Nikon D200 - autofocus subpar for bird photography?

Hello,

I have been attemping to photograph birds in flight using the my D200 with

either the Nikon 18-200 VR or Nikon 200-400 VR.

 

It has been somewhat frustrating to have the autofocus begin a focus hunt at the

most unexpected moments, even when the subject is in the center of my viewfinder.

 

When using servo, I sometimes have to release the shutter button and re-press it

half-way for it to focus. This happens regardless of the autofocus modality I

use (dynamic, single, group, etc).

 

I am setup with AF lock in long, frequently use maximum aperture in Aperture

Priority, and lighting is always good.

 

Granted, several photos result in sharp images, however, several others are

unexpetedly out-of-focus (slightly). Stationary subjects are invariably in-focus.

 

I believe my technique in tracking birds in flight is improving, especially in

regards to aiming for the head/neck and preventing moving wing tips from

defocusing the head. I am sure some of the issues above may resolve with better

technique.

 

However, I wonder if there are known issues with the capabilities of the D200

quickly and reliably acquiring focus of subjects in motion and if the D2x is

superior in this respect. Otherwise, if you have any tips on how to improve,

please let me know.

 

Thanks a lot. Martin

Are you using the AF-C (coutinuous) mode? I am talking about the C setting for the C/S/M switch just below the lens release button, on the front side of the D200.

 

IMO, the 18-200 VR is not suitable for bird photography; it is both too short and too slow: only f5.6 at 200mm. The 200-400mm/f4 AF-S VR should do a better job.

 

The D2X will give you even better AF, but the D200 should be pretty good already.

Agree with Shun, AF-S is not the correct mode for tracking birds in flight because once focus is acquired, the camera will not refocus until you lift your finger of the shutter release and press again (not entirely true, as tracking MAY get activated when the motion is detected during AF acquisition). AF-C will continuously adjust focus; it works pretty well with my D200 and tracking (larger) birds in flight. Small birds are a bit more difficult, especially those with a more erratic flight pattern as the camera may not be able to acquire focus or be able to maintain it. I usually use single and try to keep the central AF sensor on the subject; for smaller birds, group dynamic has worked well for me too.

Martin, I have had similar issues with the autofocus on my d200s. I have shot at events where the subject filled 75% of the viewfinder and the camera focussed on the background. I have read from others reporting similar issues here on photo.net.

 

You might want to call Nikon service to see if they have a fix.

Faster lenses focus better - my 70-200 AF-S VR is fast and accurate on my D200. Also high-contrast subjects will focus more reliably.

You might also want to check autofocus setting a1 is set to "Focus" and not "FPS Rate".

If your shooting birds in a low contrast or busy background situation AF will most of the time lose the bird if it's a small object. They haven't made a camera yet that's good under the above situations. I use c mode and the central AF sensor on all my cameras because it seems to work the best.

 

Rick

Gallery: http://slopoki1.smugmug.com/Nature

Robert, my focus issues have been mainly with the 70-200, usually in lower lighting conditions. Most of the time focus is quick and accurate, but on occasion, I do experience the conditions Martin lists.

 

Martin, just curious, is your 'Lock On' feature on or off?

Martin, there are also other settings that will affect focus capture. Try setting 7 focal points vs 11. Also try single and dynamic AF settings. I agree with the other posters that the 18-200 VR lens is not the best for flight shots.

 

Try these links for more info on appropriate settings: http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/nikon_articles/body/d200_multi-cam1000_af/index.html

 

Read all of the parts a couple of times.

 

Here is another one: http://www.luminescentphoto.com/articles/CAM2000/cam2000.html

 

Joe Smith

If I recall correctly I read somewhere that with such subjects (fast moving objects like cars, birds, etc) it's best to deactivate VR and try use the center focus point.

Regards

 

Odin

Set to AF-C continuous, single point AF, Lock-On to off, and move AF to the rear AF-ON button so you continually focus with that and only use the shutter button to make exposure. This way, you don't interrupt AF system every thime you shoot/refocus with shutter release that combines both trigger and AF together. Give that a try.

The D200's AF unit, while quite good, is not at it's best in lower lighting situations (This is common to all the Nikon multi-point AF sensors with a single cross sensor in the centre, as they are all based on the old Multi-CAM900 unit introduced with the F80). The issue is that the linear sensors are not terribly sensitive. That said, there's some very good advice given here.

 

 

AF is the one area that the D200 is not up to the performance of the F100.

Thanks for you responses. To keep the discussion going, here are a few answers to your questions... and one question.

 

Shun: I am using AF-C for tracking birds in flight. You are correct about the lenses, there is no question the 200-400 performs far better that the 18-200 in locking the focus. With the 200-400, I stick to f4 which seems to work best.

 

Dieter: I agree AF-C is the way to go. I only use AF-S or AF-M for stationary birds. I see you have been using single-area AF and group dynamic AF -- please see below.

 

Elliot: I wonder if the AF hunting issue has to do with the lenses being used. My "Lock On" feature is ON and set to "Long".

 

Robert: If I'm not mistaken, the 70-200 is f2.8, which would considerably enhance AF performance.

 

David: My A1 setting is "Focus" for single and continuous (low and high speed) exposures. That is one of the reasons I occasionally am frustrated by slightly out-of-focus images, since I assume the shutter only allowed an exposure because the subject was in focus. But I also wonder if what I call "slightly out-of-focus" is in fact some lack of sharpness that may occur with digital captures.

 

Rick: Busy backgrounds such as foliage seem to worsen this issue, but I have had such problems with the 18-200 shooting against a clear blue sky. Again, it is possible the 18-200 is the problem.

 

Joe: My current setting is 11 focal points. I have avoided the 7-point option since Nikon suggests "unpredictable results". I may try this for my next shoot.

 

Wilson: I will also try your suggestion.

 

Adam: I'm not sure, but I think the D2x has 3 cross sensors and that would explain (in part) a better performance compared to the D200.

 

My question to the posters is if there is a consensus regarding which AF Area Mode makes more sense to use in the D200 for birds in flight.

 

Based on your experiences, which has been more reliable:

Group Dynamic, Single area, Dynamic area, or Dynamic area with closest priority? Any additional tips?

 

Thanks to all for this helpful and educational exchange.

 

Martin

I typically use Group Dynamic AF with the center group on my D2X for birds in flight. Although it is a heavy lens for hand holding, I find the 300mm/f2.8 AF-S excellent for this application. The extra stop of light from f2.8 (over the 300mm/f4 or 200-400mm/f4) helps AF speed.

 

I also have the D200, but it is my 2nd camera and I don't use it as often for action shops. The D200's AF is not quite as good as the D2X's, but it should be sufficient in most situations.

Yes, the 70-200 is an f/2.8 lens. That does help with AF as the more light that enters the camera the better. But in really low light I'll use my 85mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.4. Also low contrast is a challenge for many AF systems.

 

There is no perfect AF system. But I have found that, with the right lens and technique (Wilson's advice is excellent) that the D200 does quite well. Yes, there are cameras that do better - but not at a price point that I like.

Martin, try turning the Lock On feature to off. That might solve some of your problems.

 

When the Lock On feature is on, the camera will maintain the focus for a short, medium or long period of time depending on how you have the option set, so as the subject moves, the camera does not immediatly refocus as necessary. Turning the feature off should cause focus to change immediately as necessary.

 

I believe it was mentioned but I would also use a single focus point, the center one, rather than any of the other focus methods.

My apologies for the late response, but I really wanted to share this information.

 

I agree that the 18-200VR is perhaps not the ideal bird lens. However, in some cases it can produce very nice results. In fact, this one really took me a bit by surprise.

 

The gull shot below was taken with a D200 and 18-200VR. FL 200MM, F/5.6, 1/1250, +1.3EV, 400ISO, AF-C, center-weighted, hand held & VR on. I took this on the last day of a recent fishing trip to Ontario, Canada. I was in a 16-foot bass boat with 2 other guys. The boat was under power at the time and there were winds and waves present. Maybe I just got lucky, but I have 2-3 other shots which are as nice as this one - this is just my favorite.

 

I didn't want to lug a bunch of gear to Canada, knowing we would be on the water, in the rain, etc. The 18-200VR still amazes me as a great, all purpose, quality lens.

 

Greg<div></div>

As a bird-in-flight photography enthusiast myself, I have been trying various settings/equipments to pursue better results. There is definitely no guarantee on what settings chosen or equipments used will produce more satisfactory results IMHO. However, I do find certain setups that shall help you get more successful rate (i.e. in focus shots).

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1. Focus mode is of course, set to C (Continuous Servo) Mode

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2. AF-area mode is set to Group Dynamic mode with 5 active focus areas (Custom Setting->Autofocus->Group Dynamic AF->Pattern 1->Center Area) for smaller or fast moving birds, 3 active focus areas (Patter 2) for larger and slower birds.

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3. Turn Autofocus Lok-On off or set it to Short.

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4. Shutter speed is always set faster than 1/640 sec. Turn VR off if the shutter speed is faster than 1/1000. For fast moving birds (e.g. swallows and terns) you might need a shutter speed faster than 1/1600.

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5. I prefer to set the shooting mode to M (Manual) instead of A (Aperture Priority) or S (Speed Priority) to maintain the high shutter speed and appropriate aperture. Especially when the background contains various dark/light objects. I always take a couple of testing shots of the possible in-frame areas to figure out the appropriate exposure settings.

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Hope above information helps.

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<a href=" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1280/1112191973_805911678a.jpg" width="404" height="500" alt="Splashes" /></a>

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<a href=" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1305/857341524_b22e985ad1.jpg" width="408" height="500" alt="Skywalker" /></a>

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<a href=" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1250/542858658_ce268e8a83.jpg" width="500" height="363" alt="Barn Swallow In Flight (Shooting Techniques)" /></a>

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Thanks to all of you who have responded to my posting.

Jerry, your advice is much appreciated and your images are spectacular.

 

I think now it's my turn to experiment with all suggestions above and hopefully improve my shots.

 

Best, Martin

I'm an aviation photographer and I am struggling with crisp, sharp focus on my D200. Do you think the same settings for photographing birds will work with aircraft? I read over 200 reviews before I bought the D200 (they all basically said the D200 is an awesome camera) so I believe it's a defective photographer and not the camera. :) I appreciate any and all responses. Thank you.<div></div>

Jerry: outstanding shot of the barn swallow.

Looks like this thread stopped a couple of months ago. I was wondering if Martin had resolved his focusing issues. I too have a d200 with a 200-400 vr lens and have been having focusing problems. I also have a 70-200 2.8 vr lens which does much better, but of course without the range. If thread is still active will post more info.

 

Monte Stinnett