Basic settings?

Suomi

Suomi

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Have a few days off next month. Have decided to have another crack at the squirells and small birds at my parents place.

Thinking about putting the camera close to the feeders. Unfortunately this is going to mean there will be no room for me, so the camera is going to be fired from a position further away.

I would be grateful if someone could like me know if this sounds reasonable or mad camera set to shutter pirority 1/250 leave the camera to work out the appature.
What should I have the focus mechanism at C, S or M?
Should I leave it on AF or should I switch to manual?
I will be using the D300 with a 70-300mm mainly.

Cheers
 
I would manual focus.
Set it at about f8 for a reasonable depth of field. Try to get a decent shutter speed upping the ISO if necessary.
It all depends on the light so may have to compromise.
 
I would shoot in AV with auto focus f7.1 and use the ISO to keep to 1/300. Shutter speed and ISO is always a bit of a balancing act
 
Cheers, both useful starting points there. I will give them a go and see what happens. Fingers crossed it does not rain (too much) well it is the Lake District!
 
I prefer aperture priority unless the animals are moving along. I also like shallow depth of field. For me I'd probably shoot one stop down from wide open and keep the shutter speed up enough. For the 300 I'd probably start at ISO400 unless there is lots of light and see where that got me. If you've got the 70-300 VR, then VR on and go with it. Without VR I'd try to keep the shutter higher.

Thanks,
Rick
 
/\ Think it is going to be on a tripod or something?

Don't know how you would control autofocus if it is just a remote shutter release. Unless it is all framed really tightly.
 
A couple of places there is space for a tripod. The other place I will have to rest it on a small car ramp that is there, in this position it will have to face upwards.
 
Suomi said:
Have a few days off next month. Have decided to have another crack at the squirells and small birds at my parents place.

Thinking about putting the camera close to the feeders. Unfortunately this is going to mean there will be no room for me, so the camera is going to be fired from a position further away.

I would be grateful if someone could like me know if this sounds reasonable or mad camera set to shutter pirority 1/250 leave the camera to work out the appature.
What should I have the focus mechanism at C, S or M?
Should I leave it on AF or should I switch to manual?
I will be using the D300 with a 70-300mm mainly.

Cheers
Click to expand...

The way I've done this with a Canon 40D was to run 3x 5m USB active repeater cables up the garden from the camera to a laptop and control everything (aperture, shutter, focus) except the remote flash power using EOS Utilities.

I'm not sure if Nikon supplies similar software for tethered shotting as standard? the active repeater cables were about £5 each.
 
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