eos 400 f5.6l as aflight lens

[roy_ames]

just bought this lens on sunday,what is the best way to use this lens

to take birds in flight.I supose you obviously have to pan with the

bird, something i have never done yet.I have a eos 1v.What meter

mode, aperture and speed.Do I allways use it on f5.6 for flight.

I am a bit sick to read that Mr. morris now likes the 100-400is

better now.Can I use my 1.4 tely converter on my lens for flying

birds.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Roy Ames Manchester UK.

[marcus_hawkins]

Sorry, you're sick to hear Art Morris likes the 100-400is? Er, why?

[ryan_taylor1]

"I am a bit sick to read that Mr. morris now likes the 100-400is

better now."

 

Don't get too caught up in the keeping up with technology game. Yes, the IS feature is particularly useful for handholding telephoto lenses (such as is often done with flight shots). However, you have a nice lens that is sharp and will serve you well. I've never used the fixed 400 lens or the 100-400 but I would bet that your lens is a touch sharper than the zoom at 400.

 

 

For flight shots, practice, practice practice. You will get the best results by panning and this takes practice. Often this is done handheld, however, in doing so you will need a fast shutter speed to avoid blur induced by handshake. The typical rule of thumb for hand holding is not to shoot with a shutter speed lower than 1/focal length of your lens. For your 400 mm lens this means at least 1/350 sec (closest to 1/400th). Different people vary in their ability to handhold a lens and get sharp images. Aparrently I'm not one of the steadier ones as with my 300 I find that I often get noticeably blurred images below 1/500 sec. If I'm handholding, I try to keep it near 1/1000 sec. I would recommend trying to keep a shutter speed near this value with your 400 lens, at least at first. Another option is shooting on a tripod (this is my preference). This is more difficult with flight shots as you have less maneverabilty than handholding. However, it will allow you to get a higher percentage of sharp shots. Also, you will need a good ball head or gimble head to allow you to move the lens freely as you pan with the bird.

 

 

As far as metering goes, I typically use Apeture priority and shoot wide-open (for your lens this will be f/5.6). This allows me to use the fastest shutter speed possible. Using a fast shutter speed reduces the likely hood of blur from vibration on the lens (i.e. as I described in the paragraph above) and also allows you to "freeze" the bird in flight. If you are shooting an all white bird and it fills a good portion of the frame you will likely have to dial in anywhere from a + 0.5 to + 1.5 compensation for a proper exposure. Very dark birds will likely require a corresponding negative exposure compensation. Learning when and how much exposure compensation to use is something that will come from experience, practice and learning how your camera meter responds to different lighting situations.

 

Also, as you increase your experience, you will likely learn to pan with a bird using a slow shutter speed (on a tripod of course). With a good panning technique this will allow you to render the bird sharp and correspondingly give a good blur to the background that helps give the photo a sense of movement. This is not a technique that is perfected over night. Good luck with it and enjoy your new lens.

[e.j.]

Just spent a week with Morris. He feels that the lens you bought the 400/5.6 is superioir to the 100-400 for flight shooting and if he is just going to be doing flight shooting he carries the 400/5.6. The 100-400 is just more versatile due to the zoom feature.

 

E.J. Peiker

www.ejphoto.com

[roy_ames]

Thanks everyone for your trouble answering my question,special thanksto Ryan.I was a bit sick Marcus because I first bought the 70-200 f2.8L instead of the 100-400 ,now I chose the 400 f5.6 instead and thought that I had boobed again.Your answers have made me a lot happier,thanks again.

Roy Ames.

[david_goldfarb]

Different people are comfortable with different kinds of setups, but I find that if it is impractical to use a tripod, I can handhold a 300 or 400mm lens more steadily with a pistol grip attached to the tripod collar. Some like a shoulder stock as well.

[bliorg]

Try to check out Art's <a href="http://www.birdsasart.com/books.html#PHOTO_BOOK"><i>Art of Bird Photography</a></i> book - he discusses using this lens specifically (technique, etc.). Don't know 'bout using the 1.4X for flight shots - might slow down AF too much, depending on light and conditions...

[andrew mc]

The 1.4x will also disable AF on most older bodies - it will work on the EOS 3.

[mike f]

After being on a workshop with Arthur Morris and hearing how great the 400 5.6 was I bought one for flight shooting and it was truly great. When he then later raved about the 100-400 IS I asked him about the "old" 400 5.6 and he quietly admitted that they were both excellent. I have since seen him twice in the field and he still likes the 400 5.6 AND the 100-400 IS. The latter gives you cropping ability and Image Stabilization, the former gives you a lens you can cary around all day and take excellent photos with. Either will give you a longer lens if you put on the 1.4x but use it on a tripod, not hand held.

[arthur_morris_birds_as_art]

The Canon EF 400m f/5.6L is still the world's premier lens for handheld flight photography. Why? It is lighter in weight and initial AF acquisiton is faster (than with the 1-4 IS zoom). Why? Because of the longer minimum focusing distance! See the FAQs and archived Bulletins at www.birdsasart.com for much more on these and other Canon lenses as well as flight photography techniques.

Best and great picture-making to all,

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

[lee_shively]

I was going to offer a contribution to Mr. Ames question but now realize THE MAN himself has given the definitive answer. What more is there left to say?

[arthur_morris_birds_as_art]

Thanks, Lee, for your kind words.

And best, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART