Red-tailed hawk (1 Viewer)

[deborahp]

While out stalking wild turkeys with a point-and-shoot (Fuji S5100) + Tcon 17, I couldn't resist trying to catch this red-tailed hawk soaring overhead hundreds of feet away. I'm fairly certain on the ID, I got the top of its bright red tail in another shot.

Couldn't keep up with it with auto-single, auto-continuous, or manual focus. I'm wondering if I made a mistake in ordering a 70-300mm instead of a 170-500mm (for a D70s) to learn to photograph birds flying overhead, since I could barely make out the the focusing through the EVF.

Is the bird you see through the viewfinder appreciably larger looking through a 500mm vs. a 300mm... enough to be more helpful focusing?

 

[ceasar]

While out stalking wild turkeys with a point-and-shoot (Fuji S5100) + Tcon 17, I couldn't resist trying to catch this red-tailed hawk soaring overhead hundreds of feet away. I'm fairly certain on the ID, I got the top of its bright red tail in another shot.

Couldn't keep up with it with auto-single, auto-continuous, or manual focus. I'm wondering if I made a mistake in ordering a 70-300mm instead of a 170-500mm (for a D70s) to learn to photograph birds flying overhead, since I could barely make out the the focusing through the EVF.

Is the bird you see through the viewfinder appreciably larger looking through a 500mm vs. a 300mm... enough to be more helpful focusing?

It's definitely a Red Tail. The dark patagial bars on the leading edge of the wings in the 2nd shot clinches it.

I don't have any experience with digital evf focusing. Here is how I'd shoot it with my Olympus film SLR and a 300m. Put the camera on manual. Set the lens at infinity. Take a meter reading from a neuterally colored nearby subject (the ground or other subject not too dark or too bright) set the lens and speed to reflect the reading, fine focus in on the Red tail and snap away. This takes less time to do than it takes to type this up, especially if you have it set up anticipating overhead shots. If you are handholding the camera, you need to use the fastest shutter speed available to your lens's apperture. Depth of field is no factor at these distances. A point and shoot is a different ball of wax however and will depend on how much control you can exersize over the camera's functions.

 

[deborahp]

It's definitely a Red Tail. The dark patagial bars on the leading edge of the wings in the 2nd shot clinches it.

I don't have any experience with digital evf focusing. Here is how I'd shoot it with my Olympus film SLR and a 300m. Put the camera on manual. Set the lens at infinity. Take a meter reading from a neuterally colored nearby subject (the ground or other subject not too dark or too bright) set the lens and speed to reflect the reading, fine focus in on the Red tail and snap away. This takes less time to do than it takes to type this up, especially if you have it set up anticipating overhead shots. If you are handholding the camera, you need to use the fastest shutter speed available to your lens's apperture. Depth of field is no factor at these distances. A point and shoot is a different ball of wax however and will depend on how much control you can exersize over the camera's functions.

Thanks, I was hoping something like that would work.

I used the autofocus to get to infinity, then switched to manual to lock it there, but the bird got too close for that to work. On this camera you have to hold down the +/-EV button with your index finger while you work the W/T rocker switch to focus manually with your thumb, and then continue to hold the camera still as you switch to the shutter button. That's a sequence I find challenging, but maybe a concert pianist could do it. It's too cumbersome for moving birds, but it might work for still lifes with a tripod.

I phoned Sigma yesterday to ask if all their autofocus lenses could be manually focused by turning the focus ring by hand rather than through the motor. Fortunately their answer was 'yes', so long as you flip a switch or slide something on the barrel to disengage the motor. Since I haven't seen the camera yet, I don't know if manual focus is normally motor-driven using buttons or not. I'm just glad it can operate like a film SLR if I want it to, since I never had any trouble focusing those without an EVF.

 

[ceasar]

That's the problem with these new camera's; both point and shoot and SLR. You have to do too many manipulations. An overhead shot of a hawk is actually very simple. Once you have the proper exposure set all you need is luck! In camera parlance it is called "F8 and be there!" But luck is also a product of design and you can prepare for it. I really don't think a zoom is necessary for these pictures. A 300mm F4 or F5 lens is perfectly servicable, and much lighter than a zoom. You can carry a 1.5x extender in your pocket to make it longer if need be. 400mm lens's and larger are too big to lug around. Most of the hawks you see will be too far away for a good picture and if they are close enough to you to require that you change focus, well then, count your blessings and shoot away. A winder (not a motor drive) also can come in handy in taking these pictures.

 

[deborahp]

ceasar: I know you're right, and the only reason I'm looking at the Sigma 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO vs. a Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED-IF is price, though the 50% I save on cash I'll lose on light getting into the lens. My film SLR and collection of lenses got wrecked in a flood and I can't remember what 300 or 400mm looked like through the lens. If I don't like the zoom, I can easily sell it on eBay once I have the cash for a prime lens, but at least I can see what 300, 400, and 500mm look like and decide what to do next.

To the BF Moderators: I finally stumbled across the Photo Technique forum, that's what I was looking for posting here. It should be intuitively obvious that it's with the cameras, but I still missed it. In any case, if you want to move this thread to where it belongs - or not - it matters not to me. My apologies, though, to those looking for critique threads and finding mine instead! :h?:

 

[SeanKP]

Is the bird you see through the viewfinder appreciably larger looking through a 500mm vs. a 300mm... enough to be more helpful focusing?

Hi Deborah

I have a Sigm 100-300mm and a Sigma 500mm and the bird is significantly larger through the 500mm. The downside of the 500mm is that it can be much harder to find the bird in the first place (you're looking at a much smaller portion of sky) and then holding it in frame can be trickier, particularly if it is moving quickly.

Sean