Long primes and bird photos

[DionM]

On my recent trip to WA (I'm still PP'ing photos!) I had a chance to do bird photos. My longest lens is my 70-200 2.8, which I teamed up with a Sigma 1.4x TC to give me approx 280mm @ F4.

Naturally this really was not long enough for a lot of bird photos. I also warmed to bird shooting, so I want to pursue it, and am looking at lens options.

One thing though - I found I was always zooming back, finding the bird, then zooming in. With the lens at 280mm, I often could not find the bird to focus on it.

There are really no zooms that will give me the quality and range I want (the Canon 100-400 I consider to be too soft) and I have been looking at primes. But I wonder if I can get the hang of finding birds with a prime? What do you guys do?

[Killakoala]

I've shot birds with 80-200, 70-300 and 500mm mirror lens and the best results i got are with the 500mm mirror. it is quite cheap and may be worth investigating, although it's manual focus.

(I am not a good wildlife photographer)

It all depends on your budget.

[fozzie]

DionM,

Would suggest you register on this website to source ideas on which lens etc:

http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB2/index.php

[Glen]

Dion, might be worth PMing Kipper, he is a wealth of knowledge on this subject (and the proud owner of a 500mm f4)

[DionM]

Thanks guys.

I have my heart pretty much set on the Canon 400 5.6 L; provided I can get the hang of working with it. My budget is up to about $2500, so I could also get the Sigma 120-300 2.8; but I don't think it will be long enough.

I wish my budget extended to the Sigma 300-800 5.6 or the Canon 500 F4 but alas it does not.

[kipper]

While not a Canon user, what I've heard that the Canon 400 F5.6 L USM is what most use for handheld flight shots. Not sure if it'll be the best lens for perched shots but I'm gathering if the light is really really good you could probably couple this with a TC and manual focus for extra reach.

If your budget permitted the following would be the lens to get:

300MM F2.8 IS
TC 2.0

However I think that would most likely set you back around $6k. If I were to go Canon I'd probably go down that path as the results I've seen with that setup is amazing. Canon's 2.0 TC is very sharp.

At the moment I'm not having much luck with getting sharp shots of birds in flights with a 500MM (with and without TC) in perfect light. Went out on Monday and came back a bit disappointed

[DaveB]

I found I was always zooming back, finding the bird, then zooming in. With the lens at 280mm, I often could not find the bird to focus on it.

When transferring from looking at the bird without the camera to targetting the camera on the bird I usually keep one eye on the bird and put the other eye to the viewfinder. It gets easier after a while.

[kipper]

Try locating a bird at 700MM it's a bitch. I've found a technique that was starting to work for me was to do something similar to yours Dave. Sometimes I had to remove my eye from the viewfinder and look down the barrel to get a rought direction.

[avkomp]

I tend to "boresight" the lens and then transfer my eye to the viewfinder
It helps no end if the lens if prefocused on the approximate range also.

With long primes if the lens is focussed at a vastly different range than your target, you wont see it in the viewfinder.
I get around this by prefocussing the lens at a range similar to where I expect to be shooting.
or picking a piece of grass or something at a range similar to where I can see the bird, then pointing the camera and looking from behind the lens and getting it close to target, by which time if you have done it close enough, you will see the target in the viewfinder.
only takes a matter of seconds.

I also find that if the lens has a limit switch, limiting range of AF I would have it set to limit rather than full, this prevents the focus "hunting if you move the AF zone off your intended target.

Steve

[DionM]

Thanks guys.

I didn't think of trying the focus limiter, that would probably help a lot.

I am mostly interested in birds in flight shots, but perched ones would be nice. You are right kipper in that I am thinking of teaming the 400 with the 1.4x TC for extra reach, and the main reason I am not going for a 300 as it only gets me to 420 with a 1.4x TC. It is a combo that is still quite sharp.

Canons 300 2.8 and the 2x TC are made for each other. It's the only lens that gets good results with a 2x TC; otherwise most results with a 2x TC are ho-hum. I wish my budget extended that far but alas it doesn't.

My main question was seeing if I could use it. I must practice boresighting etc and prefocusing. This is quite easy with the auto-clutch on the USM lenses; no need to switch MF to AF etc.

[avkomp]

Dion,

the focus limiter works like magic on flying birds.
without it, if you move off the subject (my 400 at least) hunts from close up to infinity before reacquiring and if you arent panning at exactly the same speed as your subject, you will totally lost it in the viewfinder

Steve

[DionM]

Dion,

the focus limiter works like magic on flying birds.
without it, if you move off the subject (my 400 at least) hunts from close up to infinity before reacquiring and if you arent panning at exactly the same speed as your subject, you will totally lost it in the viewfinder

Steve

Yup, had that happen many times

My 70-200 has a focus limiter, shall try it out. I've only ever really used it for shooting through things like fences etc where I know I definately want it forget about what's in front.

[tasadam]

I for one would like to know what people think of the Sigma 50 - 500 for this application - and also with a Nikon 1.7x
Though it hasn't got a super big hole, I find, having loaned the 80-200 f2.8, that I am not often using anything below f5.6
Or is this 50 - 500 in a different quality (poorer)?

[kipper]

DionM, one of the Sydney NSN bird photographers has this setup and I've seen some brilliant photos with the the 300F2.8. He's done a really good closeup of a superb fairy wren. It almost convinced me to jump over.

As mentioned the focus limiter is good to reduce hunting but at times it can be a pain if your brain isn't in gear. While photographing birds in flight I decided to check out what the birds were doing that were perched. I limited it to 4-12M and then stopped. Waited a while. Then I was trying to focus on a bird approaching me and I was trying to figure why it wasn't focusing. Even tried manual focusing but that wasn't helping either. Silly me

[birddog114]

I for one would like to know what people think of the Sigma 50 - 500 for this application - and also with a Nikon 1.7x

This combo won't work/ The TC 1.7x won't fit the Bigma 50-500, and the TCs are not designed for the 50-500.

Though it hasn't got a super big hole, I find, having loaned the 80-200 f2.8, that I am not often using anything below f5.6
Or is this 50 - 500 in a different quality (poorer)?

The 80-200 has better glass than the 50-500, fast focussing, and the Nikkor 80-400VR is more better than the 50-500.

[avkomp]

As mentioned the focus limiter is good to reduce hunting but at times it can be a pain if your brain isn't in gear. While photographing birds in flight I decided to check out what the birds were doing that were perched. I limited it to 4-12M and then stopped. Waited a while. Then I was trying to focus on a bird approaching me and I was trying to figure why it wasn't focusing. Even tried manual focusing but that wasn't helping either. Silly me

have done similar myself!!
you need to be aware that you are using the focus limiter and remember to remove it if necessary!!
Most times I leave it on, but am prepared to turn it off if I cant get a close focus for instance.

Steve

[kipper]

Steve, it comes down to habit and so far I haven't really got into it.
A lot of the times I might setup at a perch and you set the limit and forget. For flight shots it's a bit different because at times you might get closer.

[avkomp]

Darryl,

I was saying that I am guilty of doing the same thing!!

habit and all aside, sometimes you are all set up and things are going to plan when all of a sudden something comes and lands right next to you and in your excitement you swing around and try to focus and nothing happens and after a few seconds of "why cant this stupid lens focus?", you suddenly remember "limit" and flick the switch.

Steve