Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

Thanks Rich!
I don't post much here but please feel free to check the blog every day to see what's going on in the marsh.

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

Fantastic photographs all.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

Not sure if your initial question was answered to your satisfaction of not.

Let me assure you that your currently listed rig is MORE than capable of taking high quality photographs of diving birds. It's just a matter of setting it up properly and being in the right place at the right time.

Try Shutter Priority, and local or spot autofocus. Set the camera to continuous autofocus. Start wide when following the bird, watch his head, and as he looks down and starts to nose over, zoom in. (Or better yet, start wide then zoom in and follow him.)

Any shutter speed from 1/300 to 1/500 will capture the action in a freeze frame shooting hand-held. Be sure the ISO is set to allow those speeds at the aperture setting of your choice; sunny days are best.

Start with single shots, capturing the birds at different portions of their dives, then progress to burst mode. See which mode suits you and gives you the best, most consistent and desirable results. Practice DOES make perfect. After you nail your first 3 or 4, it gets much much easier. Keep working at it until you are happy with the results.

The camera and BOTH lenses that you mentioned are VERY capable of taking these types of images in very high quality, so cheer up and start practicing.

GOOD LUCK!

Moles Loc: South Carolina

Try one of these, and see if it works for you: Either zoom out until you can capture the birds, or use a wider lens and crop.

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

Tracking the bird takes practice, practice and more practice. Hand held, shutter speed of 1/1000 minimum, continuous AF, and high speed advance required. Proper framing will probably not be possible when shooting - that can be fixed by cropping later. The key word is perseverance.

oldtool2 Loc: South Jersey

:thumbup:

Phil,

I agree. I own, and use on occasion, a gimbal head but nothing beats tracking hand held.

I found that the gimbal works great on slow or sitting birds but once they start to dive forget it.

I often shoot using a 500mm and it has taken a lot of time to learn to shoot with it. It is not the easiest lens to learn to hand hold and track with but it can be done. Just remember to keep your shutter speed up as fast as you can, and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

First shot, hand held, using a 500mm with a 1.4X TC making them a 700mm lens. Last a tern shoot with just the 500mm hand held.

BTW Phil, great shots!

Jim D

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howlynn Loc: pueblo west, co

This is great advice CHOLLY. I have gone to our local model airplane field to practice. Here are a couple of shots I took with my D7100 with a telephoto zoom. This model jet was flying at 160 MPH.

BIF practice 1

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BIF practice 2

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The Watcher

Ever consider one of these or something similar? Years ago I got to play with one of these that was custom made out of wood, just for the owner. He had a Canon F-1 with a motor drive mounted on it and I think a 400mm lens. He was showing it off at a camera store so the only thing I tried it on, were drivers as they passed by on a nearby street. For me it was easy to use from the start, because trap shooting was one of my hobbies.

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

Nope. Too slow.
1000 or above is better to successfully stop action of fast flying and diving birds. But not just to freeze action, also to prevent potential camera shake as you pan and follow the bird.

steffro1 Loc: Murrells Inlet, SC

When you see them start to dive focus the camera on the water surface below them. Make sure you are zoomed out enough to get them in the shot. Take a burst of shots!! Then just keep on trying until you get a good one. I got a few good ones this way.

Brown pelican


Forster's Tern

christofras Loc: Gold Coast Australia

Sorry, meant 400mm 2.8 IS 2, which is very manageable,....for short bursts!

christofras Loc: Gold Coast Australia

I do not use it that much, reason being it attracts too much attention,also, its hard to get photos when people keep asking questions about it!...Having said that,it is truly a remarkable lens!

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Darn it!
I was looking forward to that 500 2.8. :lol:
SS

amehta Loc: Boston

Whatever! I want nothing less than the 600mm f/2.8! :lol:

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

How much does the Sherpa to carry it cost ?