Speaking as an experienced aviation photographer, you're correct in saying you can use Image Stabilization (IS) with very long lenses -- say 400mm upwards -- but for those who are using telephoto lenses that are less than super-telephoto, you'll actually be fighting against the IS system, which is trying to stop your tracking movements. True, in many cameras you can tell the IS system to ignore movements in one plane (panning) but full IS will too often mistake your tracking for camera shake. You're (relatively) ok using IS in a super telephoto, as your subject is further away and, hence, your angular tracking movement is small. Personally, I don't use IS in aviation photography, as tracking movements actually bring about natural stabilization of the image (which is why Olympic pistol and rifle shooters fire when the sights are moving through their target, rather than attempting to freeze their sight picture and hold things steady.) And, yes, you're correct that IS can slow your continuous focusing and shutter rate. If the sensors detect movement that the camera thinks is camera shake, your camera's brain won't let it do anything until the sensor has finished repositioning itself. Thanks for the video. Rick Bear (Professional photographer in the UK)
Thank you for sharing that information Rick - you have more knowledge on this than me. Very interesting that IS can affect focusing and shutter rate - some people claim this isn't true, but I agree with you
Could you give me the settings for Canon 500mm? Most of the time I am on tripod and my eyesight is not that great but I manage to get some good shots :)
@@jaytad5420 sorry, I only use Olympus OM-D cameras, but you're most likely going to need to turn Image Stabilisation OFF if you're shooting birds in flight, especially when using a tripod. -- Rick
Thanks Sean. It was a tough video to make - I did a lot of research on those case settings as I felt it was really important to understand it fully. Great feedback, so thank you very much
I have my C1 permanently set up for birds in flight both on my 7DII and 5DIII. Then if something comes into view when photographing birds on the ground I’m quickly into roughly the right area of settings I want to be in, with only the shutter speed to adjust. It’s always on auto ISO, 1/2000 sec, F8, AF expansion with the 8 surrounding points, that gives me a little a little forgivenesses with my upper body difficulties. If I go below f8 or fewer focus points I stand a good chance of only half a bird in focus and that would be the wrong half. I'll be honest I just copied Arthur Morris's case settings, until I realised he was shooting cranes and I was shooting warblers. A brilliant video as always Paul, thank you.
That sounds excellent Mark. I haven't experimented with the saved settings, I'll be honest I've found it a bit confusing! But I'll take another look. My biggest conclusion after making this video was that there is no 'correct' case setting. I think it depends on your own shooting style. Also I forgot to mention the fact that you never know what a bird is going to do.. so how would you know you have the correct setting anyway!! Best to concentrate on technique and adjust to the situation.
Well done for going through those focus settings ! They are something I looked at in the past but they seem dull and hard work to understand. As you say the results are hard to test objectively but I will look again at mine. Thanks
Thanks Paul, superb video really enjoyed your tips and your explanation of the tricky technical stuff. A lot to take in and practice. Keep up the good work and take care.
Aloha (yet again) from Honolulu, I wanted a video (from you) focused on the AF settings and I found it. BRILLIANT! Just what I needed for thinking through the AF settings. Mahalo nui loa for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Appreciated. PS - the AF segment was NOT painful! It's just what I needed for problem solving and future experimentation.
Thanks Paul for another very informative and constructive video, I can now throw away the 5D manual and watch more of your instructions.Keep them coming
Good one Paul, really useful. A few more like this one on more advanced techniques would be good too. Also showcases your skills better as a pro wildlife photographer.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography Lol, well maybe I needed something to calm me down after being Badgered by users all morning! ;) Also I'm surprised you didn't use any Puffin pictures the bird Exocet. photos.smugmug.com/Animals/British-Birds/i-LFBRTFQ/0/9acf62db/X3/puffinflight-X3.jpg
The case settings for me are huge! I’ve had difficulty, getting crisp photos of osprey at my local reservoir. This will help me out immensely! Thank you
Thanks for the video, Paul! I just got my used 1Dx and love it. I do notice a better lock on than my old 1D mark IV camera. Still, when photographing birds against a busy rocky jetty, it still does struggle a little with such a busy background. The minus tracking sensitivity seems to help, and I’ll try the other settings also though thank you!!
Another great (Non scary) video! Could you perhaps think of doing something on exposure for birds at the opposite ends of the spectrum from one another such as Coots and Gulls? I know I find getting the correct exposure difficult. Thanks.
I use spot metering, and bias the exposure compensation to +0.7. I get a few overexposed images, but it's manageable otherwise. It helps to shoot in RAW, but there is never enough disk space or time.
Thanks for the suggestion Graham. I might do something more on exposure. I did do the video which includes photographing white birds: th-cam.com/video/cL4GnEHwiI8/w-d-xo.html
Very informative video Paul, I must say I'm a little lazy when it comes to focus settings & leave it in single point continuous most of the time or manual focus peaking for macro, my AF often latches onto a crowded background (often potentially the best shots) so I'll definitely be giving the sensitivity a try next time out.
I think a lot of it applies to anything fast moving, planes, cars, bikes, sports, etc. Im like you, I'll watch anything informative that might widen my knowledge base!
Very interesting Paul, I've just bought a secondhand 1dx again as the last one I had I couldn't get it to focus on the Osprey's that I photograph, I normally shoot Nikon but with all this spare time I thought I'd have a play with the canon, you video gave a much better understanding of the focus system
I am very, VERY impressed Paul. New viewer here. And subscribed. P.S. I shoot Canon as well, but dSLR 7D. I'm actively considering the mirrorless in near future and that may involve micro 4/3rds.
I have recently switched to -2 locked, because the camera used to jump on to the background quite too quickly even at -1. (70D + same 400mm). Apart from BIF, this was a problem when a small bird was perching on a twig with a background that was far away. With my release settings strictly on focus, I could not get photos at all with A I Servo. I would like to try a more sensitive accel/decel setting (now at 1), but I don't have cases to switch quickly. I've put AF settings on the custom menu now. That's a bit helpful.
These sound like good options. As you've done it's best to change the sensitivity if it doesn't feel right to you. Everyone is different I think. Many thanks for sharing your technique!
That's why I switch to Nikon. I got the same problem with Canon cameras. And I was trying many of them. Now I am happy with Nikon D7200 in 3D mode. This camera ketch every moving subject very precise. Canon 1D may be better, but I don't like to use full frame camera for wildlife.
Thank you for sharing i had a go at the settings with my Canon5dmk111 ..i'm still very new to bird photography love learning and I learnt something today thanks..excited about tomorrow can not wait to get out shooting :)
You're welcome, I'm glad the video helps. this is very advanced so I'd concentrate on learning your technique and getting as much experience as you can in the field.
My that was deep! As you know I have the same set up and even though I modify the settings all the time to suit the situation, I often get it wrong and end up relying on good old lady luck most of the time. Well explained though considering how complex it all is. These options are designed to help us, but they really do my head in, as I constantly question whether it's user error or camera error when I miss something!
Deep. Yes very, very deep. I won't lie Simon... that was tough, very tough - I think I lost part of my soul making this video.. In seriousness, with something so complex as this I really don't want to get anything wrong! I know what you mean about the settings though - one conclusion after testing the auto-focus parameters was that, yes they made a difference - but I think good technique would probably trump them all. Predicting speed, panning properly using a bit of intuition are really important factors.
Thank you so much for this excellent video. Explained to perfection and I fully understood. Now to adjust my canon 6d2. See how it goes and report back with results.
Hi! Paul have a Canon 1 DX Mark II and I would like to know what model of lens you use in your photos of these videos you recorded, I use a 100-400 series II lens but the bird photos are not as good as yours , could you tell me what the model of the lens will be? And congratulations for the video was very good!!!
Fabulous video Paul - thanks so much. I have a Canon 7D MkII and when photographing birds in flight I always use shutter speed priority with a minimum of 1/1250 and then auto ISO. I shoot AI Servo. I'm kind of happy with this, but I don't seem to get the sharpness of image you get. I have a Sigma 150-600mm lens and together they are quite heavy so maybe this has something to do with it. I find tripods just too imposing though, especially for birds in flight photos. I'm yearning the sharpness you manage to achieve.
Thanks for commenting Tim! I agree about tripods.. hate them for flight photos! it's hard to tell from a computer screen how sharp an image really is, but I think I do pretty well. The Sigma is a good value lens but I don't believe it compares in sharpness to a Canon 500mm. Of course the cost is vastly different!
@@PaulMiguelPhotography, as a user that has the Tamron G2 150-600, paired with a Canon 5dsr, I am in the same situation Tim Bailey mentions... I am not able to pay the price of canon lenses, specially when in here no one buys birding photography... So, it would be a very interesting information to be discussed in a future video. How to be accurate with birds in flight with those big lenses, that are indeed very heavy to hand held ( I am tiny and not tall) . Thanks a lot!
@@DalsPhotography I think there does have to be a recognition that some lenses are not as sharp as others. There is a reason why the pro guys tend towards big primes after all. I can't speak for the Tamron but I do own the Sigma 150-600 mentioned by Tim and I can tell you/him it is definitely soft at the 600 end. I now shoot with the Nikon 200-500 and it is much better at its longest reach, so much so I'm happy giving up that extra 100mm. Having said that compared to the Nikon prime equivalent there is another step change in quality again. Of course it's important to nail the focus but I would also consider #1 dropping back from 600 slightly and #2 as Paul mentions in the video don't shoot wide open, rather than f6.3 shoot at f7.1 or even f8. Very few lenses, even top primes, are pin sharp wide open anyway.
@@Raysnature Thanks a lot for your answer :) I agree on that item too, prime lenses are much better. Regarding Sigma &Tamron , I had first the Tamron G, the first edition, and I changed it for the Sigma 150-600, that improved a lot the focus and sharpness, but now, and with my FF camera, the Tamron G2 works much better. Not that soft focus at 600mm ,yet, for flight it's still hard at that range, mostly cause you loose track of where did the bird go, and it has quite a bit of work till you may focus on the bird for the first time, if put in AutoFocus. I tend to use it manually first and then change to Autofocus ,as I use glasses, sometimes my manual focus might be mistaken. Now if I don't remember wrongly, there is a new version of the same Sigma you have, it should be interesting a new comparison between the G2 and the new Sigma 150-600... As far as primes, they are sooo expensive, that I can't affor them for now! Best wishes and thanks for answering !
@@DalsPhotography Some zoom lenses can be a bit soft on focus at their maximum zoom but you may be able to improve things a bit by carrying out AF micro adjustment for your camera and lens combination, there are several videos on youtube that show the procedure for Canon cameras. I see you are using a 5Dsr, although they are a very good camera for high resolution photos they may not be the best camera for fast moving subjects because the high resolution can accentuate any minor imperfection that may not be apparent with a lower resolution camera.
I always shoot birds in flight on AV mode. Gave Auto ISO a try on 7D and 70D. It produced base ISOs like 100 or 160. And the shots were blurry. So, returned to slecting it. It's 500 - 1000.
Hi Paul, this is wonderful, i have noted all the points, some of them a pretty new to me, can't wait to try them :) , tks for sharing your knowledge. - BR, Dilan
Excellent video, Paul. One question please. When you shoot birds in flight with a clear blue sky as background do you tend to use spot metering to help to obtain an accurate exposure? Thank you.
When I shoot Eagles in flight, the sun's always high in the sky, so spot metering with at least +0.7 EV is necessary for dark birds. More if it's brighter or if I want more underwing detail. This needs a compromise with noise due to higher ISOs, but it might be a lesser problem with newer cameras.
Hi Tony. I always use evaluative and use my experience (or a test shot) to adjust from there. My concern with spot is that if the focus point drifts off the subject your exposure could change quite a bit.
Another great video. Thanks for sharing. I have a question. You said that sometimes you use aperture priority with auto ISO. How do you get with this settings the shutter speeds 1/1000-1/2000 that you said are required for birds in flight. Thanks a lot.
I'm also a birding photographer, so I thank you a lot for this video. My usual problem is how to change the AF options quickly when new birds appear and they have a different behaivour. Where I live this is very , very frequent. Is there any shortcut to do this, without getting all the time out of the viewer and loosing precious seconds? Thank you so much for this intersting video! Best regards, from Uruguay.
Hi, Paul, In another video of yours you mentioned that you don't use Back Button focusing mode. However, I hope you won't mind teaching me when using Back Button focusing and Autofocusing-C ( continuous focusing mode) at the same time, do I need to keep pressing the Back Button when the subject, say a bird, is moving?
Hi Paul. Thanks for your useful videos. What do you think about subject detection (in this case bird detection ) with zone or tracking focusing? I’m a Fuji xh2s user, but I know that there are subject detections in all newest mirrorless cameras of all other brands too
"This is for those with a more advanced camera system" Aight Imma head out.... (though watching it now, I think most of these settings are available in my meager m50, so it's still relevant!)
Hi paul , when i use aiservo and back button to track my bird if i dont take my finger off back button focus before i take the shot my shot ends up really over exposed , so my question is are you supposed to keep the back button focus depressed when taking the shot if so it must be my camera or setting ? many thanks
Great video. I’ve just recently discovered your channel an enjoy it a lot. I usually shoot manual with my 7dmii but change to use manual/auto iso when light conditions are vastly different such as going from forest to bright sky. I don’t see how AV mode makes sense though because shutter speed becomes the variable that the camera changes for me since I don’t want a slower shutter speed without my knowledge. Could you elaborate on how you make it work for you. The second question/point is f/5.6 vs f/8. I’ve tested my EF 100-400 IS II on a tripod from F5.6 - f/11 at 400mm and see a minimal change in depth of field. Do you find that it’s worth giving up a stop of light for that increase of DOF? I will say though, my copy of that lens is noticeable sharper at f/7.1 & f/8 than it is at f/5.6. Again, thanks for you informative videos.
Hi Dave. Thanks for watching my channel. Regards the AV it's a bit complex - with auto ISO it kind of changes shutter speed and ISO but what I do is set a minimum shutter speed (around 1/1000) then I know it won't fall below that. As for the depth of field I'll decide on the available light - if I'm struggling for shutter speed I might use slightly wider aperture, if not then I'll go more towards f8. For birds in flight I prefer to close down the aperture a bit as it can help improve your chances of sharpness if the focusing is slightly out I think.
Nice job Paul. I'm considering of buying a 300mm f2.8 NON IS version. What is your thoughts about this lens. It stops me a bit because its is not stabilized.
I would absolutely consider it. Quality wise I still think it would be great, and very fast. The main reason I probably wouldn't get one is the weight. Each newer version got lighter. Personally the IS would not bother me.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography Yes IS version would be better, but at the moment my pocket does not allow an IS version. Looking for used 300mm lens, as I already own a 500mm f4.
Hey Paul, great video & explanation! I have the 7d mkii that I use for action such as dog photography & sports. Hypothetically, if you were to shoot action of dogs sprinting straight at the camera & running round, what case & fine tune settimgs would you likely use? I can struggle to get out with dogs to keep testing these settings so curious what you would do. BIF is similar to dogs I imagine... Your images are lovely & super sharp btw 👊🙌
Hi Scott. It's hard to say but I'd probably increase the sensitivity, and possibly more focus points with auto-switching. Depends how good your technique is really.
Hi Paul hope you could me help me my question is I was trying to photograph a buzzard landing on top a piece of wood head on and I was on the bird as it was about to land with its claws out and what I found which is annoying as I’m following it about to grab onto the wood , I’m taking lots of photos to try and get it head on landing but when I look back through the photos it loses focus as the bird comes into land how can I stop this and what’s the best focus system etc. Many thanks Ben
Hi Ben. I think this is often a problem - usually to do with changing speed. Sometimes you can tweak the autofocus settings, e.g. cases on Canon. I would say if it keeps happening, switch to manual focus and focus on the perch (or slightly behind it) then take lots of shots as the bird lands. That's often a better way.
I really enjoyed this so much .. How much does all the gear you have there weigh ? Reason being I longer drive as in Berlin transport is round the clock even to remote parts ,, Yet still a walk and having had two spinal fractures weight etc is an issue Have looked at the Nikon Z series and am thrilled by the light casing .....Standing isn't an option but there are other ways .Have no problem with the larger birds but gulls and small birds are tricky .Yes Berlin does have Gulls In the New year collect the Nikon ..Have subscribed ,,,Thanks so much .👍.. Helena ,
![[Live สด] การออกรางวัลสลากกินแบ่งรัฐบาล งวดวันที่ 16 ธันวาคม 2567](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dNTiBBthKgQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The best explanation of the case settings on Canon cameras I’ve seen so far. Incredibly informative.
Wow. I’ll take that. Many thanks!
Agreed Donovan
This is one of the most useful videos about bird photography that I have seen. Thanks, Paul.
Massive thanks for that! Very much appreciated indeed.
Agree Pippin.
Speaking as an experienced aviation photographer, you're correct in saying you can use Image Stabilization (IS) with very long lenses -- say 400mm upwards -- but for those who are using telephoto lenses that are less than super-telephoto, you'll actually be fighting against the IS system, which is trying to stop your tracking movements. True, in many cameras you can tell the IS system to ignore movements in one plane (panning) but full IS will too often mistake your tracking for camera shake. You're (relatively) ok using IS in a super telephoto, as your subject is further away and, hence, your angular tracking movement is small. Personally, I don't use IS in aviation photography, as tracking movements actually bring about natural stabilization of the image (which is why Olympic pistol and rifle shooters fire when the sights are moving through their target, rather than attempting to freeze their sight picture and hold things steady.) And, yes, you're correct that IS can slow your continuous focusing and shutter rate. If the sensors detect movement that the camera thinks is camera shake, your camera's brain won't let it do anything until the sensor has finished repositioning itself.
Thanks for the video.
Rick Bear
(Professional photographer in the UK)
Thank you for sharing that information Rick - you have more knowledge on this than me. Very interesting that IS can affect focusing and shutter rate - some people claim this isn't true, but I agree with you
Could you give me the settings for Canon 500mm? Most of the time I am on tripod and my eyesight is not that great but I manage to get some good shots :)
@@jaytad5420 sorry, I only use Olympus OM-D cameras, but you're most likely going to need to turn Image Stabilisation OFF if you're shooting birds in flight, especially when using a tripod. -- Rick
Thanks Paul. The setting information is very nicely explained and it will help improve my photography skills
Great tips Paul on shooting birds in flight and my thanks to you.
Thank you Dennis.
I know you thought it was painful, but your explanation of the case settings was really clear and helpful. Much appreciated.
Thanks Sean. It was a tough video to make - I did a lot of research on those case settings as I felt it was really important to understand it fully. Great feedback, so thank you very much
I have my C1 permanently set up for birds in flight both on my 7DII and 5DIII. Then if something comes into view when photographing birds on the ground I’m quickly into roughly the right area of settings I want to be in, with only the shutter speed to adjust. It’s always on auto ISO, 1/2000 sec, F8, AF expansion with the 8 surrounding points, that gives me a little a little forgivenesses with my upper body difficulties. If I go below f8 or fewer focus points I stand a good chance of only half a bird in focus and that would be the wrong half. I'll be honest I just copied Arthur Morris's case settings, until I realised he was shooting cranes and I was shooting warblers.
A brilliant video as always Paul, thank you.
That sounds excellent Mark. I haven't experimented with the saved settings, I'll be honest I've found it a bit confusing! But I'll take another look. My biggest conclusion after making this video was that there is no 'correct' case setting. I think it depends on your own shooting style. Also I forgot to mention the fact that you never know what a bird is going to do.. so how would you know you have the correct setting anyway!! Best to concentrate on technique and adjust to the situation.
Wow. I never knew what the focus limiting switch was or why I would use it. Thank you. I like learning.
Glad it helped you.
Thanks for the info on image stabilization.
Well done for going through those focus settings ! They are something I looked at in the past but they seem dull and hard work to understand. As you say the results are hard to test objectively but I will look again at mine. Thanks
Thank you. It is not that exciting! But it can help..
Great video, very well explained thank you Paul. Love the when you say “that was painful”, then “painful”! Ha ha 😂😀
Thanks Paul, superb video really enjoyed your tips and your explanation of the tricky technical stuff. A lot to take in and practice.
Keep up the good work and take care.
Hi Paul, thanks this was a very helpful video. You say painful in the middle of the film but wasn’t painful at all.
Thanks John. It was a tough video to put together.
great quick course on this subject found this very usful thanks Paul
Thank you Mark.
Aloha (yet again) from Honolulu, I wanted a video (from you) focused on the AF settings and I found it. BRILLIANT! Just what I needed for thinking through the AF settings. Mahalo nui loa for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Appreciated. PS - the AF segment was NOT painful! It's just what I needed for problem solving and future experimentation.
Thank you for your very kind and thoughtful comments. I hope you continue to enjoy my videos!
Thanks Paul for another very informative and constructive video, I can now throw away the 5D manual and watch more of your instructions.Keep them coming
Thanks Roy. I hope I don't disappoint!
Excellent video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!
Thank you for taking the time to create this video. As a fellow Canon shooter, I found it especially helpful.
Thanks very much. Appreciate the comment Jordan and glad you found it helpful.
Thanks, I found this video useful even though I have switched from Canon dslr to Olympus mirrorless.
Thank you. Very informative.
Excellent info , off to up my shutter speed, turn off the IS and to alter all my case settings ! Thank you
Very well explained Paul. It was very interesting to me. I enjoyed this video very much.
Thank you Pauline!
i been watching videos of how to photography birds and yours is so far much better. thank you to share your knowledge with us.
Great video Paul, I will have to look at it several times in order to absorb all the informations you provided.
Thanks Roland. There's a huge amount of information, hence why it's for advanced photographers. I hope it makes sense to you.
Good one Paul, really useful. A few more like this one on more advanced techniques would be good too. Also showcases your skills better as a pro wildlife photographer.
That's useful feedback Alan, thanks. I much more enjoy making the 'In the Field' style videos but hope to produce some more advanced tutorials.
You are a good teacher. Thank you!
Many thanks!
Thank You Paul, very useful info for setting up 7D Mk2.
Thanks. Found it very helpful.
Brilliant, thank you. Just starting to try and do more serious wildlife photography inc birds of course, and find your tutorials very helpful.
Many thanks. I'm glad these tutorials help you.
A perfect video to watch while at lunch ;)
If you say so. I'd have fallen asleep probably..!
@@PaulMiguelPhotography Lol, well maybe I needed something to calm me down after being Badgered by users all morning! ;)
Also I'm surprised you didn't use any Puffin pictures the bird Exocet.
photos.smugmug.com/Animals/British-Birds/i-LFBRTFQ/0/9acf62db/X3/puffinflight-X3.jpg
The case settings for me are huge! I’ve had difficulty, getting crisp photos of osprey at my local reservoir. This will help me out immensely! Thank you
Thanks for all your tip🙂
You are welcome.
Wow,,,,,,love the photos of birds u capture so nicely
Excellent, clear explanation, thank you
Many thanks!
seems straight forward thanks Paul...now to shoot some roo's
thanks Ray. Good luck!
Thank you very well explained.
Thanks for the video, Paul! I just got my used 1Dx and love it. I do notice a better lock on than my old 1D mark IV camera. Still, when photographing birds against a busy rocky jetty, it still does struggle a little with such a busy background. The minus tracking sensitivity seems to help, and I’ll try the other settings also though thank you!!
Excellent video Paul thank you.
really helpful - thanks
Brilliant advise thanks Paul 👍🏻👍🏻
Another great (Non scary) video!
Could you perhaps think of doing something on exposure for birds at the opposite ends of the spectrum from one another such as Coots and Gulls? I know I find getting the correct exposure difficult.
Thanks.
I use spot metering, and bias the exposure compensation to +0.7. I get a few overexposed images, but it's manageable otherwise. It helps to shoot in RAW, but there is never enough disk space or time.
Thanks for the suggestion Graham. I might do something more on exposure. I did do the video which includes photographing white birds: th-cam.com/video/cL4GnEHwiI8/w-d-xo.html
Amazing advice. Not scary at all. Thankyou so much 😁
Thank you - great info and easy to follow
Very good video, great advice on bird photography, thank you for sharing
Many thanks for watching.
Excellent content. Thanks Paul!
useful in depth video on camera settings, well done.
Wonderful upload mate . Great job.
Thank you John. Very kind of you.
Thank you for sharing!
Excellent video. Thank you
Thank you very much
Hi Paul your video's are really amazing I do a lot of birds in flight just love it and cheers thanks.
Very much appreciated. Thanks for watching and for the kind comment
Great info and excellent explanation Mr Paul....
Hi Paul. Great vid, I’m just going through the process of finding the best combination for my 5d mk4 so this has been really helpful thanks.
Thanks Paul, fantastic for someone like me who's an experienced photographer but just starting out with BIF, subbed!!
Cheers. Thanks for subscribing Paul
Very informative video Paul, I must say I'm a little lazy when it comes to focus settings & leave it in single point continuous most of the time or manual focus peaking for macro, my AF often latches onto a crowded background (often potentially the best shots) so I'll definitely be giving the sensitivity a try next time out.
Cheers John. It's worth varying parameters to see how it affects things. Good luck with it.
Brilliant tutorial .🏆
Awesome tutorial
Thank you Claude
Fantastic, no-nonsense, video! I look forward to lots more from you!
A great informative video which I will refer to again and again
Many thanks Grant - really appreciate that.
wonderful video - very informative
Thanks Doug. It was a hard slog... but glad I made it!
Great tutorial! Can't wait to try out the sensitivity settings in case 1.
Your channel is great,thanks guys.
Im not really into birding but I like to watch different kinds of photo videos, who knows what I might pick up : )
I think a lot of it applies to anything fast moving, planes, cars, bikes, sports, etc. Im like you, I'll watch anything informative that might widen my knowledge base!
For sure.
Great video. Many Thanks.
Very interesting Paul, I've just bought a secondhand 1dx again as the last one I had I couldn't get it to focus on the Osprey's that I photograph, I normally shoot Nikon but with all this spare time I thought I'd have a play with the canon, you video gave a much better understanding of the focus system
I am very, VERY impressed Paul. New viewer here. And subscribed. P.S. I shoot Canon as well, but dSLR 7D. I'm actively considering the mirrorless in near future and that may involve micro 4/3rds.
Thank you for subscribing. Mirrorless has a advantages in some areas. I think it woukd help most people for birds in flight.
I have recently switched to -2 locked, because the camera used to jump on to the background quite too quickly even at -1. (70D + same 400mm). Apart from BIF, this was a problem when a small bird was perching on a twig with a background that was far away. With my release settings strictly on focus, I could not get photos at all with A I Servo. I would like to try a more sensitive accel/decel setting (now at 1), but I don't have cases to switch quickly. I've put AF settings on the custom menu now. That's a bit helpful.
These sound like good options. As you've done it's best to change the sensitivity if it doesn't feel right to you. Everyone is different I think. Many thanks for sharing your technique!
That's why I switch to Nikon. I got the same problem with Canon cameras. And I was trying many of them. Now I am happy with Nikon D7200 in 3D mode. This camera ketch every moving subject very precise. Canon 1D may be better, but I don't like to use full frame camera for wildlife.
Thank you for sharing i had a go at the settings with my Canon5dmk111 ..i'm still very new to bird photography love learning and I learnt something today thanks..excited about tomorrow can not wait to get out shooting :)
You're welcome, I'm glad the video helps. this is very advanced so I'd concentrate on learning your technique and getting as much experience as you can in the field.
My that was deep! As you know I have the same set up and even though I modify the settings all the time to suit the situation, I often get it wrong and end up relying on good old lady luck most of the time. Well explained though considering how complex it all is. These options are designed to help us, but they really do my head in, as I constantly question whether it's user error or camera error when I miss something!
Deep. Yes very, very deep. I won't lie Simon... that was tough, very tough - I think I lost part of my soul making this video.. In seriousness, with something so complex as this I really don't want to get anything wrong! I know what you mean about the settings though - one conclusion after testing the auto-focus parameters was that, yes they made a difference - but I think good technique would probably trump them all. Predicting speed, panning properly using a bit of intuition are really important factors.
Why haven’t I watched this before, well helpful that buddy! That puts you ahead of San in my view lol 😂👍🤙
It’s a popular video, but boy was it hard work.!!
Thank you so much for this excellent video. Explained to perfection and I fully understood. Now to adjust my canon 6d2. See how it goes and report back with results.
Thank you very much Ian, that's comforting to hear. It was difficult to address some of the complex information. I hope you get some good results!
Great info. All jotted down and going to set it to my C1 mode.
Good luck Fernando! Thanks for watching
you helpful, this is great video for me. fantastic birds photography. Thank! sir.
Hi! Paul
have a Canon 1 DX Mark II and I would like to know what model of lens you use in your photos of these videos you recorded, I use a 100-400 series II lens but the bird photos are not as good as yours , could you tell me what the model of the lens will be? And congratulations for the video was very good!!!
I use 500mm f4 mark i. And 400mm f5.6. Canon
Thanks Paul, I am with you that tracking is the most reactive setting. I liked your thoughts on 1st and 2nd image settings Cheers
Cheers Barry, thanks for that.
Thanks a lot!
Fabulous video Paul - thanks so much. I have a Canon 7D MkII and when photographing birds in flight I always use shutter speed priority with a minimum of 1/1250 and then auto ISO. I shoot AI Servo. I'm kind of happy with this, but I don't seem to get the sharpness of image you get. I have a Sigma 150-600mm lens and together they are quite heavy so maybe this has something to do with it. I find tripods just too imposing though, especially for birds in flight photos. I'm yearning the sharpness you manage to achieve.
Thanks for commenting Tim! I agree about tripods.. hate them for flight photos! it's hard to tell from a computer screen how sharp an image really is, but I think I do pretty well. The Sigma is a good value lens but I don't believe it compares in sharpness to a Canon 500mm. Of course the cost is vastly different!
@@PaulMiguelPhotography, as a user that has the Tamron G2 150-600, paired with a Canon 5dsr, I am in the same situation Tim Bailey mentions... I am not able to pay the price of canon lenses, specially when in here no one buys birding photography... So, it would be a very interesting information to be discussed in a future video. How to be accurate with birds in flight with those big lenses, that are indeed very heavy to hand held ( I am tiny and not tall) . Thanks a lot!
@@DalsPhotography I think there does have to be a recognition that some lenses are not as sharp as others. There is a reason why the pro guys tend towards big primes after all. I can't speak for the Tamron but I do own the Sigma 150-600 mentioned by Tim and I can tell you/him it is definitely soft at the 600 end. I now shoot with the Nikon 200-500 and it is much better at its longest reach, so much so I'm happy giving up that extra 100mm. Having said that compared to the Nikon prime equivalent there is another step change in quality again.
Of course it's important to nail the focus but I would also consider #1 dropping back from 600 slightly and #2 as Paul mentions in the video don't shoot wide open, rather than f6.3 shoot at f7.1 or even f8. Very few lenses, even top primes, are pin sharp wide open anyway.
@@Raysnature Thanks a lot for your answer :) I agree on that item too, prime lenses are much better. Regarding Sigma &Tamron , I had first the Tamron G, the first edition, and I changed it for the Sigma 150-600, that improved a lot the focus and sharpness, but now, and with my FF camera, the Tamron G2 works much better. Not that soft focus at 600mm ,yet, for flight it's still hard at that range, mostly cause you loose track of where did the bird go, and it has quite a bit of work till you may focus on the bird for the first time, if put in AutoFocus. I tend to use it manually first and then change to Autofocus ,as I use glasses, sometimes my manual focus might be mistaken. Now if I don't remember wrongly, there is a new version of the same Sigma you have, it should be interesting a new comparison between the G2 and the new Sigma 150-600... As far as primes, they are sooo expensive, that I can't affor them for now! Best wishes and thanks for answering !
@@DalsPhotography Some zoom lenses can be a bit soft on focus at their maximum zoom but you may be able to improve things a bit by carrying out AF micro adjustment for your camera and lens combination, there are several videos on youtube that show the procedure for Canon cameras. I see you are using a 5Dsr, although they are a very good camera for high resolution photos they may not be the best camera for fast moving subjects because the high resolution can accentuate any minor imperfection that may not be apparent with a lower resolution camera.
Great stuff Paul. Pretty advanced but I think I grasped the idea. I've a new 6D mk2 coming and I'll see if any settings apply for that model. Cheers
Thanks for the feedback Mike. Hope this video helps a bit.
Great video Paul... much appreciated ! :-)
Cheers Martinw. Thank you for the feedback.!
great, thank you!
I always shoot birds in flight on AV mode. Gave Auto ISO a try on 7D and 70D. It produced base ISOs like 100 or 160. And the shots were blurry. So, returned to slecting it. It's 500 - 1000.
Thanks for sharing. Not quite sure why it's doing that.
Thanks, very helpful.
Excellent
Hi Paul, this is wonderful, i have noted all the points, some of them a pretty new to me, can't wait to try them :) , tks for sharing your knowledge. - BR, Dilan
it's more useful . thanks
Cracking video, really helpful - perfect!
Many thanks Andrew. Glad this helped you!
Excellent video, Paul. One question please. When you shoot birds in flight with a clear blue sky as background do you tend to use spot metering to help to obtain an accurate exposure? Thank you.
When I shoot Eagles in flight, the sun's always high in the sky, so spot metering with at least +0.7 EV is necessary for dark birds. More if it's brighter or if I want more underwing detail. This needs a compromise with noise due to higher ISOs, but it might be a lesser problem with newer cameras.
Hi Nishit. Thanks for sharing your technique. Personally I prefer to use evaluated exposure and adjust from there.
Hi Tony. I always use evaluative and use my experience (or a test shot) to adjust from there. My concern with spot is that if the focus point drifts off the subject your exposure could change quite a bit.
Paul Miguel Photography thanks Paul, makes a lot of sense.
Another great video. Thanks for sharing. I have a question. You said that sometimes you use aperture priority with auto ISO. How do you get with this settings the shutter speeds 1/1000-1/2000 that you said are required for birds in flight. Thanks a lot.
Hi. When I use AV with auto ISO I limit the minimum shutter speed to 1/1000 or 1/2000. This makes sure the shutter speed never drops below this.
Now I understand. Thank you.@@PaulMiguelPhotography
Hi Paul, Do you have any views on the use of on-camera monitors for bird still photography?
Hi Brian. I'm afraid I've never tried them myself.
I'm also a birding photographer, so I thank you a lot for this video. My usual problem is how to change the AF options quickly when new birds appear and they have a different behaivour. Where I live this is very , very frequent. Is there any shortcut to do this, without getting all the time out of the viewer and loosing precious seconds? Thank you so much for this intersting video! Best regards, from Uruguay.
Do you ever go for hikes and free hold one of your larger lenses? Or is it to heavy for that kind of thing?
Hi Chennal. I don't take my 500mm lens far - it's just too heavy. On a walk I'll take my 400mm f5.6.
Hi, Paul, In another video of yours you mentioned that you don't use Back Button focusing mode. However, I hope you won't mind teaching me when using Back Button focusing and Autofocusing-C ( continuous focusing mode) at the same time, do I need to keep pressing the Back Button when the subject, say a bird, is moving?
Hi Paul. Thanks for your useful videos. What do you think about subject detection (in this case bird detection ) with zone or tracking focusing? I’m a Fuji xh2s user, but I know that there are subject detections in all newest mirrorless cameras of all other brands too
"This is for those with a more advanced camera system"
Aight Imma head out....
(though watching it now, I think most of these settings are available in my meager m50, so it's still relevant!)
Hi paul , when i use aiservo and back button to track my bird if i dont take my finger off back button focus before i take the shot my shot ends up really over exposed , so my question is are you supposed to keep the back button focus depressed when taking the shot if so it must be my camera or setting ? many thanks
Hi Mike. Yes you can keep the button depressed. It must be something in the settings. I can't quite figure this one out..
Great video. I’ve just recently discovered your channel an enjoy it a lot. I usually shoot manual with my 7dmii but change to use manual/auto iso when light conditions are vastly different such as going from forest to bright sky. I don’t see how AV mode makes sense though because shutter speed becomes the variable that the camera changes for me since I don’t want a slower shutter speed without my knowledge. Could you elaborate on how you make it work for you. The second question/point is f/5.6 vs f/8. I’ve tested my EF 100-400 IS II on a tripod from F5.6 - f/11 at 400mm and see a minimal change in depth of field. Do you find that it’s worth giving up a stop of light for that increase of DOF? I will say though, my copy of that lens is noticeable sharper at f/7.1 & f/8 than it is at f/5.6. Again, thanks for you informative videos.
Hi Dave. Thanks for watching my channel. Regards the AV it's a bit complex - with auto ISO it kind of changes shutter speed and ISO but what I do is set a minimum shutter speed (around 1/1000) then I know it won't fall below that. As for the depth of field I'll decide on the available light - if I'm struggling for shutter speed I might use slightly wider aperture, if not then I'll go more towards f8. For birds in flight I prefer to close down the aperture a bit as it can help improve your chances of sharpness if the focusing is slightly out I think.
Nice job Paul. I'm considering of buying a 300mm f2.8 NON IS version. What is your thoughts about this lens. It stops me a bit because its is not stabilized.
I would absolutely consider it. Quality wise I still think it would be great, and very fast. The main reason I probably wouldn't get one is the weight. Each newer version got lighter. Personally the IS would not bother me.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography Yes IS version would be better, but at the moment my pocket does not allow an IS version. Looking for used 300mm lens, as I already own a 500mm f4.
predict the movement, that's the challenge! :D
Hey Paul, great video & explanation! I have the 7d mkii that I use for action such as dog photography & sports.
Hypothetically, if you were to shoot action of dogs sprinting straight at the camera & running round, what case & fine tune settimgs would you likely use? I can struggle to get out with dogs to keep testing these settings so curious what you would do. BIF is similar to dogs I imagine...
Your images are lovely & super sharp btw 👊🙌
Hi Scott. It's hard to say but I'd probably increase the sensitivity, and possibly more focus points with auto-switching. Depends how good your technique is really.
@@PaulMiguelPhotography thanks for the reply 👊
Hi Paul hope you could me help me my question is I was trying to photograph a buzzard landing on top a piece of wood head on and I was on the bird as it was about to land with its claws out and what I found which is annoying as I’m following it about to grab onto the wood , I’m taking lots of photos to try and get it head on landing but when I look back through the photos it loses focus as the bird comes into land how can I stop this and what’s the best focus system etc. Many thanks Ben
Hi Ben. I think this is often a problem - usually to do with changing speed. Sometimes you can tweak the autofocus settings, e.g. cases on Canon. I would say if it keeps happening, switch to manual focus and focus on the perch (or slightly behind it) then take lots of shots as the bird lands. That's often a better way.
I really enjoyed this so much .. How much does all the gear you have there weigh ? Reason being I longer drive as in Berlin transport is round the clock even to remote parts ,, Yet still a walk and having had two spinal fractures weight etc is an issue Have looked at the Nikon Z series and am thrilled by the light casing .....Standing isn't an option but there are other ways .Have no problem with the larger birds but gulls and small birds are tricky .Yes Berlin does have Gulls In the New year collect the Nikon ..Have subscribed ,,,Thanks so much .👍.. Helena ,
Weighs a good few kilos... I have been to Berlin; photographed the Goshawks there.