anyway. I try to remember to pre-set everything before shooting. If the bird is close and the lighting poor, I use balanced-fill flash.

Good shooting - Richard