Black Kite in flight

[Paul Burdett]

OK...so I've discovered a new location around 40 minutes from home where there are many Black Kites nesting in trees and giving me the opportunity of bif shots. However, on my visit I went in the morning, so I had to shoot into the sun...not the best outcome. I then went back in the afternoon a few days later, with the sun at my back. I found that I still had to use quite a bit of +ve EC so as not to underexpose the birds...even as sunset approached. I have some close up shots where the bird is exposed well but the sky is blown out (may post later). I've also realized that, despite the poor high iso noise on the 7Dii, the noise is not too bad if the exposure is good. Here's one that I think is ok...despite the bird being a distance away. Comments welcome as always. Cheers.
7Dii, 100-400@400mm, 1/3200th sec, f6.3, iso1250 in manual mode, hand-held. (I generally avoid iso higher than 800...but am learning to get over my fear!)

[greg cowle]

Nice light, and the cloud in the lower sky helps the background. Does look a tad bright to me.

[Paul Burdett]

Thanks Greg. Looks fine on my monitor...I wanted to bring out the detail on the bird, but maybe the BG could be toned down. Cheers.

[John Mack]

Nice to see the bird is almost completly lit evenly. Like the composition and the touch of clouds in the background.

[Daniel Cadieux]

I'm at ISO 1600 more than half the time with my 7DII and I feel the IQ holds up really well. According to the internet I should not be creating anything worth keeping at anywhere above ISO 400:t3. Good pose by the kite, and I like the clouds in the BG. A bit soft on the fine details, and I too think the exposure could go down a bit (or at least on the brights). Glad you found a good spot for these guys, I'm sure you will be there again a few times eh!

[Paul Burdett]

Hi Daniel. Thank you for the feedback. Yes, I've been to that location quite a few times before, so I know that the Kites will be there. My problem is exposing correctly for them...even with the sun behind me. Waiting for the right angle as they bank is key, otherwise I'm still underexposing. I'm editing other closer shots at the moment with the sky blown out, but it seems that's necessary. The high ISO noise thing really bugs me, but I guess it's my technique and not so much the 7Dii. However, I'm wondering if your 500mm f4 lens has something to do with the high iso you're able to use? When my dark birds are underexposed the noise is horrible when upping the exposure in pp) even at 800. The Nikon D850+500PF is on my hit list, but I need to test drive that combo first...not easy here in Brisbane. I'm also not as happy as I'd like to be with the 7Dii/100-400 AF speed. I'd appreciate your thoughts here. Cheers.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Good job Paul, I would suggest a good starting point would be +1.7 or +1.3 and then check the histogram. With an image like this if the bird is bang on focus any noise will be minimised and the bright background would have even less, so I would not be in the least bit concerned about it.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Hey Paul, no, the 500mm f/4 or any other lens will not do any difference as far as noise goes at same ISO. Better IQ, focussing speed, sharpness out-of-camera? Sure. Allow you to lower the ISO because of larger aperture? Yes. But again, noise will remain the same at the same ISO. The 7DII is good for me up to ISO 3200, but then the internet basically says that this is trash and that I should basically switch gear or give up altogether. I'm not gonna lie here, if you try the Nikon D850 you will see a positive difference in IQ so hold on to your wallet Lol. The 7DII is simply a tool that I have been using for over 5 years now on every birding outing and it has, and continues, to serve me well. Will I be happy to upgrade when the time comes? Yes. I'm I currently satisfied? Yes.

If you need to blow out the sky for correct exposure on the kite than so be it. If not blown out by too much you can usually recover it in post anyhow, and your subject will look better than when trying to save the sky at the expense of the subject.

As far as the 100-400, I still have and occasionally use the version I of it, and it does the job. AF is OK on larger slower subjects such as geese, egrets, pelicans, etc... I would love the version II of theis lens however, and will likely get it within the next year or two as it has better IQ, faster focus, and takes the 1.4 converter a lot better as well. Not to mention a three foot MFD!!

All this is based on my personal experience(s) and may vary from user to user:S3:

[Paul Burdett]

Jonathan...thank you for the suggestions...I think I was on +2EV for this one.
Daniel. Thank you for the info. It is as I thought...the lens doesn't have an impact on the noise. I do have the mark 2 100-400, and yes, it's a great lens for larger subjects and perched birds. I guess my main concern is AF speed...which I'm not as happy with on the 7Dii/100-400 combo. From all accounts the D850 (or D500 suggested by Arash) and 500PF may give me the AF speed I need...but I'd want to "test drive" this combo first. Of course, there are other possibilities...keeping the 7Dii or getting a used 1DX and 500 or 600 lens, but the cost would be higher than the D850/500PF (and lighter in weight too). I might hold out and see what 2020 brings...lol.

[arash_hazeghi]

I like the pose and the light, but the IQ is holding this one back too, it is soft/lacking in details and the highlights are blown. The best method to shoot flight is manual exposure to avoid underexposing a frame like this. Do you have my BIF guide?

I agree with Daniel that the skill of the person behind the camera usually trumps equipment, and the 7D2 might be OK if you shoot stationary subjects at close range and when posting small JPEG's on the internet which hide the flaws (look at this http://arihazeghiphotography.com/blog/bald-eagles-and-first-impressions-on-the-7d2-100-400-l-ii/) but it will not get you far in action, flight and when you need to crop the high ISO shots...put it next to a modern camera and everyone including grandparents can tell the difference...night and day.... If you have the means I would get rid of it right this second

TFS

[Paul Burdett]

Hi Arash. Thank you for the feedback and link to your 7Dii/100-400 page...very informative. Yes, I did shoot this image in manual mode and I do have your bif guide. Usually I use your suggested settings as per the guide depending on the available light. I will, however, go back and read again in case I missed something. I've since re processed the image...toning down then background and highlights...looks better to me. I do agree with your comment on the weaknesses of my setup as far as bif goes. I've seen a few 1DX (version 1) secondhand online at a good price, but secondhand 500mm ef lenses are still too expensive. The D850/500mm PF is still a strong consideration (and overall cheaper than the 1Dx+ef500mm), but I'm not prepared to buy without trying that combo first (difficult to try here in Brisbane unless renting for a minimum of 6 months), despite my gut feeling that it would be the best setup for me (I have quite a few Canon lenses+6D which I use for landscape, so don't wish to sell them). I appreciate your advice and welcome further thoughts. Cheers.