dabbleshots Loc: Richmond,va.

I bought a d7000 in sept and wow it is crazy filled with so much to do,,,is there anyone out there that owns one and would be interested in discussing some tips,,,i seem be having trouble with it focusing in when i take birds in flight,,i have a d40 that is great but it only has 6.1mp. anyone take things in motion to help me set my camera to take sharp pics this way!

MtnMan Loc: ID

I bought a D7000 several months ago after a little over a year of owning a D5100. Because it seems to upset some people I won't go into why I actually prefer the D5100 but I will mention that I was able to take sharper pictures with it than with the D7000.

There are many threads here where people new to the D7000 have focus problems with it. I'm now getting there with the D7000 but it takes more care. I suspect the focusing mechanism is different. As you probably know it has more focusing points.

For Birds in Flight I use spot focus and metering and set my camera on continuous shooting. I use shutter priority set at 1/1000 and various ISOs to achieve that. I have the shutter set to not fire until the camera is focused and the metering is on. Then I track the bird with the shutter held down and it fires when it locks on.

I'll note a lot of good bird photograpers use aperture priority instead of shutter priority. None has ever explained why to me. I use shutter priority to reduce motion blur.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Posting pictures would give us a better idea what your having trouble with like what settings are you using.

dabbleshots Loc: Richmond,va.

thank you very much,,,,here are a few pics i took with the d7000 not exactly in focus,,,not sure what i did! i know my d40 zings right in and locks in sharp focus,,, was disappointed when i thought the ping locked in and was getting great shots only to find they were still fuzzy

MtnMan Loc: ID

If you post using (store original) we can look at the EXIF data and zoom to give better feedback.

From what you posted your shutter speed might be to too low for the lens you are using.

I also suspect you are not using spot focus and may not have your shutter control set to only fire when focus is locked on.

Note wing motion at even 1/500s

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

PLEASE only use the CENTRE focus point and turn the rest off and NOT just for BIF

I was shooting the RNLI today at 500mm on D700 so 750mm in fact, if I had all the focus points enabled I would have great sharp sky or sea NOT the boat

Also you must be in (C)ontinuous focus mode NOT (S) single shot AND have Shutter priority set to compensate for focal lengths.

DON'T forger VR needs to be on

GregShea Loc: Redding, Ca

I have the D7000 and have adjusted the auto-focus fine tuning for each of my lenses and have gotten great results. It's in the setup menu in the listing under the wrench, second from the bottom"AF fine tuning".

GregShea Loc: Redding, Ca

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Please show us some sharp photos of BIF you've taken and explain what settings you use to achieve.

FilmFanatic Loc: Waikato, New Zealand

It doesn't beep in continuous focus mode so we know the camera is set wrong, needs to be AF-C not AF-S mode

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

First off you didn't mention what lens you are using, need at least up to a 300mm range to get better shots. I noticed the photos you posted were taken on the beach in at least cloudy/low light conditions not the best light for tracking BIF, with that said here are a few suggestions.
First check this page out, http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7000/af-settings.htm, this will Explain the AF modes in you camera, please have the manual handy and go thru all of these. This is how you master the camera and BIF. You will have to access your custom camera settings and AF mode to set the camera up. As already mention you want to use the Single center focus point. access this thru pressing your AF button and turning front dial. Also set up Auto Focus Continuous mode, this is thru your Custom camera settings menu, and you also have the 'Auto focus with tracking on', set this on 3 or 4 also under the custom camera setting mode. You have three different settings for you shutter, choose CL this is under your mode dial, press the little button and turn the ring under your mode dial to CL, this gives you 3 to 5 shots when you keep the shutter button press all the way down. You want to use Spot metering for your birds, and as a beginner you should Use Shutter Priority 1/1000 and Auto ISO until you learn about aperture, Iso and shutter speed functions relationship.
Auto Focus Continuous Mode
Spot Metering
Single Focus Point
Auto ISO
Shutter Priority 1/1000
Takes practice and understanding the functions of your camera, learn your camera and have fun. It's a Great Camera.
These were posted today http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-108184-1.html

JR1 Loc: Tavistock, Devon, UK

100% that's what I said, I use that almost all the time +1

Pepper Loc: Planet Earth Country USA

Great post!
:thumbup:

Indrajeet Singh Loc: Goa, India

Used a D7000 since 2011, just replaced it with the D7100. Loved the D7000. Great camera. 99% of my shooting is birds, I have several posts on UHH, you could check out "India" as a lead to search them. You will see stacks of BiF images.

My settings are all manual with spot metering except for the autofocus and I will use C or S, depending on the situation. We have a lot of foliage and sometimes it is required that I also revert to manual focus.

You need to practice with it and learn to set it up to suite your subjects and environment. U1 & U2 are exceptional features for such usage.

MtnMan Loc: ID

Great Osprey pics!

They don't arrive in Idaho till May.