Quote:
Originally Posted by Weebl
Ahh Dave, I see you were getting bird pictures also.
Toward the end of the morning they started to come in close. Given the distances and the wind, even high shutter speeds were not helping me.
|
The problem is usually focus, or more specifically AF. That example you posted is a really difficult situation. The camera is prone to grab hold of focus on everything except the subject. To force the camera on the subject, you need single-point AF. Against a blue sky, you can use more AF points, when the subject isn't too close, but 99% of the time I use single-point.
Pre-focus by focusing on a point about the same distance as where you'll expect to grab the bird. (High contrast is the best, since the camera will react faster). Next, move up to the bird, but don't touch the AF button (front or back, it really doesn't matter which you use) until you're certain that you've got the AF on the bird. I "bump" the AF about every half-second as the bird is flying nearer, making certain to have the AF point on the bird each time you do it. Finally, when the bird is in range, shoot in bursts of two to four, with the camera in burst mode. I hold down for six or eight shots when something exciting happens, like a kingfisher diving on a minnow:
Kingfisher Strikes by
David Stephens, on Flickr
Take lots of shots. I took 400 of the kingfisher, processed ten and thought this was best of the series.