Min shutter speed you'd use at 420mm?

[louis_greene]

I realize that this is somewhat of a relative question and somewhat dictated by the circumstances. However, if you

were shooting bears with a 300mm F2.8 lens w/ 1.4tele (420mm) using a good support what would be the minimum

shutter speed you'd feel comfortable shooting at before you bumped up the ISO? How about shooting off a bean bag

on a window? Assume a static subject, then one moving about casually. Critical sharpness is the goal, except if

there is action and the choice is no capture or one that may be a little soft.

[irusan]

6-8 hours at f/32 if I am shooting star trails behind a mountain top. At 6-8 hours, a tripod is necessary :-)

[ShunCheung]

Louis, unless you are photographing a bear that is sleeping or you want to show some motion blue effect, your primary concern should be subject movement. You need to use a shutter speed that is fast enough to stop subject movement.

[irusan]

Sorry, didn't see the part about the subject. :-)

 

Depends on the time of day, but I'd try to stay as close to 1/250 or 1/500 of a second if I could.

[louis_greene]

Well, I imagine I will be photographing both static and active subjects. I just notice that a lot of my shots taken with

an IS'd 300mm F4 with 1.4tele are taken at 1/90th to /1/250th. Usually I try and wait for the animal to be static but of

course that is not always possible. I realize that I need to improve my technique as the number of my critically sharp

imgaes are not as high as I would like. That being said I have super sharp images at 1/80th and soft ones taken at

1/500th. Obviously it's technique.

 

I was just wondering what others used as a target for this type of focal length. Also, I ususally have IS but not this

time (but I have an extra stop of speed). I think Rob is right, I need to strive for 1/250th or higher if at all possible. If

the action gets going move up from there. Once I know I have a sharp image then I can experiment and drop the

ISO/shutter speed.

 

Anyone else?

[greg s]

Hi, If your DSLR supports a cable release you can shoot down to 1/2 sec or so. The bird photo below was taken at 1/3 sec with a 700mm setup in dim evening light... no flash. The main point is that a cable release allows for photos at much slower shutter speeds than can ever be done with hand(s) on the camera.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/2957543

[ShunCheung]

At least I find that I get much more interesting images when there is some animal action. If you always wait until the subject is still, I am afraid that you are going to miss plenty of excellent shots.

With a 400mm long lens, I would say stick with at least 1/250 sec and preferably 1/500 sec if you intend to freeze the action.

 

It is much easier now with good high-ISO performance from modern DSLRs. As recently as a few years ago we were still restricted to at most ISO 400 slide film.

[nick_davis]

Unless I am using mirror lockup, I try to avoid shooting in the 1/25 to 1 second range with my 300mm + teleconverter combo. My own tests have shown that it is very difficult for me to achieve sharp images with any consistency at these speeds due to vibrations from the mirror.

[bruce_margolis]

I'm kind of with Shun on this. If animals are lightly moving around, a minimum shutter speed for me would be 1/500. Because their behavior may be unpredictable, I prefer something faster, especially if the subject is birds.

 

A couple other things can help. First, a high fps rate. Moose Peterson uses this technique as it allows him to look at subtle differences in shots but of course, you can blow through memory cards very quickly.

 

Another thing very helpful is better high ISO with the newer cameras. While you certainly don't want it any higher than necessary, it is nice to know with some bodies you can get quality shots up to ISO 6400. That sure gives you some room for a faster shutter speed.

 

As for using a bean bag, I have only used the lens with a tripod and gimbal. But if I were to use it with a bean bag, I would think I would be more comfortable with at least 1/1000 because of the obvious shake concern. I would tend to err on the side of too high a shutter speed but nothing beats practice and experimenting.

[geoffs1]

Bruce Margolis, "A couple other things can help. First, a high fps rate."

 

I'm also a fan of shooting bursts. Almost by definition there is always a "sharpest" shot in a series, and my observation is that there is frequently one that is much sharper than the average.

 

Hand-held with IS, 400mm, and a 1.5 crop camera, I regularly shoot rapidly moving subjects (100+ mph) at 1/250 with a decent "keeper ratio". Semi-static subjects when you can prepare (breathing, etc.) I'd expect a very high number of keepers at that shutter speed (I've never tallied my results under those conditions, but it's probably nearly 1:1). I've never tried a bean-bag, but I'd guess you could drop the shutter speed down to 1/125 (?) and still get many "critically sharp" shots.

[louis_greene]

Thanks for everyones input. Agreed, agreed, and agreed. I think I need to pay a little more attenetion to my shutter

speeds. I get all wrapped up in the moment and then when it's over realize I was was too slow to get the sharpness I

am looking for. I am getting more conscious while shooting but I still need to be more mindful.

 

Of course I agree animal activity is more interesting. I didn't mean to imply that I only shoot static creatures (but that

is how I worded it).

 

Seems like most agree a good target is 1/250th. It is also clear you can go a lot slower if it all works out well. Yes, I

do have a cable release and use it when I can. I also employ mirror lockup when the circumstances allow.

[matthew_newton]

I still need a lot more practice with my teles, but I get a fair portion of sharp on film with a 70-210 at 210mm shooting at 1/125s and occasionally 1/60s if I brace myself well (sitting, using my knees to brace my arms and camera). With my 400mm f/5.6 I can do okay at 1/500s and sometimes with 1/250s. I need to get a good tripod, but I would be suprised if I couldn't shoot at least 2-3 stops slower if the subject isn't moving with either lens.

 

Of course shooting at the old 1/focal length is almost always sharp, though it does get harder with long teles (I have to shoot at 1/1000s when using my 400/5.6 with a 1.5x teleconverter and even then the portion of sharp isn't super high, mostly just need even more improvement to my technique).

[ShunCheung]

I captured the attached image with a 500mm lens at f8, 1/1250 sec at the camera's base ISO 200.

There was plenty of light so that I could easily use a high shutter speed. The polar bear was standing on only one foot briefly. Again, the main issue you are dealing with is animal action, not camera shake. When you use a fast enough shutter speed to stop the action with a long lens, your'll automatically take care of camera shake also.<div></div>

[andreasb]

I try to use the 1/focal lengh rule for this kind of stuff and it usually works out great for me. I have no hesitation using

ISO800 if necessary either. I use a Canon 40D with a 1.6x multiplication factor and a 400mm lens. This means the

400mm lens works like a 640mm lens on my camera. As a result, I try to stick with 1/640 or faster depending on

the amount of activity on the far end of my lens and how much depth of field I want. However, I’m always willing to

experiment with other settings.

 

My suggestion for you is to set your camera to ISO800, use some faster shutter speeds and see how you like the

results compared to what you are getting now. Heck, I’ve learned what little I know mainly from experimenting with

other people’s suggestions. And photo.net is a great place to get a never ending list of great suggestions thanks to

all the encouraging, knowledgeable folks out there!

 

Good luck!

[louis_greene]

Yeah, I will just have to see what the conditions are like. I have experimented a bunch and tend to try and get away

with the lowest ISO I can. It often amazes me that there have been plenty of time I walk away with a sharper image

using a slower shutter speed (and as I far as I can tell I did nothing different). Hence, I need to work on my technique

more!

 

I just also need to pay more attention to the shutter speeds as I am shooting. I usually shoot with Aperture priority

so it can change on me if I am not paying attention as the animal travels to different areas of light.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Great polar bear shot, and that low shutter speed one of the bird was awesome! I Managed to get an owl fairly sharp

once in the Hoh Rain Forest at neary 4 seconds (was loaded with Velvia)! I sort of moved my foot around in the gravel

to keep him focused inspecting. I was amazed it came out decent!

[jwallphoto]

If you shoot in aperture priority and set your aperture at its most wide-open setting, you'll at least always get the fastest shutter speed possible for your ISO setting.

 

Another thought is to go with a flash and Better Beamer, especially for birds.

[timesharevon]

Good luck to you Louis. I hope you capture some great shots. When do you head up to Churchill? I hope you'll see bears if it is later this month.