Birds In Flight (4)

The speed and aperture figures are easy.
Aperture: as wide as possible
Shutter speed: for flying birds at least 1/2000s, for stationary birds 1/350s or faster
iso: I dare get as high as 12800iso. That requires some () de-noising. So I prefer lower iso values.

Just as an example

1/1250s iso6400


1/2000s iso6400


Faster would have been even better, but there wasn't enough light

Edited by Dopol - 10 January 2022 at 11:54

TYSM Domien!
(@ Hans- IMHO Domien is past the practicing stage? he can do it.
also IMHO- pics like that are always tricky?).   

as wide as possible... is my idea, but nowadays often overdoing it. ;)
and a pitfall if beaks/bills and eyes are not within the same focal plane.
(some birds happen to have very long faces ;), some dogs, rabbits, ..... as well, in order to get them sharp from nose to ears. sometimes pics like that w/b welcome too?
for me trying to shoot a nest full of jumping storks, trying to get all 3 in focus @ 400+mm, became such a challenge ...long ago).

12800! (A99 here, not going to happen seen it excel in producing noise @ 'just' 1600 - 2000 iso, depending on the BG, at times 6400 looks okay).

gorgeous little birdie! love the droplets!
I seem to have a kingfisher of my own, lives in a 'park' 2 blocks away.
tried 1 test shot last year, in the lousy january light, @ 300mm. a dot on the opposite bank! but luckily we have Gustav (aka ijsvogeltje), who told us to set up a camp, a hide + perch, a branch of some sort, very clever! and to toss fish feed in front of it. can't wait! I only need a G lens now? (A99 seems to detest speed though). would so love to test myself with gear like yours. chances are, it will be tricky anyway. kudos!

I only wanted to emphasize that some circumstances are so difficult that even for a pro like Domien and even with the gear he has (top of the bill) making a picture is very hard. In those circumstances even a pro has to practice. Besides that, only honours to Domien and his work. I enjoy it every time.

No offense taken!!!

I was merely thinking about those circumstances where I don't even raise my camera to take a picture because failure is imminent.
I am also on the first steps on the BIF ladder and when I look up I see Domien somewhere way up above looking down upon us with a big smile.    

It's more a question (or quest) to be in the right spot at the right time than anything else.

And even a sparrow in your garden can be a an interesting and thankful subject.

wondering... about the definition of an eye. did any of you ever come across an eye it didn't recognize? ever tried it on insects??   

(shot many a flying insect, on MF as well. butterflies however are still way out of my league (with the exception of the hummingbird hawk-moth, called 'hummingbird Butterfly' in dutch, which doesn't flutter in all directions), impossible to predict, never in a straight line.
it w/b so cool to capture butterflies in flight -if I can find any!-, with or without a little motion blur, that they are high on the wishlist. thought about insect traps.
would a camera with eye-AF on board be able to track them?).
ever tried it with a macro lens attached?
impossible Q presumably, forgive me?