BIF - D500 with the 200-500 lens

DaveNewman

Senior Member
hi all, just a question if anyone can help me.

at the moment im TRYING to shoot BIF in Aperture priority mode, im currently set at the following:


  • auto iso set at 3200
  • minimum shutter speed set at 1/1600
  • matrix metering
  • F5.6 wide open, but after my lens was calibrated to my camera the sweet spot/sharpest is at f6.3
  • group focus point
  • exposure composition will obviously change depending where im shooting (dark woods or skies)

or, do i not bother in A mode and move to manual so i can control everything (apart from AUTO ISO)

im kind of struggling to get good sharp BIF photos. i see so many excellent images on FLICKR (in the UK where i live) with photographers always maintaining HIGH shutter speeds and low ish ISO, even if the birds arent not flying, their settings for SS and ISO are still high and low.......

anyone help me out?

thanks
dave
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
1/1600s might be fast enough for a large bird moving slowly unless you're absolutely locked on but I've found 1/2000 or faster is going to give you a better keeper rate.

I don't use Group-area, I almost always us 153-point Dynamic-area AF. With birds in flight you're almost always going to have a nondescript background so you're either going to grab the bird or not. Once it's grabbed it can move throughout the range of the viewfinder L-to-R and generally stay in focus. Steve Perry still has the best tutorial on Nikon Focus Modes for wildlife out there and explains how to set focus locking, etc. to best achieve what you're looking for.

I also ratchet my Auto ISO up to 4000 and find it ultimately very usable. I shoot a ton of this stuff (even if a lot of it isn't shared here) and have been using the D500 since it came out. Haven't found a better way to do it.
 

DaveNewman

Senior Member
1/1600s might be fast enough for a large bird moving slowly unless you're absolutely locked on but I've found 1/2000 or faster is going to give you a better keeper rate.

I don't use Group-area, I almost always us 153-point Dynamic-area AF. With birds in flight you're almost always going to have a nondescript background so you're either going to grab the bird or not. Once it's grabbed it can move throughout the range of the viewfinder L-to-R and generally stay in focus. Steve Perry still has the best tutorial on Nikon Focus Modes for wildlife out there and explains how to set focus locking, etc. to best achieve what you're looking for.

I also ratchet my Auto ISO up to 4000 and find it ultimately very usable. I shoot a ton of this stuff (even if a lot of it isn't shared here) and have been using the D500 since it came out. Haven't found a better way to do it.

WHY would you use 153 point focus for BIF?
 

lrlebron

Senior Member
I am also learning this. I suggest working on your panning technique. For me this is just as important as the camera settings.
Start wiith a slow flyer (i.e. Heron, Vulture)
20200315-_DSC3244.jpg

You can see in the following picture that the shutter speed is relatively slow
(1/320)
so for me panning is what worked
20200317-DSC_0355-Edit.jpg

I hope this helps.
 

DaveNewman

Senior Member
not as easy when the birds go in all directions however fast or slow.

following them in a straight line, up, down or side ways isnt a problem

also panning requires mainly a slow SS, which is what you have, i want fast speeds to also reduce hand shake. Woody's photos in the link above average SS us 1/2000 to 1/2500, images speak for themselves
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
WHY would you use 153 point focus for BIF?

It's not 153 points, it's single point that then locks and actively migrates across 153 available points. You can never have a camera focus on multiple points, a common misconception because of the name. With Grp focus it looks across multiple nearly adjacent points to determine which to use but depending on the size of the target I've found that leads to searching more often than I'd like. I want to put a dot on a bird, lock it in, and then not worry as that bird changes position across the rest of the viewfinder if I'm not following cleanly because it's moving fast or possibly overhead.
 

DaveNewman

Senior Member
It's not 153 points, it's single point that then locks and actively migrates across 153 available points. You can never have a camera focus on multiple points, a common misconception because of the name. With Grp focus it looks across multiple nearly adjacent points to determine which to use but depending on the size of the target I've found that leads to searching more often than I'd like. I want to put a dot on a bird, lock it in, and then not worry as that bird changes position across the rest of the viewfinder if I'm not following cleanly because it's moving fast or possibly overhead.

going to message you
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
It's not 153 points, it's single point that then locks and actively migrates across 153 available points. You can never have a camera focus on multiple points, a common misconception because of the name. With Grp focus it looks across multiple nearly adjacent points to determine which to use but depending on the size of the target I've found that leads to searching more often than I'd like. I want to put a dot on a bird, lock it in, and then not worry as that bird changes position across the rest of the viewfinder if I'm not following cleanly because it's moving fast or possibly overhead.

Question for you, Jake - if the bird flies out from under the initial point where focus was achieved, will the 153 points still be able to keep it in focus? What I mean is if the point is no longer on the bird at all. I tend to use single point focus, and it's a pain trying to keep the focus point on the bird.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Question for you, Jake - if the bird flies out from under the initial point where focus was achieved, will the 153 points still be able to keep it in focus? What I mean is if the point is no longer on the bird at all. I tend to use single point focus, and it's a pain trying to keep the focus point on the bird.

The AF system attempts to keep the dot on the subject while you're shooting (it remains static while the focus button is depressed but the camera is not firing). It will move across the available points as you and/or the subject moves during your shooting burst provided that the focus button remains depressed. If you set you playback so it shows the focus point you can see this movement as you scroll through the images on the back of your camera.
 

DaveNewman

Senior Member
It's been a while since I watched that. Thanks. So when the original point falls off the subject, one of the other points picks it up although possibly not in an ideal location on the subject. Still - it might be better for me to try. I've been missing focus completely with 1 single point.

anything static i always use SINGLE POINT, especially if the subject is in trees, or foilage etc......

BIF or anything moving ive been using GROUP, highly recommended by perry and mark smith and seems to be the most common, however, after seeing photos and posts on here im going to try 153 point and see what happens
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
anything static i always use SINGLE POINT, especially if the subject is in trees, or foilage etc......

BIF or anything moving ive been using GROUP, highly recommended by perry and mark smith and seems to be the most common, however, after seeing photos and posts on here im going to try 153 point and see what happens

I try to switch to aperture priority for static subjects because the camera is set for AF-S rather than AF-C. Although you probably just change the number of points you use, I just switch from U2 with BBF programmed to Aperture Priority where the shutter focuses. For me it works. ;)
 

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
not as easy when the birds go in all directions however fast or slow.

following them in a straight line, up, down or side ways isnt a problem

also panning requires mainly a slow SS, which is what you have, i want fast speeds to also reduce hand shake. Woody's photos in the link above average SS us 1/2000 to 1/2500, images speak for themselves

lrlebron is correct. Panning is important even when shooting at very high shutter speeds when talking about moving subjects. You need to follow the subject in the viewfinder to avoid subject blur even at 1/2000. Try shooting a speeding duck at 1/3200 and you'll see that even at that shutter speed you'll get significant subject blur if you don't pan with the bird as it flies past.
 
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