Great Egret

[Ian Cassell]

I'm going nuts practicing on BIF. My Sigma 100-300 f/4 AF isn't quite up to the task.
Just waiting for Arash's 400/5.6 to come by FedEx (I know, by looking at his stuff, that I won't be able to blame my failures on the glass :p )

Anyway, here's an attempt with mine. I probably shouldn't have stopped down so far, but when I don't, I usually miss the focus entirely while the AF catches up. Is the BG too distracting?

Canon 7D
Sigma 100-300mm f/4 @ 300mm
1/600 sec @ f/11
ISO 320

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Ian

No need to stop down that much !! You will like the new lens, performs well and the aft is fasssst !!! Do remember to use the distance limiter to your advantage !

For this one you need to have the wings all up or down, as presented we call it shooting a pancake from the side !!

[Lance Peters]

Hi Ian - yep the dreaded pancake pose.
Looking forward to seeing some shots with the new lens - just remember BIF have a lower keeper rate - so dont get dis-heartened.
Does take practice and remember sun and wind influences.
Keep em coming :)

[Dave Mills]

Hi Ian, Agree with comments above.
A few other things to watch out for. Backrounds are very important and it's important to keep distractions out as much as possible. In the above image the fence and power lines aren't helping and taking away from the bird.
Shooting moving subjects take practice,practice and more practice until you get proficient. No one I ever met picks it up immediately.Make sure your camera settings give you the best chance at capture.
Finally, lighting and it's angle are very important in pulling out detail from your subject, My advice is shoot early or late in the day for the best light...

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, all. Yeah, this is quite the challenge. Pancake, eh? Time to coax the bird into a nice bank for me with perfect HA :) ... and I felt lucky just to get the focus!

[arash_hazeghi]

nice exposure Ian,
Agree with Al, no need to stop down to f/11, will lose shutter speed or have to raise ISO too much when not necessary. I find that these guys look best when wings are full up or full down.

Hope the lens arrives soon.

[Michael Yessik]

BTW, on these cameras the AF is always operating with the lens wide open. It doesn't stop down until you press the shutter.

[Harold Davis]

agree with the rest about the wing position.

i've seen some really good results with that 100-300. i wouldnt dump it just yet. it may come in handy some day. good luck with the new lens.

[Bob Miller]

HI Ian....I shoot alot of BIF and have found that I need to use 1/1000 sec or higher to get good sharp images on a consistent basis.....When startting out I spent alot of time just practicing on gulls etc. being able to raise the camera to my eye and acquire focus rapidly is critical. Also remember, any teleconverters used will slow down your autofocus.....most importantly practice!

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, folks. Harold, when I decided to get the 400/5.6 instead of the 100-400, I decided to keep the 100-300. I've had good results with it especially without the TC. It it is a bit short on FL and just is not fast enough AF to make it a good BIF lens. It has served me well for a $500 e-bay purchase!

Thanks, Bob, for the SS tip. I'm still learning to think fast and always forget something -- either SS, ISO, Comp. and then birdie has gone bye-bye. I was thinking so hard about not blowing-out the whites here, that I didn't think of raising my SS and ISO. I'm getting better thanks to you folks here!

When I go out to my place on the NJ shore later in the month, I'll practice on gulls (we don't have them here).