Wild Bird Photography

Discussion in 'Digital Photography' started by Ishtim, Apr 10, 2012.

  1. Ishtim

    Ishtim Super Moderator

    I have brought out the old 300D (a.k.a. KISS, Digital Rebel) in all it's 6.3MP glory to have another go at birds in the garden. Here is some from the last couple of outings.

    430EX II just showed up @ my front door...

    70-200mm @ f/2.8 ISO 100

    Going to get out the polarizer and have another go at it. Starting to like the detail, especially in the Nuthatch shot.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Apr 10, 2012
    2 people like this.
  2. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Not bad. A bit off focus on the first one. Did you use 2x extender?
     
  3. Ishtim

    Ishtim Super Moderator

    Thanks for the comments! :hug:

    Focus has been a challenge while shooting @ f/2.8. Unless the bird's body is parallel to the focal plane it is nearly impossible to get sharp image.

    Even more challenging, I am also finding that the birds will not stay still very long and the fastest shutter speeds at low ISO is nearly impossible. Most of the "Pro" shots I have looked at on the web are usually up around f/8 and using ISO of 400-800. I assume they are using fill-flash even during the daytime.

    This is without the 2X converter. I did play around with the new flash but have some learning to do. Fun Fun Fun!
     
  4. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Yeah, so f2.8 is not really necessary unless you want better focusing or if you use 2x teleconverter. You can also consider 300 f4 or 400 f5.6 as cheap long lens alternatives.
     
  5. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Hmm.. The focus seems to be a tad off, I think. It's on the ground in the first picture and on the tree in the second one.

    BTW, why use f/2.8? For the extra bokeh?

    I find it hard to use f/2.8 outdoors especially when it's bright. There's just too much light sometimes.
     
  6. Ishtim

    Ishtim Super Moderator

    Initially I went with 2.8 to help stop all of the motion and blur. Even so I can only get 1/100 sec exposures. Now with flash, I will try smaller aperture and see what speeds I can get.
     
  7. Trinity

    Trinity Little Kiki Staff Member

    Can take a perfect picture of something light years away, but cannot focus on a bird 20 yards away...:doh: :lol:

    JK:lol:
     
    1 person likes this.
  8. Ishtim

    Ishtim Super Moderator


    LOL! I have never thought of it that way! :faint: :haha:
    ...actually less than 20 feet! :oops:
     
  9. zy

    zy zynine.com Staff Member

    :haha:
     
  10. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    LOL!!!!! :thumb: :thumb:

    That's really funny, man! +rep!
     
    1 person likes this.
  11. Trinity

    Trinity Little Kiki Staff Member

    Hahaha!!!:mrgreen:

    Spread some rep to Starmaster too...:)
     
  12. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    Definitely! +rep to Ishtim! :D
     

Share This Page