Bird Photography with TTL flash

[paul_di_biase]

In order to stop the motion of small birds I have been considering faster film. I also would like to take advantage of the fancy flash abilities of my Nikon N90s and SB26 flash. I am hoping that the flash will allow me to continue using the higher quality ISO 100 films.

 

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I am using my Sigma 400mm lens to photograph birds about 15-20 feet from the camera. Any tips on how to do this effectively, or what to watch out for would be appreciated. My previous camera had no TTL ability and my previous flash was a $15 manual Ansco that I used to take indoor snapshots. I've got a lot to learn.

[don_baccus4]

Different camera systems and bodies within systems vary in their TTL flash skills, so to speak. Nikon is thought by many to do better than Canon in this regard, and the N90 is one of their more recent bodies with sophisticated flash metering.

 

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Some general hints. Try to get the bird filling as much of the frame as you can, and covering much of the center since I don't think your Sigma is a "D" lens. Remember that, like all meters, it wants to make things 18% gray. You might want to practice on neutral colored birds like house finches rather than, say, blackbirds until you get some practice. When shooting dark or light birds you have to compensate just as you would when spot-metering for ambient exposure.

 

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You have to decide if you want the light for the exposure to emphasize the flash, in which case choose the highest synch shutter speed (probably 1/250), or a more-natural balance of ambient and fill flash.

The latter requires more experimentation but will give more pleasing results as long as there's enough ambient ight for you to use a reasonable shutter speed. The N90 is reputed to do a good job of computing fill flash exposures, so you might begin by letting it do everything for you just to see how well it does. If it fails badly in some cases, those exposures will begin educating you as to the limitations of your camera for this type stuff.

 

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On my EOS 1N I've learned that it does pretty good if I tell it to give me -2/3 stop fill for many normal bird subjects. That took some experimentation and I've got a lot more to do, since I seek natural light when possible in my own bird photography.

 

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But details will vary, as I said, by brand and body. Hopefully some N90 owner will chirp in and add pertinent details.

[andrew_kim]

I have both an N90 and N90s with SB26s and find that their fill flash behavior is different.

 

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On the N90, my experience has been the same as Don's, -0.7 EV compensation gives me a pleasing level of fill flash. People have said that Galen Rowell's practice is -1.7 EV, which I've tried a few times and screwed up somehow: just too dark for me.

 

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I've only put about 3 rolls through my N90s so far and find it more unpredictable in some situations (perhaps more attempted "intelligence"), although -0.7 EV has worked well more often than not. I'd try bracketing, perhaps at 0, -0.7, and -1.3 EV, as a good start to learn the system.

 

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Hopefully a more experiences N90s user can shed some light here (forgive the pun).

[bob_atkins]

Can't speak much about Nikon, but in the Canon EOS world, some

bodies automatically reduce flash output when the camera senses

fill flash conditions (i.e. a scene bright enough not to need

flash, or strong backlighting). So under such conditions the flash is <em>automatically</em>

set to about -1.5 stops (actually between -0.5 and -1.5 depending

on exact illumination levels). On some bodies

you can turn this function off (A2, EOS-1n??), on others (Elan)

you can't. For anyone having fill flash problems with an EOS system,

the automatic flash reduction program is something you should be

aware of.

[frank_kolwicz]

Here are some of the considerations I've found must be accounted for:

If spot metering with TTL - does the subject or a very nearby area

fill the meter sensor? If not, what ARE you metering?

If you want to stop motion in low light with a natural look - the

balance of flash and ambient must favor flash by about 1 to 1.5 stops

to minimize ghosting. How do you set that balance on the camera? -1 at

the camera and +1 at the flash or 0 at the flash (assuming your system

lets you do this). I generally pre-set my flash on manual for the distance with flash meter and then compensate the ambient at the camera.

[chew_yen_fook]

If you use a 400mm f5.6 with your SB 26 flash, then you really need a

telefresnel flash adapter ( like those made by Nature's Reflections or

George Lepp)fitted over your flash unit to narrow the angle of flash

output. That way, it concentrates the light and increases the power.

There are adapters that can give you a boost of 3 stops to 4-stops

depending on which you desire. Using your SB 26 even at the 85mm setting

to capture wild birds is an unnecessary waste of flash light and, hence

not very efficient. You get greater depth of field and will even be able

to use f11 at 25 feet with

ISO 100 films.

 

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I have shot hundred of rolls of slides in the rainforests of SE Asia

with amazing results using the telefresnel adapter.

 

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Try it!

[stephen_vaughan]

The ability of a flash to stop a birds wings is determined by the

flash duration and the wing speed.I have photographed hummingbirds and

find that a duration of 1/15,000 of a second is needed but a hawk

taking off can be stopped with 1/500. With out controling the

background you will likely get ghosting (secondary image from ambient

light)unless you shoot into an unnatural looking black background. The

duration of the flash will be reduced the closer the flash is to the

subject. The TTL system in Nikon works great (95%) even with non-D type

lenses. Canon TTL system works pretty well (85%) I have used them both.

Lepp's Project-a-flash works great and is reasonably priced. Get one!

[grover_larkins]

Try out the Norman 2H reflector on either a Lumedyne or Norman 200 to 400 Joule (Watt-Sec) system. You will get honest GN's of 360 @ 200J and 510 @ 400J for ISO 100 film witha 15 degree beam angle. Couple this with a Quantum Head and Presto-magico its' TTL time!

 

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I showed Joe MacDonald a similar rig (home-built, natch) out at Mrazek Pond a year or so ago, 270J and 450 GN @ ISO 100, he was impressed.

 

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Measured a Project a Flash there and then too: SB 25 GN @ ISO 100 85mm setting was ~110, with the Project a Flash it went to 145 feet @ ISO 100 (all measured at 25 feet with a tape measure, yep I carry one). Gain for the Project a Flash was 1 stop over 85mm setting.

 

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To be fair Lepp advertises his project-a-flash as having a 3 stop gain over the 50mm position. I've never been able to achieve this with the three units of his I've tested. Perhaps I'm missing something but I don't think so, my best Fresnel unit has a 2 stop gain and I'm using an 11 inch fl F1.0 Fresnel Lens....

 

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Also, to be fair, the SB 24/5 flashes are rated at GN's of 160 for the 85mm position and the best we've seen from them using LITHIUM (extended use can damage the flash) batteries (1.7 V/cell vs. 1.5 V/cell for Alkaline Manganese) was about 120 for ISO 100 in feet. I guess the manufacturer expects about a full stop of additional light reflection from ceilings, walls etc.. Moral: test it yourself outside!!!

[tom_pidgeon]

I have had good results photographing small birds, humming birds, etc., using an SB-24 on a Nikon N90s. I use a Fresnal Extender (George Lepp type) with a Nikon 400mm 3.5 lens. I use various extension tubes depending on my camera to subject distance.

To get the shortest possible flash duration, I set the SB-24 on 1/16th power. The fresnal extender magnifies the light without having any effect on light duration. I have had excellent results freezing the wings of hummingbirds with this technique.