Bumble bee hovering
Mar 15, 2016 16:54:32 #
Out taking nature shots and kept seeing this bumble bee. Had to shoot manual focus . AF would not keep up.
Any hints on using AF with this type of situation?
Any hints on using AF with this type of situation?
Mar 15, 2016 17:01:10 #
They are too small and too quick for most if not all AF to keep up with. Hovering the only chance you have to with AF. I would focus on a bee on flower and when it lifts off do a burst shot. You end up deleting 9 out of 10. Good Luck.
Mar 15, 2016 17:08:21 #
RedArrow wrote:
They are too small and too quick for most if not all AF to keep up with. Hovering the only chance you have to with AF. I would focus on a bee on flower and when it lifts off do a burst shot. You end up deleting 9 out of 10. Good Luck.
Ditto. It works but you will burn through electrons in the form of our of focus shots.
:thumbup:
Mar 15, 2016 19:40:28 #
I have found centre focus point only, continious auto focos is on, and a fast focussimg lens helps.
Mar 15, 2016 20:47:45 #
Thanks for the replys. Richard, I will try the center point focus and continously focus.
Mar 16, 2016 05:46:08 #
Use a water with a slight amount of honey sprayed on the plant. This is paying the bee for being a model.
What does your photo look like cropped?
Consider backing off and using telephoto so that the area of focus is deeper... think i am right??? pressed for time this AM or I would check that comment out.
What does your photo look like cropped?
Consider backing off and using telephoto so that the area of focus is deeper... think i am right??? pressed for time this AM or I would check that comment out.
Mar 16, 2016 08:54:01 #
Just an aside, the first image is a male Carpenter Bee, not a Bumble Bee (although they do look similar). The give away to the ID is the white/yellow patch on it's face. They can't sting either (the male bees that is). The only way to get a good image is to take as many shots as possible & hope for the best.
Mar 16, 2016 10:09:18 #
This is another excellent reason for using BBF. (back button focus) There is no humanly possible way to keep the bee or any insect in the center spot focus range so auto focus is useless. Getting one fixed point, the tip of the flower, and having the focus locked on that will give much better results overall. So your choices are to use auto focus and then switch the lens to manual focus so it doesn't move (time consuming) and shoot OR use BBF once and shoot.
While I say focus on the tip of the flower which will work if the insect is at the same distance, it may be more accurate to find some stationery object that is at the same distance from the lens as the insect and focus on that. If the insect moves closer or further away you can always adjust your position to match but that also takes a little practice. Of course, light permitting, you can use a smaller aperture to increase your DOF (depth of field) minimizing the number of out of focus shots.
While I say focus on the tip of the flower which will work if the insect is at the same distance, it may be more accurate to find some stationery object that is at the same distance from the lens as the insect and focus on that. If the insect moves closer or further away you can always adjust your position to match but that also takes a little practice. Of course, light permitting, you can use a smaller aperture to increase your DOF (depth of field) minimizing the number of out of focus shots.
Fatford wrote:
Any hints on using AF with this type of situation?
Mar 16, 2016 10:59:36 #
Fatford wrote:
Out taking nature shots and kept seeing this bumble bee. Had to shoot manual focus . AF would not keep up.
Any hints on using AF with this type of situation?
Any hints on using AF with this type of situation?
Always click on "store original" when asking questions. This allows a better download and the camera settings are available. David
Mar 16, 2016 12:22:50 #
Fatford wrote:
Out taking nature shots and kept seeing this bumble bee. Had to shoot manual focus . AF would not keep up.
Any hints on using AF with this type of situation?
Any hints on using AF with this type of situation?
How I do it:
Tripod > Remote Shutter release > Pre focus on a flower > f/16 (for deeper DOF) ISO @ 200 > SS @ 1/250 > Flash at 1/128...1/64...1/32 (adjust as needed)
Sit down...have a cold beer...AND WAIT! Works for me.
Thanks, Boone.
Mar 17, 2016 08:56:56 #
Scott,
Thank you for the clarifacation. I wasn't sure as most of time I see the carpenter bees land on my deck railings to bore their holes. Haven't seen them landing on plants.
Thank you for the clarifacation. I wasn't sure as most of time I see the carpenter bees land on my deck railings to bore their holes. Haven't seen them landing on plants.
Mar 17, 2016 09:00:18 #
Thank you all for the tips and ideas. I will experiment with them to see what works best for me.
Although the remote shutter, tripod and beer may be my starting point.
Although the remote shutter, tripod and beer may be my starting point.
Mar 17, 2016 14:49:15 #
dpullum wrote:
....Consider backing off and using telephoto so that the area of focus is deeper...
Backing off moves the focus point away from the camera, and that will increase DOF. However, zooming in - i.e. NOT using wide angle - reduces the DOF. The end result? If you end up with the same framing, the DOF won't be significantly different. Your idea concerning honey-scented water sounds more promising...
Mar 18, 2016 13:37:30 #
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