Bird Photography

[Abhishek Paranjape]

The Nikon Z8/Z9 allows the "i menu" to be customized to switch Shooting banks (a slightly more evolved version than what was on the D500/D850)

Sony has a similar(?) system where pressing a button gives you an overriding set of settings. In fact, you can three buttons, three sets. I guess that, for it to be fast enough, it might need to to be thumb-on-button*finger-on-shutter.

I've never tried it. But I do come across people who find it genuinely useful.

thank you for this. my friend is on a sony system, will let him know about the same.

[DeepakS]

While it is good to get help from people who are already accomplished in what you intend to do, your best learning will come with practical trial & experience.
As a long time photog you must have plenty of memory cards lying about. Take them with you when you go into the field. Try each method on one card. Remove it try the next method on another card. . . and so on.
When you get back to your computer you will have clearly differentiated folders of pictures of each method you tried.  Comparing them will help you decide on the method to adopt.

[Bharat Varma]

While it is good to get help from people who are already accomplished in what you intend to do, your best learning will come with practical trial & experience.
As a long time photog you must have plenty of memory cards lying about. Take them with you when you go into the field. Try each method on one card. Remove it try the next method on another card. . . and so on.
When you get back to your computer you will have clearly differentiated folders of pictures of each method you tried.  Comparing them will help you decide on the method to adopt.

Good idea.

Extending this further -

Do memory banks on Nikon support saving to different folders on a single card?
Do custom settings on Canon enable this?

If yes, this would probably make things easier. (Any image within a folder would provide the required settings info).

[Abhishek Paranjape]

While it is good to get help from people who are already accomplished in what you intend to do, your best learning will come with practical trial & experience.
As a long time photog you must have plenty of memory cards lying about. Take them with you when you go into the field. Try each method on one card. Remove it try the next method on another card. . . and so on.
When you get back to your computer you will have clearly differentiated folders of pictures of each method you tried.  Comparing them will help you decide on the method to adopt.

Good idea.

Extending this further -

Do memory banks on Nikon support saving to different folders on a single card?
Do custom settings on Canon enable this?

If yes, this would probably make things easier. (Any image within a folder would provide the required settings info).

no, this is not supported on Nikon. but i do follow a simple idea when i am shooting different techniques. i just a put a hand in front of the lens when switching to something new. when checking the snaps, i know that what follows after the hand is different.

[Abhijit Rao]

I use Aperture Priority mode (mostly). And auto ISO to manage the shutter. If I do need a specific shutter then Shutter priority mode. I mostly shoot handheld or with a bag or with a monopod.

I find accurate focusing to be the bigger challenge. The newer bodies do 'eye focus' and you are sorted. In complicated scenes when auto is not giving me exact focus, I switch to the DMF mode on my Sony A7R3. This lets me do the manual adjustment. This has given me very good results.

The metering is mostly on center spot. In very bright and open conditions the zone metering can also work.

regards,
Abhijit

[Abhishek Paranjape]

I use Aperture Priority mode (mostly). And auto ISO to manage the shutter. If I do need a specific shutter then Shutter priority mode. I mostly shoot handheld or with a bag or with a monopod.

I find accurate focusing to be the bigger challenge. The newer bodies do 'eye focus' and you are sorted. In complicated scenes when auto is not giving me exact focus, I switch to the DMF mode on my Sony A7R3. This lets me do the manual adjustment. This has given me very good results.

The metering is mostly on center spot. In very bright and open conditions the zone metering can also work.

regards,
Abhijit

my doubt over aperture priority is this- lets say i am shooting wideopen and yet due to auto iso setting, my shutter won't become fast as i want due to sudden change of condition, then what do i do ?

[Krish Chandran]

my doubt over aperture priority is this- lets say i am shooting wideopen and yet due to auto iso setting, my shutter won't become fast as i want due to sudden change of condition, then what do i do ?

In Aperture Priority mode when your shutter speed varies, assuming the ISO is manual, changing conditions can be tackled by ISO adjustment. If both shutter speed and ISO are floating you're almost in Auto mode, dependent on the camera's ability to "read the scene".

For any control, you need at least two of the three (SS/A/ISO) to be constant, else your "keeper rate" will fall drastically. You'll get some shots but much fewer than when you're in control.

For bird photography shutter speed is vital, to freeze motion - even static birds move constantly. You need to fix aperture to achieve the correct DOF (else you might get the head in focus and the beak blurred or such like undesirable results). What you can leave floating - especially while panning for Birds in flight, is ISO, because backgrounds change and Auto ISO can compensate.

So, Manual mode with or without Auto ISO is my recommendation for birding. Having said that, some birders I know quite successfully shoot at Aperture priority with a healthy keeper rate. They have developed ways to compensate the lack of a fixed shutter speed using other techniques, but that is another topic.

[Abhijit Rao]

If you are shooting wide open (fastest aperture) and you have hit max ISO you set and IF the shutter speed is slower than you want then you need more light. In bird photography, you hardly can change the light. So either you will need to bump up the ISO to a value higher (lower image quality) or you will need to deal with the slower shutter (as you are already at the widest aperture). Light is paramount.  If there is low light there is little you can do about it.

In bird / wildlife photography, rarely you need to go to a higher aperture - you will mostly shoot wide open. In that case the amount of available light dictates the ISO and shutter combination (both of which you need to choose for). That is the reason I find Aperture priority simpler - one less variable to deal with.

Abhijit

I use Aperture Priority mode (mostly). And auto ISO to manage the shutter. If I do need a specific shutter then Shutter priority mode. I mostly shoot handheld or with a bag or with a monopod.

I find accurate focusing to be the bigger challenge. The newer bodies do 'eye focus' and you are sorted. In complicated scenes when auto is not giving me exact focus, I switch to the DMF mode on my Sony A7R3. This lets me do the manual adjustment. This has given me very good results.

The metering is mostly on center spot. In very bright and open conditions the zone metering can also work.

regards,
Abhijit

my doubt over aperture priority is this- lets say i am shooting wideopen and yet due to auto iso setting, my shutter won't become fast as i want due to sudden change of condition, then what do i do ?

[Bharat Varma]

my doubt over aperture priority is this- lets say i am shooting wideopen and yet due to auto iso setting, my shutter won't become fast as i want due to sudden change of condition, then what do i do ?

In Aperture Priority mode when your shutter speed varies, assuming the ISO is manual, changing conditions can be tackled by ISO adjustment. If both shutter speed and ISO are floating you're almost in Auto mode, dependent on the camera's ability to "read the scene".

For any control, you need at least two of the three (SS/A/ISO) to be constant, else your "keeper rate" will fall drastically. You'll get some shots but much fewer than when you're in control.

For bird photography shutter speed is vital, to freeze motion - even static birds move constantly. You need to fix aperture to achieve the correct DOF (else you might get the head in focus and the beak blurred or such like undesirable results). What you can leave floating - especially while panning for Birds in flight, is ISO, because backgrounds change and Auto ISO can compensate.

So, Manual mode with or without Auto ISO is my recommendation for birding. Having said that, some birders I know quite successfully shoot at Aperture priority with a healthy keeper rate. They have developed ways to compensate the lack of a fixed shutter speed using other techniques, but that is another topic.

Would like some more details about this last bit about "other techniques" please.

[Abhishek Paranjape]

my doubt over aperture priority is this- lets say i am shooting wideopen and yet due to auto iso setting, my shutter won't become fast as i want due to sudden change of condition, then what do i do ?

In Aperture Priority mode when your shutter speed varies, assuming the ISO is manual, changing conditions can be tackled by ISO adjustment. If both shutter speed and ISO are floating you're almost in Auto mode, dependent on the camera's ability to "read the scene".

For any control, you need at least two of the three (SS/A/ISO) to be constant, else your "keeper rate" will fall drastically. You'll get some shots but much fewer than when you're in control.

For bird photography shutter speed is vital, to freeze motion - even static birds move constantly. You need to fix aperture to achieve the correct DOF (else you might get the head in focus and the beak blurred or such like undesirable results). What you can leave floating - especially while panning for Birds in flight, is ISO, because backgrounds change and Auto ISO can compensate.

So, Manual mode with or without Auto ISO is my recommendation for birding. Having said that, some birders I know quite successfully shoot at Aperture priority with a healthy keeper rate. They have developed ways to compensate the lack of a fixed shutter speed using other techniques, but that is another topic.

i agree with you totally, hence i started the topic in the 1st place. for birds, freezing motion is the biggest priority, probably even more than DoF. that dictates that we have Shutter in our control and hence Shutter priority will be more helpful since aperture priority cannot control freezing motion.

My take-

apart from controlling light in a triangle, aperture, iso and shutter have following functions
Shutter- controlling motion, freezing, getting motion blur etc
Aperture- Controlling DoF
ISO- Image quality.

going by this logic for birds , i need motion, then depth and then quality under control.
so either go Full manual with Auto-ISO or then Shutter Priority with Auto-ISO again.