D300 settings for wildife and bird photography

<p>I am going on a 12-day trip to the Kruger National Park in South Africa. <br>

I have recently bought a Nikon D300 and I am looking for some advise as to what to set the custom settings to before I go. <br>

I am a amateur wildlife photographer and it will be the first time that I will be using a semi-professional DSLR (previously had a entry level DSLR). I have not had much time to play around with settings before I go and don't want to spend the first 5 days trying to troubleshoot (I will also have no internet connection so won't be able to look up solutions for problems I encounter). <br>

Although not optimal (but it is what I have and can afford at the moment) my kit will include:<br>

Nikon D300<br>

Nikon 70 - 200mm f2.8 VR II<br>

Nikon 24 - 70mm f2.8 VR<br>

Nikon 17 - 55mm f3.5 - 5.6 kit lens (don't have money for a better wide angle at the moment)<br>

Nikon TC-20E II Teleconverter<br>

Any advise would be much appreciated.</p>

<p>First, there are no optimal settings. Read thru your manual for some general guidance, and if you have a chance before you go, play around with your camera to familiarize yourself as much as possible....that will give you some hint of some of the settings which work best for you with your style of shooting. You have some overlap in the short end of your lens range...so first of all you might try and decide if indeed you need both short zoom lenses. Forget what may be optimal for the trip....it will really boil down to your vision and comfort shooting with your camera. You definitely don't want to have to constantly be changing lenses to capture what you want. My experiences have been that long lenses (ie the 70-200 with the teleconverter) are great for large animal shots, particularly at a medium-short distance from you. If you are in a situation where you are in really close, then one of the shorter lenses (such as the 24-70) would be a good choice. Make sure you take an extra battery and several extra memory cards, you don't want to be out all day and have a battery run out or use up all of your storage capacity. I prefer to shoot in RAW and handle my post production work with the images containing the greatest amount of information, but there's no denying the siren call of JPEGs in some circumstances, because of the greater storage capacity.Most of all, have fun.</p>

<p>all that and you may want split off the focus lock (and put it on the AF-ON button) from the exposure lock (on the 1/2 depressed shutter button). </p>

<p>I suggest Thom Hogan's D300 guide (<a href="http://www.bythom.com/index.htm"><strong>link</strong></a>). It's very detailed, and provides excellent advice on settings for different situations, etc. He really knows NIkon bodies and lenses.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I have not had much time to play around with settings before I go</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Sorry to be a bit blunt, but this is a problem. The D300 is a fairly complicated camera that takes time to get used to. It has no miracle settings, and most of all, the AF has quite a lot of settings, and it takes some experimenting to get the best out of it (in the way you work). The gear you have is no issue at all, otherwise in my view, should serve well enough.<br>

Personally, I use one memory bank for settings optimised for sports/wildlife - mostly to get good continuous AF on moving things. So, these are the relevant settings:</p>

<ul>

<li>A1: Release and focus</li>

<li>A3: 21 points</li>

<li>A4: Short (makes continuous AF very jumpy)</li>

<li>The Switch on the rear for the AF mode in the middle position</li>

<li>The front switch to AF-C</li>

</ul>

<p>Now, this is no miracle cure, and for normal not-fast moving subjects, I use different settings alltogether. I hope these may get you started a bit, with the 70-200 you should get blistering fast AF with settings like these.</p>

<p>But what Stephen said, 100% true. Including having fun most of all. Enjoy the trip.</p>

<p>+1 for Wouter's response. You <em>need</em>to read the manual. Even then there will be a trial and error period. At least use the flight over for study, and review your results early in the trip in case adjustments are necessary.</p>

<p>When I'm out birding, I shoot in Aperture priority mode, maintaining f/8 or smaller for lens sharpness, and I keep an eye on the shutter speed selected by the camera. Birds, especially small ones, can move incredibly quickly, and often 1/250th isn't fast enough to freeze a twitching head or tail. I'll adjust my shutter speed by changing the ISO. I feel it's better to get the shot with a little noise than not.</p>

<p>Enjoy the trip!</p>

<p>+1 to Wouter's settings. Learn how to change/reset the AF point without taking your eye off the viewfinder. Bump the ISO up as much as you can with regards to the IQ - even in bright daylight you will need all the shutter speed you can get. I rarely go below 400. On morning and evening game drives I would keep ISO800 as the base setting and then adjust accordingly.</p>

<p>On game drives, if the ground is dry, it will get very dusty and you probably don't want to change lenses to avoid getting dust inside the camera body. 70-200mm should do fine, as you will get very close to most of the animals. I usually have 80-200mm/f2.8 + 1,4x TC on my D200 and sometimes find myself restricted by the 112mm wide end of the combo. I'd recommend a compact camera or a second body as a backup and/or for wide shots to eliminate the need for changing lenses during the game drives. 70-200mm + 2x TC is fine for birds, if you accept the lower IQ, but for wildlife on game drives it's too tight.</p>

<p>The key thing, as voiced by all the posts above is to be prepared and have an "action plan" for the most common things that you think you will be shooting. Shoot in aperture priority mode and memorize the DOF ballpark figures on different focal lengths and apertures. Even with VR I'd keep shutter speed always faster than 1/250s - for running/flying targets 1/1000s or faster. Most of my photos from game drives are shot between f/5.6 and f/8.</p>

<p>Last, but not least - get a bean bag! It will be golden for steadying your 70-200mm when shooting from a window or the roof of a safari van.</p>

<p>Just my 2c's. Good luck and have fun!</p>

<p>About 99% of my shooting is birds and wildlife, using a 500mm f/4 and a 1.4X TC. No way, you want to use a bean bag for a 70-200mm. That's an easy hand hold. By hand holding you'll move more freely and avoid futzing around with your bag. If you have lens coat on your lens, you can press it against the widow frame or supports in many safari vehicles, if you want to go to a really low SS for some reason.</p>

<p>Don't be afraid of ISO 400 or 800, if you need the ISO to get the SS up. Also, f/8 is a nice goal, but watch your SS and open up those fine lenses to gather light when needed. In really bright sun, you will have the luxury to go to f/11, but I wouldn't go any smaller than that, except for landscapes.</p>

<p>Read your manual at least 5-10 times, cover to cover, and take it with you to Africa. Buy Thom Hogan's Guide to the D 300s and make sure it is on your pc. You must educate yourself in how this camera works--you cannot get around this. Get Robert O'Toole's Guide to camera settings for Nikon bodies since I doubt you are going to read the manuals. You can use Goggle to find both of these. <br>

I suggest you master Aperture priority shooting; set exposure to matrix metering; switch focusing to the AF Only button on the back of the camera; take all of your pictures in Continuous mode, even static landscape shots; master white balance settings; master what ISO to set for various situations--you will need higher shutter speeds than you think you will need most ot the time; Understand the difference between release priority and focus priority and set the one you want. I prefer release priority, but that is me. Learn how to use your histogram to double check your image exposures. Make sure you know how to set exposure compensation on the camera. <br>

For Africa, make sure you have a bean bag with you that will work with the specific vehicle you will be in. You will need a stable platform for your lens and camera. Consider a monopod too. Consider a laundry or similar bag to cover your camera and lens from dust while driving in Africa. <br>

Joe Smith</p>

 

<p>None of the lenses, even with the TC attached, require support.</p>

<p>Also, just like studying biology or network administration, studying manuals without labs will get you nowhere. Decide what you want to learn, read the appropriate part of the manual and then go do it in the field. Decide what you want to learn next and then do the same thing over and over.</p>

<p>Your goal should include: changing ISO without taking eye from the viewfinder, changing the aperture or SS without taking your eye from the VF, changing to single-point AF without taking your eye from the VF, checking DOF preview without taking your eye from the VF and whatever you think would be useful. You don't want action going on and you're looking at the back of the camera, trying to figure out how to change a setting. The important ones can be changed without taking your eye off the subject.</p>

<p>Stephen says take an extra battery. I suspect that, for the first day or two at least, you will be shooting at all and everything. In locations with lots of insects and flowers but not nearly so exotic, I get through about one and a half batteries per day. I carry three spares and suggest that you take at least two. And don't forget your charger and mains adapter.<br>

I don 't know the macro capabilities of your lenses but, if they are not suitable, an achromat x3 supplementarywill take you a long way to capturing the showy insects and flowers you are sure to see.</p>

 

While I am not a Nikon user (canon man) I am very familiar with the Kruger Park as I live very close by and in fact will be in the park myself in early September. What I can give you is advice on what you can expect to find there in the way of shooting conditions.

 

You dont say when you are going but if its in the next 6- 8 weeks then for me this is the best time (Spring). Expect none or very little rain, clear sky's and a mirade of colour flower & fauna and many, many species of birds, mammals reptiles etc.. Everyday will give you something new. Take a 'night drive' from one of the camps your staying in, KP comes alive with a whole different scene at night, Most of the roads are tarmac but there are also many dirt roads as well, so dust maybe a problem but a saloon car is no problem running on these no 4x 4 required. 90% of the time you will be shooting from your car and the 'bush' will be no more than 4-5 meters away both sides sometimes closer. 2/3rds of the park from the south from Melane to Oilphants (in the middle) is quite thick bush and trees, your medium 70-200 + TC will be fine and you can get close to everything (big mamamls especially), It will be difficult to photograph anything thats not stationary due to your car restrictions. Once passed Oliphants and up on to Shingwedzi and Pafuri the bush opens out to more plain type environment, the big game (except for elephant) tend to move around in the southern part of the park mostly except Elephant they are everywhere, but thats not to say I have not seen plenty of Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Buffalo, Wild dog, Rhino etc.. in the north. The North is known for its prolific bird life and with the terrain opening up somewhat their, birding and bird photography is much easier and getting 'clean' shots without the clutter of branches and bush you experiance in the south. I suspect you will keep your 70-200 on with or without the TC most of the time, unless you want to shoot some landscapes (a few opportunities). Also many hides are available to go to get out the car and venture in (a must is Lake Panic hide in the south near Skukuza the hide is at the waters edge and I have had great bird shots there and croc's, elephant and hippo) I agree aperture priority to control DOF especially in the bushy south. Bring a good flash as at night walk around your camps is a must with lots of opportunity to take creatures of the night such as owls,genets,civit, nightjar and even the odd hyena against the fence. I hope this helps you and as the rest said ENJOY its a wonderful place.

 

Regards

 

Tony