I had a group of about 10 of these Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) on our pond yesterday morning. It's impossible to get close to them and boy can they fly fast.... I was able to crop these two out of a group fly-by just about 6 feet above the water. The detail isn't as good as what Daniel and the others are posting - but these were moving in a hurry.
Nice shot. I have a number of shots of BWTs taking off from a little pond in Fort Worth, but with my old 100-400 I could not get any with detail. These are a bit grainy, but the comp is wonderful. How did you get them to bank in front of the lens?
Thanks all - Daniel - The grainy appearance is probably due to a lack of sharp focus. I was only about 50 ft away from this side of their flight. I was tracking them as fast as I could and still couldn't predict which direction they were going next.
These little rascals bank and turn on a moments notice and this was a lucky catch that just makes it look like I know what I'm doing.
Posted by Daniel Loomis on April 6, 2009 at 11:29 AM
After trying to handhold a 500 f/4 to capture BIF, I appreciate how much easier it is to follow birds with a 70-200 or even a 100-400. The 70-200 is a bit easier because AF is faster. I haven't tried using a 2x tc on the 70-200, but have read that it slows AF down a bit. The 1.4tc works very nicely on that lens.
It really helps to have lots of light behind you when capturing BIF. Upping the exposure compensation +2/3 or more also helps with dark colored birds against a light sky background, at least when exposure is in evaluative mode. In your Teal photo it appears the sun was coming from the left, causing highlights on the leading edge of the wings.
I have read that the AF speed on the 50D is much improved over the 40D (due to the Digic 4 processor) and a real asset when shooting BIF (source Arthur Morris). Do you use center spot focus or do you turn on all nine sensors when trying to capture BIF? I find that AI Servo works well for me when capturing BIF . . . so long as the bird is sufficiently close to span the distance between sensors. If the bird is not large enough in the viewfinder to span sensors, the shot is probably not worth taking . . . that has been my experience anyway.
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on April 6, 2009 at 4:17 PM
Hey Merle, I a day late and a dollar short like always! This is a pretty nice capture considering the subject and challenges of BIF images. I really like the position of the teal here, very nice. Thanks for sharing.
Looks pretty good to me, Merle. Those look like some beautifully colored birds, and you really have them in a nice banked position here. Wish I could take something half this good...
Daniel, You hit the nail on the head. I normally shoot on Al Servo but had changed the settings for a static display shoot I was doing of some jewelry. I forgot to change it back and was shooting on One Shot - No wonder I couldn't track those little rascals.
Hey Wayne & Bill - thanks for the kind comments. I appreciate it.
Discussion
7 repliesThanks for looking
50D, 1/800 @ f.8, 70-200 w/ 2x tc @ 400, iso 400
These little rascals bank and turn on a moments notice and this was a lucky catch that just makes it look like I know what I'm doing.
It really helps to have lots of light behind you when capturing BIF. Upping the exposure compensation +2/3 or more also helps with dark colored birds against a light sky background, at least when exposure is in evaluative mode. In your Teal photo it appears the sun was coming from the left, causing highlights on the leading edge of the wings.
I have read that the AF speed on the 50D is much improved over the 40D (due to the Digic 4 processor) and a real asset when shooting BIF (source Arthur Morris). Do you use center spot focus or do you turn on all nine sensors when trying to capture BIF? I find that AI Servo works well for me when capturing BIF . . . so long as the bird is sufficiently close to span the distance between sensors. If the bird is not large enough in the viewfinder to span sensors, the shot is probably not worth taking . . . that has been my experience anyway.
Hey Wayne & Bill - thanks for the kind comments. I appreciate it.