Show your Bird Portraits

[Viggo]

From my experience with both the 7D2 and (more limited) the 1Dx2, cases don't make a whole heap of difference until your technique is already good enough to have a decent hit rate but my preferred is #2 or #5.

Reading more experience bird-in-flighters, the 4-points expansion assists the main AF point, the 8-point expansion acts more like a zone and more risk of hitting a complex background.
Zone focus in general works best against plain (or very distant) backgrounds but risks picking up the near wingtip as much as the eye/head. If you are as close as you describe, then this could be a reason.

IS on/off is much discussed as is focus/shutter priority, but should not be the primary reason for the hit rate you describe.

When tracking BIF I often think at the time I have got a pretty good tracking sequence then I look at the pictures as a sequence and see that in successive frames the head is all over the place - this is partly due to the high frame rate giving a relatively long black-out time and when the shutter blacks the VF I am losing track of the bird. Maybe it is worth reducing frame rate so you have more 'visible' time - though I have been experimenting with with not closing my left eye (my right-eye is at the VF) and looking at where the bird is going to keep track of it (apparently it takes some learning, similar to jet pilots with their 'heads up' displays).

I know you are a very experienced photographer but it is worth asking - when you see a bird taking off and put the camera to your eye, is the bird on the focus point immediately? Or do you need to adjust? That will take some of the available time to acquire focus.

Thanks!

Reducing frame rate allows more time for focusing, so I will definitely try that next time. What I do is I start to focus on the bird side head while walking towards it, then keep the focus locked and just walk towards them until they finally are fed up with me and fly away. I have great hit rate with for example soccer and birds at a bit more distance and everything else I shoot, so that's why it's a bit frustrating to not get anything with the ducks. They sure are quick and I realize that it as a demanding situation, especially at f2.0, but then again I always shoot wide open and don't experience this bad hit rate with anything else.

 

[Click]

This GBH agreed to do a portrait for me.
6D and 400 5.6L

Nice. Well done, kodakrome.

 

[hbr]

Any af-setup tips for shooting ducks that takes off? I can get very close, fill the frame with my 200 f2. I've tried case 1,2,4,6, with and without expansion, four and eight points, IS on/off, Zone focus, all settings sets Focus priority on the 1dx2, yet I have two-three sharp shots out of a hundred...

I find that ducks are very difficult to photograph with my 7D II. They often take off where the contrast is not easy to achieve focus. They often take off when you least expect them to. They fly very fast so that by the time you do achieve focus they have already flown past you. At 200 mm it will be even more difficult to achieve focus as they will be closer to you giving you less time to react.

I usually use case 3 to achieve AF faster. Once I have them in focus, the camera tracks quite well as long as my panning technique is good and I have a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action as they often quack and bob their heads in flight. I usually use all the focus points.

 

[Viggo]

Any af-setup tips for shooting ducks that takes off? I can get very close, fill the frame with my 200 f2. I've tried case 1,2,4,6, with and without expansion, four and eight points, IS on/off, Zone focus, all settings sets Focus priority on the 1dx2, yet I have two-three sharp shots out of a hundred...

I find that ducks are very difficult to photograph with my 7D II. They often take off where the contrast is not easy to achieve focus. They often take off when you least expect them to. They fly very fast so that by the time you do achieve focus they have already flown past you. At 200 mm it will be even more difficult to achieve focus as they will be closer to you giving you less time to react.

I usually use case 3 to achieve AF faster. Once I have them in focus, the camera tracks quite well as long as my panning technique is good and I have a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action as they often quack and bob their heads in flight. I usually use all the focus points.

Thanks hbr! I'm lucky enough to get very close to them, and I always try to have the sun either to my right or behind me, but yeah, they are QUICK. Here's the one shot I'm really happy with today, it's also completely uncropped so I get to keep that awesome bokeh at f2.0

 

[Click]

That's a very nice shot. Well done, Viggo.

 

[hbr]

Fantastic Shot, Viggo !!! I think you got the hang of it.

 

[sedwards]

Viggo , if you open them in the canon software (DPP4.5) you can see where the active sensor was when the shot was taken. I am surprised that I miss the subject a lot more than I thought.

 

[Viggo]

Thanks guys! At least the one focused was not with a wing cropped out or something, pretty lucky

Is seeing the focusing point in DPP any different then seeing it in camera (in play mode) ? I have tried that before with the 1dx where there was an issue where the displayed point in the VF was in a slightly different spot than the actual focusing sensor. I think the displayed red point in play mode is accurate to show where it actually focused, or tried, correct me if I'm wrong

 

[LSeries]

I like the angles and pose here! How do you like the Sigma 150-600?

Thanks The Sigma 150-600 Sport is of course not as sharp as the big whites, but it's an impressive lens with impressive build quality especially for the price. AF is smooth, fast and accurate. This is my third year with it and still loving it. And yes, I shoot hand-held only I also have the 400 f/5.6L, but I haven't used that much after I got the 150-600 S. At 400mm there's not a big difference.

 

[sedwards]

Sharing is caring .
5D3_21521 by Stuart Edwards, on Flickr

 

[Click]

Sharing is caring .

Lovely. Nicely done, Stuart.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Stuart.
Excellent, great light, such a colour difference between the two. Nice.

Cheers, Graham.

Sharing is caring .

 

[sedwards]

Sitting pretty
female red-winged blackbird.
_D4_7468 by Stuart Edwards, on Flickr

 

[Click]

Sitting pretty
female red-winged blackbird.

Very nice picture. I really like the bokeh.

 

[Jack Douglas]

Is it just me? I can no longer attach a photo. I'm logged in after in-out.

Jack

 

[bjd]

Hi PBD, I have to ask for clarification here. I duplicated the first layer, created the mask and then made the adjustment. Giving me a background layer and a layer with the curves adjustment. Then I played with the opacity slider to make the changes visible. Is that what you meant by

then put the mask on that adjusted copy/layer.

?

Cheers Brian

Hi Brian, as always there are a multitude of ways of getting the same result.

Simplest is to open image, copy layer, make mask and 'apply image', adjust mask so it only has the areas you want to change in white and grey. Make curves adjustment layer with 'apply clipping mask' so it only adjusts the copy layer. The stack should look like the screenshot below. You can change the opacity of either the curves adjustment layer and or the copy to taste, it is much easier to over do it and then lower opacity than to not go far enough with your adjustment.

The huge advantage of using 'apply image' to make the mask, a luminosity mask, is the way the gradations between the adjustments is taken care of, yet if the mask doesn't black out areas you want to keep untouched just use the brush tool on the mask. You can adjust the entire mask tonal area coverage by selecting the mask then going 'alt + click' and then levels by going 'command + L'.

Very powerful and as much subtle control as you will ever get.

Hi PBD, sorry I haven't got back to you yet on this. I still need to try it out myself. Just been too busy.
I Really appreciate the help though.
Cheers Brian

 

[bjd]

Any af-setup tips for shooting ducks that takes off? I can get very close, fill the frame with my 200 f2. I've tried case 1,2,4,6, with and without expansion, four and eight points, IS on/off, Zone focus, all settings sets Focus priority on the 1dx2, yet I have two-three sharp shots out of a hundred...

I find that ducks are very difficult to photograph with my 7D II. They often take off where the contrast is not easy to achieve focus. They often take off when you least expect them to. They fly very fast so that by the time you do achieve focus they have already flown past you. At 200 mm it will be even more difficult to achieve focus as they will be closer to you giving you less time to react.

I usually use case 3 to achieve AF faster. Once I have them in focus, the camera tracks quite well as long as my panning technique is good and I have a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action as they often quack and bob their heads in flight. I usually use all the focus points.

Hi Jack, I have had the same problems, it seems like practice is the only solution. PLus I am now experimenting with delaying my first shot to really let AF get good data before the mirror goes up to take the shots, hoping that it then has a better lock which will hold better.

Seems I am way better than you though now, I regularly get 4-5 sharp shots out of a hundred...........

I'm just starting putting some of my Raptor shots from the weekend on Flickr if you want to take a look?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33350282@N06/

Cheers Brian

 

[Jack Douglas]

Don't know how it is supposed to work but here is my photo I was going to upload. I seem to have my AFMA sorted out.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=109

Just thought I'd add that I'd much rather have a photo right in the post!

Jack

 

[bjd]

Don't know how it is supposed to work but here is my photo I was going to upload. I seem to have my AFMA sorted out.

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=109

Just thought I'd add that I'd much rather have a photo right in the post!

Jack

Hi Jack, seems like there are numerous ways to get the Photo in the post, no idea why it didn't work for you.

Its a great shot though.

Up till now I have not needed AMFA, most of my focus problems lay a few inches behind the Camera.
Cheers Brian

 

[bjd]

Viggo , if you open them in the canon software (DPP4.5) you can see where the active sensor was when the shot was taken. I am surprised that I miss the subject a lot more than I thought.

Also, if you don't like DPP, there is a "Focus Points Plugin" for LR, its a bit quirky, but works pretty well.
Makes me really miss having that info as a standard function of LR.
Cheers Brian