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WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

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    WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

    Do you live in South Devon? Are you a Canon user and have good knowledge on how to get nice sharp wildlife photographs?

    If so………………

    I am looking for someone to spend the day with me at Paignton Zoo to help me set up my camera (Which focus points/mode to use, TV or AV, Focus tracking, ISO etc) for wildlife photography.

    I will pay for your Zoo ticket and lunch in return for your help

    I currently use the 5D MKIII with a Canon 70 – 300 F4/5.6 USM IS L lens.

    My main interest is steam railway photography but would like to expand my interests!

    If you are interested then please let me know.
    Colin

    Colin Wallace Photography

    Canon 5D MKIII / 24-105L F4 USM IS / 70-300L F4 USM IS

    #2
    Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

    Hello Colin.

    More than happy to help, but I am pretty sure we can sort out 90% of your needs here on the Forum.
    Colin

    Comment


      #3
      Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

      Thanks Colin for your offer of help.

      My main problem is focusing......getting a sharp photo.
      Colin

      Colin Wallace Photography

      Canon 5D MKIII / 24-105L F4 USM IS / 70-300L F4 USM IS

      Comment


        #4
        Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

        Either a.v mode,aperture set at f8 ISO between 400 and 800 single point focus move around with joystick to keep focus point on eye of target .or single point focus again ,manual mode with auto ISO switched on will cover for every eventuality of changing light circumstances.
        As with most things practice makes nearly perfect

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          #5
          Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

          Originally posted by Jedicolin View Post
          Do you live in South Devon? Are you a Canon user and have good knowledge on how to get nice sharp wildlife photographs?

          If so………………

          I am looking for someone to spend the day with me at Paignton Zoo to help me set up my camera (Which focus points/mode to use, TV or AV, Focus tracking, ISO etc) for wildlife photography.

          I will pay for your Zoo ticket and lunch in return for your help

          I currently use the 5D MKIII with a Canon 70 – 300 F4/5.6 USM IS L lens.

          My main interest is steam railway photography but would like to expand my interests!

          If you are interested then please let me know.
          Hi! JediColin,

          Our maestro Colin C from Dorset will surely sort you out. Your best contact.
          Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

          www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

          North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

          Comment


            #6
            Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

            Thanks for your comments!
            Colin

            Colin Wallace Photography

            Canon 5D MKIII / 24-105L F4 USM IS / 70-300L F4 USM IS

            Comment


              #7
              Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

              To start with ........ an easy one (said in a strong Yoda accent).

              Focussing and Tracking

              Assuming you are using all the focusing points, the algorithms will always favour the closer subjects rather than mid to long range subjects and even with those closer subjects, the latest cameras use facial recognition and tend to look for that first. Fine for general photography, but not so for critters. You need to control the focus and restrict what the camera will look for and in an ideal world, that would be use only the central focus mark and keep that tracked on the subject. Not all of us are that good, certainly not me, so I engage the central focus mark and the eight surround points, so that if I wander off with my tracking now and again, one of the other eight surround points will still track the subject. I am not an expert with the 5D MKIII, but it will be in your custom functions under the AF section.

              Shutter Speed.

              A shutter speed of 1/125sec, or 1/250sec sounds incredibly fast and on the face of it will freeze any movement. But use that speed on a propeller aircraft and it creates prop blur. You have to use much faster speeds to freeze the propeller. The same with birds and beasties. The smaller they are, the faster shutter speed you need so as a rough and ready rule, think of 1/1,500sec for a large flying Owl, 1/2,000 for a flying Hawk, 1/3,000 for a flying Robin and between 1/4,000 to 1/8,000 for a flying Humming bird. Non moving subjects will need less shutter speed, but not a lot less.

              Many peoples first forays into wildlife photography aren't as sharp as they would like, or expect and of the two examples above, not a high enough shutter speed is generally the main culprit.

              Now after mentioning all that, the following shot was taken at 1/60sec. But it was on a tripod and I waited until he was stock still before taking the shot. You may recognise him as the big silverback from Paignton Zoo.

              Hope that helps to start with and you are most welcome to come back for any further clarification.


              Colin

              Comment


                #8
                Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

                Thanks Colin! Awesome photo, so sharp.

                I noticed on your excellent photo that you used F8. I always thought you should use something like F5.6 at 300mm (on my lens) to blur the background. But looking at your photo F8 gives more sharpness.

                Should I use AI Servo as its a high chance the animals will move?

                Can you just pinpoint to which focus area you mean please......

                5D_MarkIII_AF_Area_Selection_Modes1.jpg
                Last edited by Jedicolin; 13-07-2017, 20:07.
                Colin

                Colin Wallace Photography

                Canon 5D MKIII / 24-105L F4 USM IS / 70-300L F4 USM IS

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

                  I used an F4 lens and if there was more separation between the subject and the background, I would have used F4 for a completely blurred background. As it was, there wasn't a great deal of separation and as he was quite a big lad, I stopped down to F8 so there was enough depth of field to keep all of him sharp and cause just a little background blur. It's all about being familiar with your equipment and using it to best advantage for the subject. Generally, you have to compromise a little from the ideal. If it was a kingfisher on a perch, with a few feet behind before there was any background, I don't need so much depth of field, so I could have completely blurred the background and provided that 3D effect for the Kingfisher.

                  I took the following shot at F8, but with converters fitted that was effectively wide open and you will note that the far leg is losing sharpness, but the main body and especially the eye is perfectly focussed and what a beautiful background. That was shot on a full frame body, 784mm lens (400mm +1.4 +1.4 converter) @ 1/1,250sec. Single point focus on the Kingfisher's eye.

                  With focus area, if you look in your menu, there will be custom Functions under the heading of AF. Scroll around those until you find a section allowing you to choose the focussing area. Under that there will be a list starting with all focus points, 15 points, 9 points, single point and single point spot. Activate to 9 points and only the central 9 points will be active. I am not over sure of the configuration on the 5DMKIII, but I am sure one of our other members can be more specific.

                  Last edited by colin C; 13-07-2017, 20:53.
                  Colin

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

                    Thank you for your help Colin.

                    I will take all this aboard and have another go soon. I will let you know how I get on.
                    Colin

                    Colin Wallace Photography

                    Canon 5D MKIII / 24-105L F4 USM IS / 70-300L F4 USM IS

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

                      Originally posted by Jedicolin View Post
                      Thank you for your help Colin.

                      I will take all this aboard and have another go soon. I will let you know how I get on.

                      Best advice I can give you is chuck some food out and start practicing what you are learning from Colin on any small birds that come along. If you can get that down to a T then you will be well sorted for whatever you meet in the zoo, it will give you no end of practice before you go there.
                      Focusing on a small bird is a lot harder than a chimp, don't just wait until you go to the zoo.
                      Canon 1DX, 50D, EF500 F4.0 L, EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L I , EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L II, EF70-200 f/2.8L II, EF180 f3.5L Macro, EF 24-105 f/4L, EF17-40 f/4L, EF2.0X III, EF1.4X III, 430EX II, MR-14EX...

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

                        Lots of good advice on here, am enjoying this thread very much.

                        Regards Paul

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

                          Originally posted by colin C View Post
                          background and provided that 3D effect for the Kingfisher.

                          I am not over sure of the configuration on the 5DMKIII, but I am sure one of our other members can be more specific.
                          Jedi I hope this is of help.

                          There’s a number of ways to select your 5D3 AF Points. This is the method I use, it uses two buttons. But you could use one of those two buttons and the main dial to make the point selection.

                          Buttons

                          1. The AF Selection Point button, situated on the camera back, it is the far right button at the top right of the camera back.
                          2. The M-fn button, situated between the shutter button and the main dial on the camera top.


                          Method

                          Press AF Select (1 above) button
                          Look through Viewfinder
                          Press M-fn (2 above) repeatedly to see and select the AF point or group of that you wish to use (Colin suggests using the center plus the expansion points around it). Each press of this button toggles through the AF points available. See note 1 below. Once you have the point/points showing that you want to use, a half press of the shutter button selects that formation for you.
                          Once you have selected that you can move the selection around the available zones by using the “Multi Controller” which is situated between the Live View and Quick Control buttons on the camera back to the right of the rear screen.

                          Note 1
                          . The available AF points are dependent upon the lens you’ve got on the camera. Page 79 of the manual gives details of which lens is in which group (eight groups A to H). Unfortunately my hard copy of the manual must be pre the release of the 70-300 lens you have so I can’t be certain which of the eight groups your lens resides in.
                          Peter

                          Feel free to browse my
                          Website : www.peterstockton-photography.co.uk
                          Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_original_st/

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                            #14
                            Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

                            I took in all the helpful tips everyone gave me but I am still having problems getting my wildlife photos sharp.

                            If you look closely (bigger image on Flickr) at the Rhino's eye you will see that it’s not sharp, yet that is where I put the focus points too.

                            5D mklll
                            70-300 F4/5.6 USM IS L
                            F8
                            1/800 (faster than usual)
                            AI Servo
                            ISO 2000 (higher than usual)
                            Aperture Priority
                            BBF
                            Lens at 300mm

                            IMG_6278 by colin wallace, on Flickr

                            Perhaps I should just give up on wildlife and stick to my railway photography!
                            Colin

                            Colin Wallace Photography

                            Canon 5D MKIII / 24-105L F4 USM IS / 70-300L F4 USM IS

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: WANTED: Canon User for Wildlife Help

                              Colin, on my monitor the Rhino and it's eye looks quite sharp.
                              Canon 6D; Canon 760D;Canon G15;Canon 40mm f2.8(Pancake);Canon 50mm f1.8(ii); Canon 17mm-40mm f4L;Canon EF-S 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM;Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 STM lens;Canon 24mm-105mmf4L IS;Canon 70-300mm f4-f5.6 L IS USM;Kenko 1.4x HD TC;Canon 430EX ii flash;Giottos tripod;Manfretto monopod;Cokin P filters + bits and pieces!

                              www.flickr.com/photos/nathaniel3390

                              North Wales where music and the sea give a great concert!

                              Comment

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