Nature Photography Settings

[kyle_hickman]

Alright everyone, I just bought a Canon EOS 40d and a 70-300mm lens for it. That lens will have to do for my wildlife photography for now.

I can't afford buying a super zoom lens. That being said, I would like some tips and tricks on settings for my 40d. I have used a SLR in the

past, this is my first Digital. So, I don't know much of anything about the settings and I know some of it will best be learned through trial

and error, but if any of you have any tips I would most appreciate them! I specifically enjoy bird photography. I just don't know of any

modes to put the camera on, or combinations to try. I also realize that there are more factors to getting a good shot than just modes and

settings, so any other advice is welcomed as well.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Kyle

[wgpinc]

This is just to get you started until you've shot some pictures and RTFM Read the Friendly Manual. Picture mode to Standard. Set it to one shot. Set it to large fine Jpeg. Put the dial on 'P' mode. For using the long end of your zoom set the ISO to 400. Take a bunch of pictures and try to figure out what went right and if something went wrong. Eventually you may want to get into more 'creative' modes like aperture or shutter priority and exposure compensation along with maybe shooting raw and post processing but that should get you going down the road. Good luck.

[nhut-nguyen]

Bird-in-flight (BIF) you need to use AI Servo focus to track the bird. Make sure your shutter speed is at least 1/1200

to stop the motion. I use only the center point instead of all 9 points.

 

My daily setting, this is what I normally set my camera, It may or may not work for you, to figure out what works

best for you need to try it in the field. I normally shoot in AV mode and set my aperture @ f/5.6 to f/7.1 depending on

the light level. I make sure my speed is no lower than 1/800 to avoid camera shake and 1/1200 to stop motion. I also

suggest you spend sometime with the camera user manual.

 

Canon 40D + 400 f/5.6L USM

 

RAW, Evaluative Metering, Auto White Balance

 

Center AF point, AI Servo focus mode, high speed burst

 

ISO 200-250 in strong day light, 400 in cloudy

 

f/5.6 - f/7.1, 1/800 +

[SteveH]

I second everything Sinh Nhut Nguyen said above. One additional trick I learned from the pros: find custom function 4 and

set it so that AF is switched from the shutter button to one of the back buttons. This gives you an AF lock if you want to

recompose, and also by continually pressing that button it lets the camera track the critter continuously. For starters for

moving wildlife I set the aperture one f-stop down from wide open and adjust the ISO to get the shutter speed at least

1/focal length. So for the lens above I would start at f8 at 1/500 minimum. For static scenes I use the lowest ISO, a tripod,

aperture appropriate for desired depth of field, a cable release or delayed shutter release. Most of all, mess around, have

fun, and this stuff will work out.

[joe_t._robinson]

Since birds in flight (BIF) have been brought to the front, do you also have a Custom setting for added exposure to catch them as backlit by skylight, such as shooting upward into the sky at an eagle or hawk?

Have a good one. JoeR

[arie_vandervelden1]

One place to try birds is at a backyard bird feeder. Look for (or set up) perches with uncluttered background, yet close enough to bushes so that birds will feel safe. Try selecting a single AF point (e.g. centre) and point it at the eye of the bird - automatic AF-point selection will tend to favour the wing and you'll get out-of-focus shots (slight front focus). Try AV. For bigger birds dial in f/5.6, for smaller birds (e.g. chickadees) try f/8 for more depth-of-field. 100 iso in good light, 200 or 400 iso for shade.

 

At the pond. A low point-of-view will get you more background blur. As always, focus on the eye. The pond is also a good place to practice birds in flight.

 

If you intend to go out for hikes to shoot birds: by all means do try, but expect to come home empty-handed most days. Wild birds with a 300 mm lens is not easy. Definitely not impossible, but you'll need some skill, lots of luck, and heaps of patience.

 

White feathers blow out easily, and feather detail is easily lost. Shooting RAW helps. A bit of fill flash sometimes helps to reduce contrast and to add catch-eyes. As always: lighting is everything - pay close attention to lighting angles, harsh vs diffuse, background lighting.

 

Shoot lots and be ruthless in your editing - if it's no good then delete it.

[eric merrill]

Joe:

 

I usually use manual mode for backlit birds.

 

 

Eric