saltwaterphil Loc: va beach, va

Does anyone have experience photographing jumping Marlin offshore. I fish a lot and enjoy photographing the fight. Focusing is a major issues since the fish will surface 200 yards out jump than jump 50 yards out 30 seconds later. I have never used back button focus, but my reading on the subject suggests that it may not be the best method for shooting this type of action. I have looked everywhere for articles and advice on this subject to no avail. Looking for help.

Hank Radt

Hmmm. Couple things come to mind:

Smallest aperture possible, to get maximum depth of field, then crop?

Auto focus continuous (AF-C on my camera) with drive mode set to the max? Of course, you have to have something for the AF-C to initially focus on and the camera may not adjust quickly enough. Maybe trying anticipate (yeah, I know...) roughly where the Marlin is going to jump next, ready to run off a bunch of shots?

Not sure that back-button focus is the best solution: you have to use two digits to focus (thumb), and then shoot (finger). I would hazard that focusing using the shutter (halfway on my camera; all the way triggers the shutter). This requires some practice to do quickly.

Might be worth experiment with, say, birds in flight, before you get on the boat.

saltwaterphil Loc: va beach, va

Thanks...I've been doing this for years. Just can't believe how hard it is to get great shots. It's definitely a test for your action photography skills.

Hank Radt

I can imagine...

If no one else has a good suggestion, maybe you become the guinea pig for the rest of us!!!!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

BBF is considered the superior solution for fast action shooting and many of the "converted" consider it the best for all situations. But, you need to practice and not take it out for the first time in a high action setting.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Interesting, and I can understand the idea. Of course, even using the shutter button to focus, you would have to give the camera time to focus. I think I've been using BBF long enough that I would use it even for fast subjects.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

FWIW:

No marlin experience, but have shot dolphins, problem is no way to know where or when they will pop up, for me, best results by shooting without BBF, use half press to focus, full to shoot, do not use viewfinder or lcd to frame shot, point camera in general direction by aiming by looking above the viewfinder, sort of like a sawed off shotgun!

Wide angle and crop in post processing

Burst mode on, get many shots, you will get lucky

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

I would think that BBF with A1 servo would work. I use BBF as a matter of course.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

I use both BB focus as well as shutter button. Both have their advantages considering the situation. For this situation, I don't think BB focus will give you any advantage. What I find sometimes is that when you are concentrating on a moving subject with AF on all the time, sometimes I find that I am not keeping sufficient pressure on the BB to keep the AF system operating. When I look at the images on the back of the camera or in post and don't see the active AF point, the only explanation I have is that the AF system was not activated. Alternatively, when using shutter button AF, you know that the AF is going to be active because it will activate when you depress shutter button. This scenario is operator error I know, but just saying, sometimes simple is better.

bajadreamer Loc: Baja California Sur

I agree with you-a challenge. I have done a lot of this type of shooting in the past and although I certainly discard 95% of my shots I have been successful a few times. This is the way I like to set it up. First, I use colored trolling line, usually bright blue, so I can have a clue as to direction and even distance that I might be working on. Second, I use small aperture, like f16 or even 22; usually there is plenty of light for both small f stop and fast SS. Third, I use BBF with AI Servo (Canon equipment), shooting in burst mode. I find it easier to keep focus motor running with BBF. If I use the shutter button, my finger is not steady enough and after 3 or 4 seconds, I end up pushing the shutter button in fully and take lots of pictures of empty ocean. Fourth, I use Full Zone (all of the focus points) focus. Where I fish the ocean is often flat calm so the camera cannot find anything to focus on until the surface of the ocean is broken (by the jumping fish). When the fish breaks the surface of the water the focus grabs quickly. If the ocean is rough this method does not work as well as the camera wants to focus on breaking waves (on my cameras I can instruct them to keep hunting even if focus cannot be achieved). I usually use a 100-400 lens so I have lots of options concerning field of view. Sometimes if the fish is greyhounding, I can even change the magnification during the burst of photos.
As a side, if you keep your camera ready on the boat, often you can get some great BIF pictures too of birds coming into your trolling pattern using these same settings. Where I am at, various species of Boobies or Frigatebirds come in frequently.
One last thing; because you are keeping the lens motor running while it looks for an object to focus on, you really go through the batteries.
Hope you have good fishing and shooting.

Grand Loc: Lebanon, Pa

I live by it, use it all the time.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

If you use back button focusing with continuous focus, the camera will continually focus and refocus on a moving object for as long as you hold the assigned button down. It's one reason I really like BBF and it will allow you to keep the object in focus without holding the shutter releases button half way down. Needless to say your shutter speed and speed at which the lens can focus dramatically affect how sharply a moving subject is captured.

mkahn

When using BBF, if you hold your finger on the button, you are in AF-C or autofocus continue. In that case the focus point is not recorded.

kbk

how about using the camera on video and then using software to capture a single frame.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

I would use AF-C, BBF, and continuous [burst] shooting. As others have said, it takes good reflexes, but can be done. I have used it for horse shows successfully, trying to capture the horse at just the right moment as it goes over jumps. My only experience with fish was shooting rainbows leaping up the falls to go to their spawning grounds. For that I used a tripod and focused on a specific section of the river and waited for one to jump! Even that required quick reflexes...

Whatever method you consider, practice several times. [Car races, Horse races, Basketball, Football, or Soccer games will offer fast action. Not as unpredictable, but fast!] Even try different ways and decide which one you are most comfortable with. Good Luck!