What initial settings

[markyboy.1967]

Folks, in 2 weeks time im going to a Red Kite feeding centre near Stirling. Now i have had mixed success with birds in flight and wondered if anyone could give me intial settings which i should try and take it fro there.

The info i have is that

1 the hide is aprox 40 meters from the feeding station.
2. The Red Kites come in from all angles
3.Surrounding area may have some hilltop fields as a backdrop.
4.Im using my Nikon D50
5.Lenses will be a Nikon 300 f4 AFD, Nikon 80-200 f2.8 AFD
6.I will have a Kenko 1.4 tc for the 300 f4 if need be.
7. Giottos monopod and series 2 ball head

Now i know that lighting will be an issue and its hard to guess.What i would like to know is--Do i shoot in Aperture setting for nce depth of field or Shutter priority. Do i pan or wait for the birds to come into lens view?

At 40 meters is the 300 f4 enugh or do i need the tc on, i know the birds will be in the sky and that adds distance.

Anyone any tips as i dont want to miss a great chance to shoot some wonderfull birds. believe tere is really around a 30 min window as the birds come for food.

 

[cosmix3]

Hi,

Take it you meen Argaty, was threr in the summer, I found it easier to set the Appature in AV, then select an area of grass and meter this, note the Shutter speed then switch to manual and set the Appature and the shutter speed, just need to re-check for changing conditions, think you will be OK with 300mm. as took this at 400mm

 

[markyboy.1967]

Thats exactly what i mean. What the exif date from that pic?Any info you can supply about the centre would be greatful. Anything from the surroundings to distance from the birds.Thanks

 

[cosmix3]

That shot was taken on the 11 July, got to the centre after the feed, but was still several birds around. were coming close enougth to get some good shots, I personaly think if you meter of the grass and manualy set both Appature and Shutter you will be fine, tryed AV first but got mixed results with the shots as a fair few the Kites were dark. One thing I do remember is that the farm was in the middle of nowhere and therfore not the easyist to find, and it is a bit of a walk from the car park to the hide.

Enjoy your time there.

 

[markyboy.1967]

The lucky thing for me is that its only 40 mins by car from me so if i muck it up i can just go back the next weekend.Thanks for the advice.

Is the area pretty clear or is there loads of trees etc around the feeding centre, just hoping i can get a decent shot of them coming in to the feeding area.Did you book in or just turn up?

 

[cosmix3]

Area they feed in is prety clear of trees, just a low fence (from what I remember) and some telegraph poles. and as for booking, in my case I just turned up, as was in area.

The lucky thing for me is that its only 40 mins by car from me so if i muck it up i can just go back the next weekend.Thanks for the advice.

Is the area pretty clear or is there loads of trees etc around the feeding centre, just hoping i can get a decent shot of them coming in to the feeding area.Did you boo in or ust turn up?

 

[Lensflare]

If you want to use AV to deal with changing light conditions - you simply use your exposure compensation button.

Looking at the shot above, Av would underexpose that by about 1.3 stops - so simply dial in +1 1/3 stops with the exposure compensation button. Check the first couple of results on the review screen and adjust a tad if it is wildly out. That way you will get far more successful shots than keep on metering off the grass (which works, or grey tarmac, or your hand out in the same light) - while you are metering off the grass you can not be looking for the shot. Using the exp comp method keeps you looking at whatever your subject is.

At 40m the depth of field, even on the 300 + tele con. will be as much as you need.

Shoot RAW, so you have more latitude for correcting the shots when you get home. Edit hard and THROW AWAY all the dodgy ones- it is only the best that are of interest. If you have 3 much the same - edit them down to the best, even if you can only junk one of them, that is a 30% saving on space, time and effort for the same reward. That goes for anthing, not just kites.

 

[markyboy.1967]

thanks, that makes things eaven easier for me. As for shooting in Raw, I have Photoshop 7 and don't think it converts Raw but I'm just starting to experiment with it as I'm a total newbie.

 

[pxl8]

Check the first couple of results on the review screen and adjust a tad if it is wildly out. That way you will get far more successful shots than keep on metering off the grass (which works, or grey tarmac, or your hand out in the same light) - while you are metering off the grass you can not be looking for the shot. Using the exp comp method keeps you looking at whatever your subject is.

What is it about shooting manual that makes people think it's so problematic?

This is a clear example of why shooting manual gets much better results. The shots on the left were all taken in Av, the shots on the right were taken in manual after taking a single reading. The results for shooting Av are:

2 stops under
1 stop under
correct
1 2/3 stops under

I didn't have to meter and adjust the settings for each shot in manual mode, just one reading meant I had the correct exposure for my "subject". A setting I can continue using until the light changes then I can adjust for it and shoot away again. Using Av and EC means I'm constantly checking and adjusting and then sorting out all my wrong guesses in post.

If it's a sunny day and you have to deal with light and shade then you take two readings, one for each, and count the number of clicks you need to shift between the two (or remember the values). Then as your subject moves from light to shade you shift the wheel to match. You're still only dealing with two values rather than the dozens of adjustments and guesswork that Av will cause you to make as it meters each and every shot differently.