Need some advice

[Larry Hitchens]

Anyone out there using a Canon 1ds Mark II 16.7MP who can offer
some advice on settings please offer some help.
Attached is a photo of a Bald Eagle Fishing as an example of the problems I am encountering. I am NOT and I underline NOT a professional. Rank amatuer would be
a better description!!! On this photo as on most I do of Birds is to focus on the eye,
however as in this example the eye may be sharp but the feathers are obviously
out of focus and I am guessing settings are the problem, I've only had the camera
two weeks and am still feeling my way This was taken at ISO 200 7.1AV with an
800mm F5.6 lens around 3pm for light purposes the sun was behind me.
Hopefully someone out there will share their settings on the 1DS so I can
set the camera properly and then make any minor adjustments to fit my personal
choices. Thank you in advance.
Larry Hitchens

[Rod Wiley]

Larry I don't think your problem is with your gear as much as it is the DOF with an 800mm lens. I you can get the eyes in focus you've done a good job. I'm not sure how far you were from the eagle but with 800 mm you probably didn't have much more than 1" DOF which wouldn't allow for an in focus wing anyway. I think its a very nice photo.

[Dave Phillips]

nice image Larry, I bet with that body you can crank that ISO up pretty good and get higher shutter speed and stop down the aperture too(increased dof)

this looks to have good ss as indicated by the freeze of the splash, so I would go for the max dof with smaller aperture

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the pose and eye contact in this one. What was the shutter speed? You probably could have gone to ISO 400.

[Larry Hitchens]

Sorry thought I included it, it was ISO 200

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Sorry thought I included it, it was ISO 200

You did include the ISO. I was wondering about the shutter speed.

[Larry Hitchens]

Shutter Speed was 1/800sec. Do you use this camera? need some starting point settings.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Shutter Speed was 1/800sec. Do you use this camera? need some starting point settings.

No, I use a 1D3. For flight images I would suggest ISO 400 and f/6.3 or 7.1. That way your shutter speed would have been 1/1600s or 1/2000s. In sunlight you probably need to dial in some negative exposure compensation in order not to overexpose the white head plumage of the eagle.

[Dave Phillips]

also Ken, I believe this image should be converted from Adobe RGB colorspace to sRGB for best web presentation.
Color is muted for most of us viewers

[Larry Hitchens]

Okay Dave I just changed it to srgb hope this helps.
Larry

[Chris Dodds]

Hey Larry,

I use the 1DsMKII all the time for flight images.

Get yourself an ambient light meter, and shoot in manual mode (nothing will improve your keeper rate more).

[Larry Hitchens]

Chris,
Would you mind sharing your basic settings on the 1ds MKII?
Thanks
Larry

[Doug Brown]

As a general rule, I want my shutter speed fast enough to stop the action, somewhere in the 1/1000 to 1/2000 range. If possible, I use an aperture of f/7.1 or smaller. I will push my ISO to achieve these objectives, because I feel that it's much easier to deal with noise than an OOF photo due to motion blur or insufficient DOF.

[Tim Rucci]

Larry I don't think your problem is with your gear as much as it is the DOF with an 800mm lens. I you can get the eyes in focus you've done a good job. I'm not sure how far you were from the eagle but with 800 mm you probably didn't have much more than 1" DOF which wouldn't allow for an in focus wing anyway. I think its a very nice photo.

I tend to agree with Rod that the shallow depth of field was a contributor to the softness in this shot as described in Larry's original post. Doing a quick check with the DOF calculator reveals that the 1DsII with 800mm lens at f7.1, would yield a depth of field of:
0.48 feet at a distance of 50 feet,
1.11 feet at a distance of 75 feet,
1.98 feet at a distance of 100 feet.

One can only guess the distance to the bird, but I've tried to remind myself to check this kind of stuff before setting out to shoot. I usually do that so I have a ballpark idea of which settings are best to use for the type of shooting I plan to do, and what the trade-offs are. It's frustrating if you make a bunch of shots only to find out that you expected the impossible from your gear.

I believe the suggestions by many here go for a lot higher ISO are good advice. For example, at 75 feet, the same exposure as the original shot could be achieved at ISO 800, 1/800 at f14, which effectively doubles the depth of field to 2.21 feet. If the distance was 100 feet, these settings would increase the depth of field to 3.97 feet. I still think 1/800 is on the slow side for a flyer with an 800mm lens, but you get the idea.

In this amount of light, maybe try something like ISO 800, 1/1250 at f11, and use a flash with beamer. The dof field would be 3.15 feet at 100 foot distance.

Sorry to sound like a gearhead, but it's good stuff to know before you set out.

[Larry Hitchens]

Thanks Tim, this is exactly the kind of input i'm looking for.
Larry