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[Barking]

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[Avondale87]

Bird-- my best (likely wrong) guess is a wren-- singing.

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Carolina wren?
Nicely photographed.
Grabbing them in full song makes for interesting and lovely shots

 

[relic]

Carolina wren?
Nicely photographed.
Grabbing them in full song makes for interesting and lovely shots

Thank you very much for your identification and for your kind comment.

 

[doxa750]

While waiting to photograph osprey taking a dive (it happened a few times but always far away), I thought I gave myself a crack at some swallows close by. I just picked one image of each specie from yesterday to post for now. The weather wasn't quite ideal as it was mostly cloudy.

I tried MC14 in the afternoon since light was a bit better. However, I find that it is better to use just 300mm F4 to keep shutter speed high while keeping ISO low plus it has much faster AF speed. When I used MC14 at F6.3, I felt AF just could keep up sometime when swallows coming toward me.

The trick is to track it early and press the shutter once it is within range. I use AF-limiter on these shots with range of 3-50meters. I also turned off lens IS. As I tracked, once the subject became visibly clear in the EVF, I would start taking shot. Last but not least, I use C-AF 5x5 with +2 sensitivity.

The first image is cropped to about 4MB. Second one is about 6MB and the last is about 5MB.

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EM130638_DxO by Narin, on Flickr

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EM130670_DxO by Narin, on Flickr

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EM130883_DxO by Narin, on Flickr

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I don't know how you BIF folks do it. I can replicate the camera settings, but never the results.

 

[Mountain_Man_79]

Great-tailed Grackle

 

[emorgan451]

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[doxa750]

I don't know how you BIF folks do it. I can replicate the camera settings, but never the results.

I think you are in Kansas City area. If so, we can head out and give it a try.

Anyhow, I will try to explain a bit more. I sat down low so that I have eye level close to the water. This helps me focus on the bird quicker/easier as I track it along the water surface. Taking it out of the sky would be harder IMHO.
AF-limiter is important to get hit rate up. The next important key is to quickly spot the bird that flying toward you coming closer to the water. Point camera in that direction so that bird comes into the frame then keep tracking. The tracking part I understand can be very tricky at first. So it will take some practices. Also, sometime birds change direction and will never come into your frame, but don't give up.

Anyhow, as I explained, as bird is in the frame and within my focus range, I would half press and track it till I have green focus light confirms. Then I just press it fully as it flies across the water. I should mention that having high EVF frame rate is crucial. I don't use any dot sight, etc.

 

[atomicmak]

While waiting to photograph osprey taking a dive (it happened a few times but always far away), I thought I gave myself a crack at some swallows close by. I just picked one image of each specie from yesterday to post for now. The weather wasn't quite ideal as it was mostly cloudy.

I tried MC14 in the afternoon since light was a bit better. However, I find that it is better to use just 300mm F4 to keep shutter speed high while keeping ISO low plus it has much faster AF speed. When I used MC14 at F6.3, I felt AF just could keep up sometime when swallows coming toward me.

The trick is to track it early and press the shutter once it is within range. I use AF-limiter on these shots with range of 3-50meters. I also turned off lens IS. As I tracked, once the subject became visibly clear in the EVF, I would start taking shot. Last but not least, I use C-AF 5x5 with +2 sensitivity.

The first image is cropped to about 4MB. Second one is about 6MB and the last is about 5MB.

View attachment 884327 EM130638_DxO by Narin, on Flickr
View attachment 884328 EM130670_DxO by Narin, on Flickr
View attachment 884329 EM130883_DxO by Narin, on Flickr

Thaose are some crackling shots I have been waiting to do... We have very harsh bright summer days... looknig forward to overcast day and the swallos will dance in air and over the water..
Your settings are really on spot to the one I use except i stick to 3x3 unless its complete clean backdrop.

 

[atomicmak]

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Em1.3 | 300 f/4 + 1.4tc
Manual Exposure f/5.6, 1/30, ISO 1000, +0.30ev
Just shot on while aproaching lake and sun was not yet Rise. Just duck sit and shot hand holding so quick singer and fast runner .. Pretty happy the way IBIS holded it.

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[D7k1]

Sandpiper still, Dowitcher Yellow Leg giving alarm call video:

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Dowitcher

 

[andy darbyshire]

Falcon

 

[doxa750]

Thaose are some crackling shots I have been waiting to do... We have very harsh bright summer days... looknig forward to overcast day and the swallos will dance in air and over the water..
Your settings are really on spot to the one I use except i stick to 3x3 unless its complete clean backdrop.

I hear you about having clear background with 5x5 to be problematic. I usually change to just one single box if that is the case.

My AF point set up only has a smallest point, one small box and 5x5. This allows me to change things up on the fly as quick as possible.

Anyhow, I got images that will post soon 1) Catching a fly in flight 2) Picking one up off the water 3) Looking at itself reflection off the water .

Frankly, this becomes very addicted and I can see why some people obsess with swallows photography!

When I head out again, I hope to catch images but with water reflection off the sun. That would be an epic! Well at least for me. I just need to pick the that all day sunny day to do it.

 

[atomicmak]

I hear you about having clear background with 5x5 to be problematic. I usually change to just one single box if that is the case.

My AF point set up only has a smallest point, one small box and 5x5. This allows me to change things up on the fly as quick as possible.

Anyhow, I got images that will post soon 1) Catching a fly in flight 2) Picking one up off the water 3) Looking at itself reflection off the water .

Frankly, this becomes very addicted and I can see why some people obsess with swallows photography!

When I head out again, I hope to catch images but with water reflection off the sun. That would be an epic! Well at least for me. I just need to pick the that all day sunny day to do it.

Looking forward to your images. I usually switch to single target bigger af point in larger bird say cranes heron or egrets or spoonbills.. for smaller like waders and since they are faster along with smaller ducks i keep on 3x3 .. open sky clean bg 5x5 can be best option to let predictive af do its job but rest in my case of locations it hunts picks and drops so fast with 5x5 so used to with 3x3 in better ways now.. still doing my notations of settings since i prpared the pdf and probably will do addition later with subjective details in it.

But yes BIF is been my prime choice of my 15 years birding shoots it gives lot of fun and wider aspects to understand them more than stationary.

 

[SteveAdler]

How I feel today

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[relic]

I don't know how you BIF folks do it. I can replicate the camera settings, but never the results.

The best I could do was to get less than half the bird in the frame

 

[D7k1]

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[atomicmak]

The best I could do was to get less than half the bird in the frame

Happens to me plenty of time trying to match with evf and by the time i get proper situation bird may have came closer tha expected to cut out the wings.... ?

 

[Mack]

First day out with my new (used) E-M1.1 full-spectrum IR camera. Surprised I have high speeds again without going down into seconds for a shot, even with a dark 720nm IR filter attached to the 40-150mm f/2.8 lens.

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[doxa750]

How I feel today
View attachment 884442

Oh No! Well, me hope you have much better day starting tomorrow!!!