DSLR settings for birds in flight against different backgrounds (1 Viewer)

Hor Kee · Sep 20, 2012

Dear all,

I use a Canon 600D and 400mm f/5.6L lens. I have had problems with metering and exposure when taking birds in flight whose flight path takes them into different backgrounds (e.g. a flock of waders alternating between being suoerimposed against a dark sea one moment and a light sky the next). I have found it difficult to constantly readjust exposure compensation while tracking the said birds as they pass different backgrounds. So far, I have been shooting in Av Mode with either Spot or Evaluative metering.

Does anyone have experience in such situations and is there any quick solution to this situation? Do the higher-end bodies e.g. the 1 series, the 7D or the XXD series have any special features that could help?

Thanks! :t:

Hor Kee

driverpaul · Sep 20, 2012

Hor Kee said:
Dear all,

I use a Canon 600D and 400mm f/5.6L lens. I have had problems with metering and exposure when taking birds in flight whose flight path takes them into different backgrounds (e.g. a flock of waders alternating between being suoerimposed against a dark sea one moment and a light sky the next). I have found it difficult to constantly readjust exposure compensation while tracking the said birds as they pass different backgrounds. So far, I have been shooting in Av Mode with either Spot or Evaluative metering.

Does anyone have experience in such situations and is there any quick solution to this situation? Do the higher-end bodies e.g. the 1 series, the 7D or the XXD series have any special features that could help?

Thanks! :t:

Hor Kee

Hi
I find using back button focus on my 7d ,A1 servo,and slow tracking sensitivity does seem to work well for me.Regarding exposure because I use BBF the shutter meters each time I press it.i personally use spot metering and zone af.
Exposure compensation wise I try to expose before I shoot normally over for darker birds,and start with a third of a stop under with gulls etc.
None of this is an exact science but with some trial and error you will find what suits you best...
Unfortunately I have no experience of the 600d so I can't do a comparison but I'm sure more experienced shooters could help you out.
Also there are lots of useful bits of info about shooting bifs on the net of which I'm sure your aware..

Hope this helps

Regards

Paul

tdodd · Sep 20, 2012

If the light upon your subject remains constant and it is only the background tones which are changing then simply use manual exposure to lock your exposure so it is not influenced by the background. I've been doing it for yonks. It's a piece of cake.

There's absolutely no need to complicate matters with specific metering patterns and riding the EC dial and guessing at how much compensation to apply in real time as the scene alters.

BodyResults · Sep 21, 2012

tdodd said:
If the light upon your subject remains constant and it is only the background tones which are changing then simply use manual exposure to lock your exposure so it is not influenced by the background. I've been doing it for yonks. It's a piece of cake.

There's absolutely no need to complicate matters with specific metering patterns and riding the EC dial and guessing at how much compensation to apply in real time as the scene alters.

I totally agree with this.

GYRob · Sep 21, 2012

tdodd said:
If the light upon your subject remains constant and it is only the background tones which are changing then simply use manual exposure to lock your exposure so it is not influenced by the background. I've been doing it for yonks. It's a piece of cake.

There's absolutely no need to complicate matters with specific metering patterns and riding the EC dial and guessing at how much compensation to apply in real time as the scene alters.

Spot on -the first line here is the key to getting it right working in manul .

As good as metering systems are they can be fooled very easly when left to make the exposure ajustments .

Rob.

Roy C · Sep 21, 2012

Manual exposure all the way for me for BIF in the situation Hor Kee described, in fact I use it all the time for flyers regardless of the BG.

Amarillo · Sep 21, 2012

whats the advantage of using manual exposure mode rather than aperture priority? sorry, I'm new to this!

Hottentot · Sep 21, 2012

Amarillo said:
whats the advantage of using manual exposure mode rather than aperture priority? sorry, I'm new to this!

Using aperture priority you let the camera control the exposure (shutter speed) and as the OP has found the camera will get it wrong when the subject moves from a light to dark background etc.

With manual mode you control both the exposure (shutter speed) and F stop.
As long as you have set the exposure (shutter speed) correctly for your target subject then you will have correctly exposed pictures no matter what background the subject moves into.

So for birds in flight Manual is the easiest option (but only if you know the colour/shade of your subject in advance).

AV and TV are best used in other circumstances.

Roy C · Sep 21, 2012

Amarillo said:
whats the advantage of using manual exposure mode rather than aperture priority? sorry, I'm new to this!

When flying birds are passing through varying backgrounds (e.g. Dark trees, Light sky and all shades in between) the background will influence the Cameras metering system which can result in the bird itself being under or over exposed at the expense of a correctly exposed background. With bird photography you are interested in exposing the bird correctly with little or no regard to the BG. If you set the exposure manually to suit the bird in the ambient light then the bird will always be correctly exposed regardless of the background.
When using Av mode you can always set Ev compensation yourself which is fine for near stationary birds but for flyers you could never keep up with the changes needed (its hard enough just keeping the focus over the bird).

I am sure someone will explain it better than me but I hope you get the drift.

Hor Kee · Sep 21, 2012

Thanks guys! Will give it a shot over the weekend!

Amarillo · Sep 21, 2012

Thanks, yep I get the drift. Just need to put some practise in...

Pigeon_Pete · Sep 24, 2012

Hor Kee said:
Dear all,

I use a Canon 600D and 400mm f/5.6L lens. I have had problems with metering and exposure when taking birds in flight whose flight path takes them into different backgrounds (e.g. a flock of waders alternating between being suoerimposed against a dark sea one moment and a light sky the next). I have found it difficult to constantly readjust exposure compensation while tracking the said birds as they pass different backgrounds. So far, I have been shooting in Av Mode with either Spot or Evaluative metering.

Does anyone have experience in such situations and is there any quick solution to this situation? Do the higher-end bodies e.g. the 1 series, the 7D or the XXD series have any special features that could help?

Thanks! :t:

Hor Kee

As stated by others, manual settings every time for flight shots.

Use a shutter speed to suit your subject and you will get the best results in iso quality and metering. No point in using 1/2500 for example on a Heron in flight when 1000 will be pin sharp

Mick Sway · Sep 27, 2012

Thanks for posting guys, very interesting advice for me also.
Mick

DSLR settings for birds in flight against different backgrounds (1 Viewer)

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