Coming off Auto (1 Viewer)

[shrek48]

I have always used Auto for my settings as I struggle with manual settings. Wishing to try again here is my problem- I know that Aperture is light & DOF, so lower the number smaller the aperture etc. & that a lower number smaller the DOF etc ...
I know that shutter speed controls light exposure, and can freeze or stop blur on a moving object at say 1/100thok Got that much.
How you do determine what settings u need & make those changes while trying to take bird shots , because usually u have a very short time to capture the bird as they bugger off quickly!
Cheers !

 

[pshute]

What sort of camera do you have? Auto can refer to focus as well as exposure, and often the full auto setting on a camera uses multi point focusing, which often focuses on foliage instead of the bird. Are you referring to that as well as exposure settings?

I use aperture priority for stationary birds, set to maximum aperture. I use shutter priority for flying birds, usually set to 1/500. Auto ISO for both, as I got sick of playing with ISO.

Probably the best way to get advice is to post some of your photos, and ask how they could be improved.

 

[shrek48]

What sort of camera do you have? Auto can refer to focus as well as exposure, and often the full auto setting on a camera uses multi point focusing, which often focuses on foliage instead of the bird. Are you referring to that as well as exposure settings?

I use aperture priority for stationary birds, set to maximum aperture. I use shutter priority for flying birds, usually set to 1/500. Auto ISO for both, as I got sick of playing with ISO.

Probably the best way to get advice is to post some of your photos, and ask how they could be improved.

Thanks, I use a Nikon D7200. just wondered how people managed to set everything and get the picture and how they knew what settings to use ! I just am clueless when it comes to settings, no idea how anyone manages to know the right setting and get the picture before the bird has gone ;-) ;-)

 

[pshute]

Practice somewhere there are lots of birds, where there's no pressure to not miss a shot. Like I said, post some samples here so people can make suggestions for improvements.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Try this.

 

[shrek48]

Try this.

DO you have the link for this guy, he is really good, thanks !

 

[gerald762]

Make sure that you are in AF-C, the camera keeps checking the focus as you press the shutter. I prefer shutter priority, where you choose the shutter speed and the camera should take care of the ISO, as long as it is set on auto! For stationary birds 1/500 might be okay if you can hold the camera steady. I use 1/2000 normally, or even faster, to avoid the effects of camera shake.
Unfortunately the best way is to shoot lots of photos at different settings to find what works. If all else fails RTFM. Read the f*****g manual !!

 

[gerald762]

It is worth looking at this website, https://backcountrygallery.com/ . It is american but the guy has a lot of information about getting the best from Nikon cameras

 

[Dave Williams]

Auto settings they will take you in to territories you don't want to go if you are not careful. The only way to get full control is to set everything manually. I must admit though having only recently gone mirrorless it's a lot easier to see what your end shot is going to look like when you look through the viewfinder and you can adjust things on the fly. With a DSLR take test shots on a regular basis and check everything looks OK with the settings you have dialled in. Set the camera to display "blinkies" for over exposed whites in the image and check the histogram to make sure the edges are not clipped.
Google "sunny 16 rule" and although it seems like something from the past because improved camera's ISO performance has changed dramatically in recent years but it's still relevant today and might be a big help in enabling you to take control of your camera instead of vice versa.

 

[shrek48]

A few said a while back to post a picture to get feed back, so this is with my D7200 & Sigma 150-600 c

 

[pshute]

A few said a while back to post a picture to get feed back, so this is with my D7200 & Sigma 150-600 c

No replies yet? It looks a bit overexposed to me. Do others agree? What would be the best way to get it right?

Maybe turn on whatever Canon calls the overexposure warning (highlight alert)? Then apply exposure compensation to reduce the flashing in the overexposed white bits.

What exposure mode did you use? The Exif information says "multi-segment". I assume that means it samples all over the frame and calculates from those. Maybe try centre weighted, so it's calculating from just the area around the centre of the frame, ignoring the edges, that usually matter less.

 

[shrek48]

No replies yet? It looks a bit overexposed to me. Do others agree? What would be the best way to get it right?

Maybe turn on whatever Canon calls the overexposure warning (highlight alert)? Then apply exposure compensation to reduce the flashing in the overexposed white bits.

What exposure mode did you use? The Exif information says "multi-segment". I assume that means it samples all over the frame and calculates from those. Maybe try centre weighted, so it's calculating from just the area around the centre of the frame, ignoring the edges, that usually matter less.

Think this was in "Auto mode"

 

[Dave Williams]

The exposure is OK, you haven't blown the whites and they can be recovered in PP. The bird isn't sharp though.Could be several reasons for that.

 

[pshute]

Shutter speed is 1/250, so there might be a little motion blur, but ISO is 2500 and you wouldn't want it any higher, so there's not much that could be done other than look at it with less enlargement.

 

[njlarsen]

Everyone is different but I personally think there are a couple of things to do:
1) Take shots in series, you will likely have one that is less affected by motion (the slower the shutter the more important this becomes). Half press to allow focus, shoot about 3 frames, repeat several times.

2) Increase iso further. I personally use a m4/3 camera and don't go below 1/400 for shutter (increase it whenever I can) but I allow iso to go to 6400.

Niels

 

[jmepler]

I have always used Auto for my settings as I struggle with manual settings. Wishing to try again here is my problem- I know that Aperture is light & DOF, so lower the number smaller the aperture etc. & that a lower number smaller the DOF etc ...
I know that shutter speed controls light exposure, and can freeze or stop blur on a moving object at say 1/100thok Got that much.
How you do determine what settings u need & make those changes while trying to take bird shots , because usually u have a very short time to capture the bird as they bugger off quickly!
Cheers !

You seem to be a bit confused about aperture. Larger numerically is smaller physically. The f-stop (aperture number) is the ratio of the focal length of the lens to the clear aperture.

You are correct that a lower number aperture will give you less depth of field, but this is due to the aperture being physically larger, not smaller.

https://photographylife.com/f-stop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number#Focal_ratio

 

[pshute]

I wonder if we need to see some more sample photos. This photo doesn't look that bad to me, and assuming it's not cropped, it looks like the kind of situation where full auto mode would do an ok job.

 

[pshute]

Shutter speed is 1/250, so there might be a little motion blur, but ISO is 2500 and you wouldn't want it any higher, so there's not much that could be done other than look at it with less enlargement.

I just realised it's a DSLR, so you could increase the ISO further to get the shutter speed higher.