via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I'll comment more on the artistic aspects since I don't use Canon gear. I will say, however, as others have said, to catch a sharp shot of a bird in flight you must use a fast shutter speed. How fast does depend on the movement of the bird. Panning birds and holding your gear steady handheld or even on a tripod takes a lot of practice so don't get discouraged with the many missed shots. I generally open my camera up to an aperture of f/5.6; you'll find that many expert wildlife photographers use this aperture, too. Using a wider aperture will allow you to use a faster shutter speed. This becomes important for early morning or late evening shots. I use back button as that works best for me and I move the focus/exposure shot as needed to get as near to the bird's eye or head as possible. I look for composition in the air if there is more than one bird, i.e., 3 birds in a group, or 2 birds that are doing something interesting together as they fly. I set my camera for multiple fast shots and follow a bird from beginning to end as needed. I'll also spend some time watching the birds if possible to see what their movement pattern is. I like to get the bird as close as possible and generally try to fill up the screen with the bird, but leaving a little space in the front of the bird could help during processing. Processing is a whole different "animal" and a topic for another day. Practice a lot and you'll improve.

rcarol

Can we see some?

rcarol

Along with all the other good advice (and the bad) you may want to consider using an Olympus dot spot or similar.
https://www.amazon.com/Olympus-V329200BU000-Dot-Sight-EE-1/dp/B00STR9K1G

TonyBrown

Good advice. Just how I would go about it.

Mbanker

Yes, I get impatient and do need to slow down. It is just that I see so many great photos on the HOG, I want to contribute. I purchased a good book for my T7i - David Busch and there is a wealth of education on UTube. Your last sentence brought a chuckle. Much needed in these times. Thanks for all your advice.

Mbanker

Got it. Thanks

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Thanks! I hate watermarks, too. I never even used to sign my prints, unless they were truly one of a kind - I did sign every Artist's Proof (AP) I ever sold though.

Mbanker

Great comments and thoughts. Most helpful.

boredAlan2020

I use a Nikon D500 with a Nikon 200-500mm lens. I set the camera to aperture priority. Then I set the aperture to the lowest (widest open) setting I can with the zoom lens. in my case, that's f5.6. Then I set the camera on high speed burst. Then I use a Nikon autofocus setting called dynamic autofocus d52. This uses 52 auitofocus sensors all ganged together and instantly decides which ones have the sharpest focus, then sets everything else to that setting. How it does this in a fraction of a second I don't know, but it works. Then if you can, try to pre-focus in the approximate distance away from you you think the trajectory of the bird(s) will be. You will probably have to move the camera to the side, up or down and find something that has sharp contrasting edges and pre-focus on that. If you have a rail, stool, handy tree or something that you can brace iyourself against, that will help too. Then wait. That's what a stool or rail helps with. I get tired holding up horizontally a heavy lens. I have had great results with this, including Forster's terns plunge diving for fish and snapping a burst just as they hit or leave the water. It freezes the splash and individual water droplets. The frames I pick to work on show that the shot was taken at up to 1/8000 sec.! It also freezes the wing action. If the bird is far off, but still fills about 1/2 of your field of view, you will have good subject to work with. At a wide open aperture, a very shallow depth of field might be a problem, but if you are far off from the subject, it shoudn't matter. If the focus is too soft, try stopping down a bit and fire a shot and see what shutter speed you get. You will need at least 1/1000 to 1/2000 to freeze wing action unless it is a very slow flying bird. Also, depending on the light, I use exposure compensation of -0.3 to -0.7 unless it is a dark grey day, then I use the reverse (+0.3, etc.). I also use an ISO of 800 to 1000. I hope that helps!
Alan Grant

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

So, for some exposure specifics - it's really pretty easy. Using the camera's spot meter, I measure either something that has a similar brightness to the brightest element in my image - in the case of an eagle, I'd measure the head or tail, and if there were some snow or ice that would be getting the same light as the eagle, I'd measure that. From previous testing and evaluation, I know that I can add 2 stops to the reading and not over expose the bright areas, and this is what I'd use for a manual exposure setting. This way you can't get all caught up with exposure compensation and second guessing things. I learned this fundamental technique - the Zone System - back in the 60s and it has NEVER failed me. Learning to read the scene and apply the correct amount of exposure bias comes with experience, but for digital, it is more important to preserve highlights than shadows, so as long as you don't overexpose the highlights, you're ok. You will want to test this for yourself with your gear, with the understanding that as you increase your ISO you will be decreasing dynamic range, so that at very high ISOs you may only be able to add a stop of exposure bias before you start losing highlights.

As far as autofocus settings are concerned, they will vary by camera. I like to use single sensor, but with all sensors active. Sometimes, Dynamic 9 works ok. I've found that using more than 9 generally results in more focus errors. The camera is also set Continuous Servo, High Speed, and to shoot the image even if it is out of focus (shutter priority). On the D810, D500, D850 and D5, there is a Group Autofocus mode - I have had mixed results with that. I find that it sometimes helps when there is a bird moving against a busy background. But it is only an aid. There is no substitute for solidly good panning technique. I leave tracking at the middle value. Tracking addresses how long the camera will keep something in focus and predict where the focus will be if you track a bird that momentarily disappears behind a structure or trees or whatever - the shorter values will quickly switch focus to the foreground obstruction, the longer values will wait a lot longer before changing focus.

Of course, if your lens has an "Active" stabilization mode AND you are shooting at shutter speeds longer than 1/500, it is helpful to use it. If you are shooting at 1/1000, stabilization does nothing to help and can possibly rob some sharpness. It has to do with the sampling frequency of the stabilization system and the system's ability to respond to movement.

My advice is to try all the modes variables and see what works best for you.

Hope this helps!

Mbanker

DEFINATELY heips. With the T7i I can duplicate your suggestions. My buddy in Seattle is a Nikon guy but before I started getting serious about learning I already had a bunch of Canon glass so I just stuck with Canon. Once I start getting consistently good shots, I may purchase some Nikon gear also - if I can get it past my CFO - wife. Thanks for commenting.

Mbanker

Yes it does. Thanks and stay safe in this time of danger.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

For a variety of reasons - some health related (my wife has had major surgeries over the past few months for her back and knee), and distractions - we have a fairly busy social calendar, and we like to entertain, lousy weather, and finishing up a cabinetmaking project - I haven't picked up a camera in months. Looking forward to the Spring migration, but I just found out that one of my favorite places, Bombay Hook in DE, will have some major road closures for repaving - starting Apr 5th. So I guess tomorrow is the day, come hell or high water.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

The main thing needed is PATIENCE - no money needed, but some time - and PRACTICE - again no money needed, but some time.

And do try to be safe yourself.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Our favorite site is in Canada - Pt Pelee NP - my wife canceled our motel reservation this morning.