Mooge

I have been trying to capture shots of flying squirrels at night in my yard with flash. I have a set up similar to Steve Gettle minus the Sabre which I can’t afford yet and even if I could I like the challenge to do it with out the extra technology. The flyers glide about 6 feet from tree to feeder and finding accurate focus is hit and miss, more misses than hits. Has anyone used a Sabre camera trigger for something like this and has anyone found a good way to obtain consistent focus on these guys with just camera and flash? They move at lightning speed so it’s near impossible to focus on them in action. I just set focus and hope they hit that spot when I punch the trigger. They are not consistent so most times they don’t.
Scott

Jana-TAS Loc: Washington

Depending on where you have your feeder set up if it's able to be set up close to a sliding glass door that has a light switch for you to turn on at night for it if you get a stronger light bulb and then leave the light on at nights for the flying squirrel to get comfortable with then you might not have to use the flash on the camera if you sit outdoors and are in a good position. The flying squirrels are also known to be quite friendly so if you are outdoors often and let it get comfortable with you then you might not have a problem getting better photos.

ncralph

Have you considered the MIOPS camera trigger. It’s a little cheaper ($220). I just started using it successfully with hummingbirds. It has many different modes. I’m using the Laser mode for the hummingbirds.

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

Also, the inexpensive ($30.0) red dot sight might help.

Mooge

I use a red led light with a Red gell to shine on the squirrels so I can see them as supposedly Red light doesn’t bother them . In the past I tried using a weak tungsten bulb to illuminate them and it was obvious that it bothered them. Even if it didn’t the big problem is finding focus on them. They are so fast and erratic you simply can’t focus on them in action and they are so fast you’d need an iso of 30,000 and an f 1 lens to stop the action. I use my flash at 1/16 Th power and off to the side of them so I don’t think that bothers them much. I know theres lots of trigger gadgets out there and most likely I’ll have to break down and get one but for now I’m trying to do this without the crutch of a trigger device .

crapshooter Loc: Fox, Alaska

Here are some pics of flying squirrel i took with old camera Coolpix 120, I've never used what you are trying to find out about Sabre camera trigger. I think they are probably too fast for it anyway but i don't really know. Game Camera might work. I'm up in Alaska so that accounts for why it is light out in these pictures, they do come out when it is light. These are summer picx, i mostly see them in winter nights more, winter days too cus it get dark here early in day in winter. I have about a 3 minute Video of one i filmed on my Suet feeder standing on my porch about 2 feet away from it, it must have been really hungry because he or she never ran away from me and i finally got tired of filming it and went back into the house and left it alone. The two last pictures here are winter time. I tried to send video but file was too big, would not let me.

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Bozsik Loc: Orangevale, California

It appears you have more than one issue here. One is light, two is timing(using some kind of trigger), and three is money for a trigger. I experience a lot of high-speed targets, so I am somewhat familiar with your problem. Here are some suggestions for you. I have a web site blog and have written articles that may be helpfull.

If you have no money for triggers, here is a possible technique for you. You have to study your advantages before your setup. If these squirrels are coming to a feeder, you are in luck because you are in control of their approach angle.

I suggest watching the squirrels coming and going from the feeder to establish the most common path, usually this is the shortest distance they have to jump, but not always.

Move the feeder until you can get them to approach from almost the same place each time. Again, watch where they launch from and where they land. You will find it is not as random as you thought. Each squirrel may be slightly different, but once they have established a route, free food is always a great target.

During the daylight hours, take a piece of string and draw it taught between the launch and landing spots. Set you camera, tripod and lights so you are perpendicular to the string. Hang something on the string that you can focus on. If you are perpedicular to the string and focusing on the target in the middle of the string, you will also have each end of the string in focus. This provides you with a wider area in focus when the animal is in the air because you are focused on the entire path and not just the individual spot where the animal is located.

Now you are able to capture shots in mid flight when you depress the shutter button during the action. Try to give yourself at least 4 foot of flight path viewing area. Use shorter focal length lenses like 100mm for full frame. Locate flashes to provide you light when they are set to 1/8th power. Run them on manual so you know the exact amount of light will be provided each time. If you use full power, the flash duration is much longer and you could acquire blurr in your end result.

This process is without a triggering device. You can read an article on my blog about this technique as well as view the drawings at www.naturescamera.com

If you want to capture images of the squirrels moving at an oblique angle for the camera, it is best to have a triggering device. The sabre trigger is nice, but it is the most expensive trigger Cognisys manufactures. They do make the IR trigger which uses an infrared beam. The infrared is not as precise, but for large targets like squirrels, it works fine.

I use their laser light setup the most because I am often shooting insects in flight.

If and when you decide to get a trigger from Cognisys, send me a PM and I will try to assist you. I don't know where you are because you have not put that info with your avatar. If you were close enough to me in California, I would bring by my equipment and have some fun with you.

PS Try to use f8 to f11 for the depth of field. Don't go higher as you loose resolution, and lower you will lose some targeting area in the depth as it will be shallower. If you have a trigger and high-speed shutter, it is different.

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Mooge

Thanks , these are great suggestions! I did what Gettle did with making a stump with my feeder right next to the tree the squirrels jump from. Over a few weeks I moved the feeder away in small increments until they had to fly over( glide) to get to the feeder. They generally launch from roughly the same knot on the tree which is about 6 feet away. Getting side views of them flying is easy but coming right at the camera is where it gets hard. Figuring out where they will be in conjunction with when I fire the camera is tough. I’ve got quite a few good in focus shots but it’s usually by fluke. Some nights all my shots are in focus and the next night none are even though I feel like I’m doing the same thing. One interesting phenomena I encountered is when I hit the shutter and the flash goes off to my eye it appears the squirrels are almost right at the feeder. Having looked at side view shots I took last night it’s clear they are in mid range not near the end of the flight path. There’s something about the flash that fools the eye to thinking it’s hitting the squirrels much latter in their flight? The squirrels launch so fast that it seems I’m missing the middle path of their flight but in reality maybe I’m getting them sooner than it appears? Anyway I’m in Northern Va in the suburbs of Arlington. I’d post a few pictures but I haven’t figured out how to that on here yet?

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

Red dot sight does not shine on anything except the large lens on the front of the sight enabling you to see
whatever you're trying to shoot and by being able to keep both eyes open, you can, to a small degree, anticipate
where the action will be. Also, a decent auto focus, when aligned with said sight, ensures a better possibility of
capturing your squirrel.

Mooge

Any suggestions how to post a picture on here from my IPhone?

Mooge

Here’s the type shots I’ve been getting. Some in focus some not.

Mooge

Maybe ‘‘this picture will go through?

crapshooter Loc: Fox, Alaska

Nice, I like it

Mooge

Here’s another, focus is slightly off.

Bozsik Loc: Orangevale, California

Wish I had them here at my feeder. Nice captures. A trigger will take some of the guesswork out of the timing for you.
Thanks for sharing.