|
I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately. There is a trumpet vine growing wild along my neighbors fence line that I don¡¯t have a problem with since it is an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.
The weeks I am oncall for work I am stuck at home and use it as part of my backyard safari project.?
I do have a Tamron 28-300mm ¡®macro¡¯ lens that is fine for static subjects with my D300s but does not cut it when it comes to autofocus on fast moving bees. It is just too slow.
I¡¯ve been playing with my Nikon 28-300mm AF-S VR lens which has a pretty quick AF motor and using extension rings for a closer working distance. It can be frustrating at times when it decides to hunt. With that said when it works it does a pretty?good job. Today I tried using manual focus on some bees. I had one that was being cooperative when I had the 28mm extension ring on it. The challenge I had was the focus ring is small and not the smoothest.
I¡¯ve been looking for a 300mm macro lens or at least closet to 200mm that has a fast AF and a decently smooth wider focus ring.?
Any thoughts or experience on such a beast if it exists?
It would be nice to go from bees to hummingbirds which I can¡¯t do with the extension rings as you lose a lot of your focus range.
Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen.
I believe Nikon made a 300mm macro f/4 lens. If the ones I was looking at on the used market were that, they were still pricey.
I do need to upload some of what I have been doing on flicker and re-organize that.
Thanks for your input.
Jon
|
I have been having great fun with my Irix full-frame 11mm ultra-wide and Irix 150mm 1:1 macro lenses. Amazing CPU-but-manual lenses with breathtaking sharpness.
"Always take the high road. There's less traffic."
-Christopher EricksonObservatory Engineer Summit Kinetics Honoka'a, Hawaii
On Wed, Jun 7, 2023 at 12:16?PM Jon < kd5sfa@...> wrote: I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately.There is a trumpet vine growing wild along my neighbors fence line that I don¡¯t have a problem with since it is an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.
The weeks I am oncall for work I am stuck at home and use it as part of my backyard safari project.?
I do have a Tamron 28-300mm ¡®macro¡¯ lens that is fine for static subjects with my D300s but does not cut it when it comes to autofocus on fast moving bees. It is just too slow.
I¡¯ve been playing with my Nikon 28-300mm AF-S VR lens which has a pretty quick AF motor and using extension rings for a closer working distance. It can be frustrating at times when it decides to hunt. With that said when it works it does a pretty?good job. Today I tried using manual focus on some bees. I had one that was being cooperative when I had the 28mm extension ring on it. The challenge I had was the focus ring is small and not the smoothest.
I¡¯ve been looking for a 300mm macro lens or at least closet to 200mm that has a fast AF and a decently smooth wider focus ring.?
Any thoughts or experience on such a beast if it exists?
It would be nice to go from bees to hummingbirds which I can¡¯t do with the extension rings as you lose a lot of your focus range.
Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen.
I believe Nikon made a 300mm macro f/4 lens. If the ones I was looking at on the used market were that, they were still pricey.
I do need to upload some of what I have been doing on flicker and re-organize that.
Thanks for your input.
Jon
|
Hi, Jon.
Trying to capture bees in flight will keep you out of trouble for a while. I use a ten year old Nikon 105 macro for attempting such shots. Historically, I used the macro on my D800. Although I¡¯m still inclined use it for slower moving subjects, I lean toward my Z6 for those who move more quickly. I find it both fun and exasperating; the bees are quicker than I am.
Enjoy!
/AnotherBob
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jun 7, 2023, at 6:15 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote:
I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately¡¡..
Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen¡¡.
|
True being that it is fun and exasperating.
Of course getting the flower mostly in focus and the blur of the bee flying towards it does give it a certain character.
Hi, Jon.
Trying to capture bees in flight will keep you out of trouble for a while.? I use a ten year old Nikon 105 macro for attempting such shots. Historically, I used the macro on my D800. Although I¡¯m still inclined use it for slower moving subjects, I lean toward my Z6 for those who move more quickly. I find it both fun and exasperating; the bees are quicker than I am.
Enjoy!
? ?/AnotherBob
> On Jun 7, 2023, at 6:15 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote:
>
> I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately¡¡..
>
> Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen¡¡.
>
>
|
I¡¯m using an older manual focus Lester Dine 205 F 2.8 for my macro shots. I use a matching ring flash a lot with it. That said, I have about 9 other true macro lense from 55 to 280 mm.?Some of them are AF others are MF. The Dine 105 is my go to lens. My subjects tend to be smaller though.
On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, 6:39 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote: True being that it is fun and exasperating.
Of course getting the flower mostly in focus and the blur of the bee flying towards it does give it a certain character.
Hi, Jon.
Trying to capture bees in flight will keep you out of trouble for a while.? I use a ten year old Nikon 105 macro for attempting such shots. Historically, I used the macro on my D800. Although I¡¯m still inclined use it for slower moving subjects, I lean toward my Z6 for those who move more quickly. I find it both fun and exasperating; the bees are quicker than I am.
Enjoy!
? ?/AnotherBob
> On Jun 7, 2023, at 6:15 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote:
>
> I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately¡¡..
>
> Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen¡¡.
>
>
|
Jon,
I'd think, unless you have professional grade gear, moving
subjects?won't allow time for autofocus to do it's thing, My Nikon
ZFc has really good autofocus, but even that with my Sigma 150-600
zoom is not fast enough for moving birds. You're likely getting
the same results with your moving bees.
Years ago I did some photography as a CART IndyCar race here in
Wisconsin and what I write below is based on a "trick" that a
professional photographer taught me (moving cars, etc.): set up
the gear to photograph?a spot on the track and go at it when the
cars came by. I'm thinking you may can adjust that approach for
what you want to do.
With some stationary object, shift the body to Manual mode, set
up your body and lens for a narrow aperture (for good
depth-of-field focus) and very fast shutterspeed. I know that's
not intuitive, because closing the aperture while also increasing
the shutterspeed significantly affects the light gathering
potential, but?you should be able modify the ISO to get more
sensitivity and doing this outside in bright light really helps
(I've actually overexposed images trying this for bird photography
LOL).
This way you can set your preferred focus range?with an aperture
of F/16 (e.g., to get one foot depth of field), shutterspeed
(e.g., 1/2000/sec to freeze the bee motion), and ISO (e.g, 800 or
1600, even in sunlight) in advance,?knowing that any bee in that
one-foot distance, even if it's moving, should be in focus
(because of the aperture) and sharp (because of the shutterspeed).
You can experiment with moving YOURSELF forward and backward as
the bees move to shift that (e.g.) one foot area. You can probably
move yourself faster than the camera can move things, so don't let
the camera change things.
Regards.
On 6/7/23 17:15, Jon wrote:
I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee
binge lately.
There is a trumpet vine growing wild along my
neighbors fence line that I don¡¯t have a problem with since it
is an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.
The weeks I am oncall for work I am stuck at home
and use it as part of my backyard safari project.?
I do have a Tamron 28-300mm ¡®macro¡¯ lens that is
fine for static subjects with my D300s but does not cut it when
it comes to autofocus on fast moving bees. It is just too slow.
I¡¯ve been playing with my Nikon 28-300mm AF-S VR
lens which has a pretty quick AF motor and using extension rings
for a closer working distance. It can be frustrating at times
when it decides to hunt. With that said when it works it does a
pretty?good job. Today I tried using manual focus on some bees.
I had one that was being cooperative when I had the 28mm
extension ring on it. The challenge I had was the focus ring is
small and not the smoothest.
I¡¯ve been looking for a 300mm macro lens or at
least closet to 200mm that has a fast AF and a decently smooth
wider focus ring.?
Any thoughts or experience on such a beast if it
exists?
It would be nice to go from bees to hummingbirds
which I can¡¯t do with the extension rings as you lose a lot of
your focus range.
Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal
especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen.
I believe Nikon made a 300mm macro f/4 lens. If
the ones I was looking at on the used market were that, they
were still pricey.
I do need to upload some of what I have been doing
on flicker and re-organize that.
Thanks for your input.
Jon
--
--
¡°Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.¡±
|
One trick to try is set focus to manual, select an approximate distance that provides the composition you desire, ¡°spot weld¡± the camera to your body, and then very slightly lean your whole body forward and backward (maybe an inch or so) to adjust focus on the critter desired Walt
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jun 7, 2023, at 5:16 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote: ?I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately. There is a trumpet vine growing wild along my neighbors fence line that I don¡¯t have a problem with since it is an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.
The weeks I am oncall for work I am stuck at home and use it as part of my backyard safari project.?
I do have a Tamron 28-300mm ¡®macro¡¯ lens that is fine for static subjects with my D300s but does not cut it when it comes to autofocus on fast moving bees. It is just too slow.
I¡¯ve been playing with my Nikon 28-300mm AF-S VR lens which has a pretty quick AF motor and using extension rings for a closer working distance. It can be frustrating at times when it decides to hunt. With that said when it works it does a pretty?good job. Today I tried using manual focus on some bees. I had one that was being cooperative when I had the 28mm extension ring on it. The challenge I had was the focus ring is small and not the smoothest.
I¡¯ve been looking for a 300mm macro lens or at least closet to 200mm that has a fast AF and a decently smooth wider focus ring.?
Any thoughts or experience on such a beast if it exists?
It would be nice to go from bees to hummingbirds which I can¡¯t do with the extension rings as you lose a lot of your focus range.
Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen.
I believe Nikon made a 300mm macro f/4 lens. If the ones I was looking at on the used market were that, they were still pricey.
I do need to upload some of what I have been doing on flicker and re-organize that.
Thanks for your input.
Jon
|
I've been trying to use that trick. But even running f/22 @300mm? iso 1000 with the extension rings at a distance about a foot, the depth of dof is so shallow that a minor breeze moves things out of focus. Dof seems to be around a 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch at best.?
For distance shots with a good telephoto you have additional dof to work with. Close up you lose that advantage.?
Jon,
I'd think, unless you have professional grade gear, moving
subjects?won't allow time for autofocus to do it's thing, My Nikon
ZFc has really good autofocus, but even that with my Sigma 150-600
zoom is not fast enough for moving birds. You're likely getting
the same results with your moving bees.
Years ago I did some photography as a CART IndyCar race here in
Wisconsin and what I write below is based on a "trick" that a
professional photographer taught me (moving cars, etc.): set up
the gear to photograph?a spot on the track and go at it when the
cars came by. I'm thinking you may can adjust that approach for
what you want to do.
With some stationary object, shift the body to Manual mode, set
up your body and lens for a narrow aperture (for good
depth-of-field focus) and very fast shutterspeed. I know that's
not intuitive, because closing the aperture while also increasing
the shutterspeed significantly affects the light gathering
potential, but?you should be able modify the ISO to get more
sensitivity and doing this outside in bright light really helps
(I've actually overexposed images trying this for bird photography
LOL).
This way you can set your preferred focus range?with an aperture
of F/16 (e.g., to get one foot depth of field), shutterspeed
(e.g., 1/2000/sec to freeze the bee motion), and ISO (e.g, 800 or
1600, even in sunlight) in advance,?knowing that any bee in that
one-foot distance, even if it's moving, should be in focus
(because of the aperture) and sharp (because of the shutterspeed).
You can experiment with moving YOURSELF forward and backward as
the bees move to shift that (e.g.) one foot area. You can probably
move yourself faster than the camera can move things, so don't let
the camera change things.
Regards.
On 6/7/23 17:15, Jon wrote:
I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee
binge lately.
There is a trumpet vine growing wild along my
neighbors fence line that I don¡¯t have a problem with since it
is an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.
The weeks I am oncall for work I am stuck at home
and use it as part of my backyard safari project.?
I do have a Tamron 28-300mm ¡®macro¡¯ lens that is
fine for static subjects with my D300s but does not cut it when
it comes to autofocus on fast moving bees. It is just too slow.
I¡¯ve been playing with my Nikon 28-300mm AF-S VR
lens which has a pretty quick AF motor and using extension rings
for a closer working distance. It can be frustrating at times
when it decides to hunt. With that said when it works it does a
pretty?good job. Today I tried using manual focus on some bees.
I had one that was being cooperative when I had the 28mm
extension ring on it. The challenge I had was the focus ring is
small and not the smoothest.
I¡¯ve been looking for a 300mm macro lens or at
least closet to 200mm that has a fast AF and a decently smooth
wider focus ring.?
Any thoughts or experience on such a beast if it
exists?
It would be nice to go from bees to hummingbirds
which I can¡¯t do with the extension rings as you lose a lot of
your focus range.
Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal
especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen.
I believe Nikon made a 300mm macro f/4 lens. If
the ones I was looking at on the used market were that, they
were still pricey.
I do need to upload some of what I have been doing
on flicker and re-organize that.
Thanks for your input.
Jon
--
--
¡°Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.¡±
|
Works if I can sway with the breeze at the same rate as the flowers and bees.
One trick to try is set focus to manual, select an approximate distance that provides the composition you desire, ¡°spot weld¡± the camera to your body, and then very slightly lean your whole body forward and backward (maybe an inch or so) to adjust focus on the critter desired Walt On Jun 7, 2023, at 5:16 PM, Jon < kd5sfa@...> wrote: ?I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately. There is a trumpet vine growing wild along my neighbors fence line that I don¡¯t have a problem with since it is an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.
The weeks I am oncall for work I am stuck at home and use it as part of my backyard safari project.?
I do have a Tamron 28-300mm ¡®macro¡¯ lens that is fine for static subjects with my D300s but does not cut it when it comes to autofocus on fast moving bees. It is just too slow.
I¡¯ve been playing with my Nikon 28-300mm AF-S VR lens which has a pretty quick AF motor and using extension rings for a closer working distance. It can be frustrating at times when it decides to hunt. With that said when it works it does a pretty?good job. Today I tried using manual focus on some bees. I had one that was being cooperative when I had the 28mm extension ring on it. The challenge I had was the focus ring is small and not the smoothest.
I¡¯ve been looking for a 300mm macro lens or at least closet to 200mm that has a fast AF and a decently smooth wider focus ring.?
Any thoughts or experience on such a beast if it exists?
It would be nice to go from bees to hummingbirds which I can¡¯t do with the extension rings as you lose a lot of your focus range.
Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen.
I believe Nikon made a 300mm macro f/4 lens. If the ones I was looking at on the used market were that, they were still pricey.
I do need to upload some of what I have been doing on flicker and re-organize that.
Thanks for your input.
Jon
|
Yep. You're up against perhaps the physical constraints of what
gear can do - the macro lens versus a "regular" lens with the
extension rings. I know my Tamron 60mm macro cannot focus that
fast; using manual focus requires many turns of the focus ring
because, I think, of how the focus mechanism of the lens is
designed.?
This thread makes me think about how much experience the "good"
photographers must have to get the shots they get. I recently saw
an image of an owl, wings fully furled, coming in for a landing on
a stump. Magnificent. Yet I wonder how the dickens?that
photographer got that shot? Right place, right time? Staked out
that location for days/weeks/months watching that owl hunt? Did
they set up the stump hoping (!?!) that the owl would take the
hint? Is is fake? Is that a captive owl??
So many possibilities we can't know. Same with the insect
photographers.?
That's no help to you however. Sorry.
On 6/7/23 18:22, Jon wrote:
Works if I can sway with the breeze at the same
rate as the flowers and bees.
One trick to try is set focus to manual,
select an approximate distance that provides the composition
you desire, ¡°spot weld¡± the camera to your body, and then
very slightly lean your whole body forward and backward
(maybe an inch or so) to adjust focus on the critter desired
Walt
On Jun 7, 2023, at 5:16 PM, Jon < kd5sfa@...>
wrote:
?I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit
and have been on a bee binge lately.
There is a trumpet vine growing wild along
my neighbors fence line that I don¡¯t have a problem with
since it is an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.
The weeks I am oncall for work I am stuck
at home and use it as part of my backyard safari
project.?
I do have a Tamron 28-300mm ¡®macro¡¯ lens
that is fine for static subjects with my D300s but does
not cut it when it comes to autofocus on fast moving
bees. It is just too slow.
I¡¯ve been playing with my Nikon 28-300mm
AF-S VR lens which has a pretty quick AF motor and using
extension rings for a closer working distance. It can be
frustrating at times when it decides to hunt. With that
said when it works it does a pretty?good job. Today I
tried using manual focus on some bees. I had one that
was being cooperative when I had the 28mm extension ring
on it. The challenge I had was the focus ring is small
and not the smoothest.
I¡¯ve been looking for a 300mm macro lens
or at least closet to 200mm that has a fast AF and a
decently smooth wider focus ring.?
Any thoughts or experience on such a beast
if it exists?
It would be nice to go from bees to
hummingbirds which I can¡¯t do with the extension rings
as you lose a lot of your focus range.
Trying to capture bees in flight is my
goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen.
I believe Nikon made a 300mm macro f/4
lens. If the ones I was looking at on the used market
were that, they were still pricey.
I do need to upload some of what I have
been doing on flicker and re-organize that.
Thanks for your input.
Jon
--
--
¡°Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.¡±
|
I'm learning and trying different combinations of things. It's the practical experience that reinforces things I have read.
Yep. You're up against perhaps the physical constraints of what
gear can do - the macro lens versus a "regular" lens with the
extension rings. I know my Tamron 60mm macro cannot focus that
fast; using manual focus requires many turns of the focus ring
because, I think, of how the focus mechanism of the lens is
designed.?
This thread makes me think about how much experience the "good"
photographers must have to get the shots they get. I recently saw
an image of an owl, wings fully furled, coming in for a landing on
a stump. Magnificent. Yet I wonder how the dickens?that
photographer got that shot? Right place, right time? Staked out
that location for days/weeks/months watching that owl hunt? Did
they set up the stump hoping (!?!) that the owl would take the
hint? Is is fake? Is that a captive owl??
So many possibilities we can't know. Same with the insect
photographers.?
That's no help to you however. Sorry.
On 6/7/23 18:22, Jon wrote:
Works if I can sway with the breeze at the same
rate as the flowers and bees.
One trick to try is set focus to manual,
select an approximate distance that provides the composition
you desire, ¡°spot weld¡± the camera to your body, and then
very slightly lean your whole body forward and backward
(maybe an inch or so) to adjust focus on the critter desired
Walt
On Jun 7, 2023, at 5:16 PM, Jon < kd5sfa@...>
wrote:
?I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit
and have been on a bee binge lately.
There is a trumpet vine growing wild along
my neighbors fence line that I don¡¯t have a problem with
since it is an attractant for bees and hummingbirds.
The weeks I am oncall for work I am stuck
at home and use it as part of my backyard safari
project.?
I do have a Tamron 28-300mm ¡®macro¡¯ lens
that is fine for static subjects with my D300s but does
not cut it when it comes to autofocus on fast moving
bees. It is just too slow.
I¡¯ve been playing with my Nikon 28-300mm
AF-S VR lens which has a pretty quick AF motor and using
extension rings for a closer working distance. It can be
frustrating at times when it decides to hunt. With that
said when it works it does a pretty?good job. Today I
tried using manual focus on some bees. I had one that
was being cooperative when I had the 28mm extension ring
on it. The challenge I had was the focus ring is small
and not the smoothest.
I¡¯ve been looking for a 300mm macro lens
or at least closet to 200mm that has a fast AF and a
decently smooth wider focus ring.?
Any thoughts or experience on such a beast
if it exists?
It would be nice to go from bees to
hummingbirds which I can¡¯t do with the extension rings
as you lose a lot of your focus range.
Trying to capture bees in flight is my
goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen.
I believe Nikon made a 300mm macro f/4
lens. If the ones I was looking at on the used market
were that, they were still pricey.
I do need to upload some of what I have
been doing on flicker and re-organize that.
Thanks for your input.
Jon
--
--
¡°Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.¡±
|
I am just getting my z8 af set up, but I think I am going to like real well for bumble bees at 1/32000 sec! It should talk the blur out! I will most likely shoot with my Nikkor 105 f2.8. A wonderful bee shooter! Good luck Jon.
Kelly Todd
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jun 7, 2023, at 6:36 PM, Bob Morse <stilljustbob@...> wrote:
?Hi, Jon.
Trying to capture bees in flight will keep you out of trouble for a while. I use a ten year old Nikon 105 macro for attempting such shots. Historically, I used the macro on my D800. Although I¡¯m still inclined use it for slower moving subjects, I lean toward my Z6 for those who move more quickly. I find it both fun and exasperating; the bees are quicker than I am.
Enjoy!
/AnotherBob
On Jun 7, 2023, at 6:15 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote:
I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately¡¡..
Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen¡¡.
|
I went a different approach today.
I took out my 200-500 and from about 8 feet at f/11 - f/13 was working with about 1/2¡± dof. If I can get out for a break from work in the morning when the suns in the east and providing better light I may be able to up the dof with f/22 and higher shutter speeds. I¡¯d like to bump my iso down from 800 as well.
I was getting better results though.?
Hopefully the bees wont be so quick earlier in the day.
On Thu, Jun 8, 2023 at 19:44 Kelly < kelly@...> wrote: I am just getting my z8 af set up, but I think I am going to like real well for bumble bees at 1/32000 sec!? It should talk the blur out!? I will most likely shoot with my Nikkor 105 f2.8.? A wonderful bee shooter!? Good luck Jon.
Kelly Todd
> On Jun 7, 2023, at 6:36 PM, Bob Morse <stilljustbob@...> wrote:
>
> ?Hi, Jon.
>
> Trying to capture bees in flight will keep you out of trouble for a while.? I use a ten year old Nikon 105 macro for attempting such shots. Historically, I used the macro on my D800. Although I¡¯m still inclined use it for slower moving subjects, I lean toward my Z6 for those who move more quickly. I find it both fun and exasperating; the bees are quicker than I am.
>
> Enjoy!
>
>? ?/AnotherBob
>
>> On Jun 7, 2023, at 6:15 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote:
>>
>> I¡¯ve been playing around with macro a bit and have been on a bee binge lately¡¡..
>>
>> Trying to capture bees in flight is my goal especially if they are laden with a ton of pollen¡¡.
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
|
Hi, Jon.
Are you using a monopod or tripod to support the 200 - 500? My 200 - 500 is almost permanently attached to my D500, predominanty for reasonably stationary birds, but I doubt that I could hold it steady enough to track a moving bee. Perhaps your forearms are stronger than mine. ?. I¡¯ll be interested in hearing how that works for you.
/AnotherBob
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jun 8, 2023, at 8:57 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote:
I went a different approach today.
I took out my 200-500 and from about 8 feet at f/11 - f/13 was working with about 1/2¡± dof. If I can get out for a break from work in the morning when the suns in the east and providing better light I may be able to up the dof with f/22 and higher shutter speeds. I¡¯d like to bump my iso down from 800 as well.
I was getting better results though.
Hopefully the bees wont be so quick earlier in the day.
|
I can¡¯t imagine using the Nikkor 200-500mm for bees. ?It¡¯s a great lens, but it practically lives on my heavy duty Gitzo 320 tripod when I¡¯m using it. ?I did try using it for birds in flight on Memorial Day weekend, but didn¡¯t have very good results. ?It¡¯s possible, but the autofocus was too slow. ?Plus, when going hand-held, you need make sure the ISO is cranked up enough to get a 500th/sec or faster shutter speed.
I¡¯ve had very good luck with the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E with bees.
Zane
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jun 9, 2023, at 3:40 AM, Bob Morse <stilljustbob@...> wrote:
Hi, Jon.Are you using a monopod or tripod to support the 200 - 500? ?My 200 - 500 is almost permanently attached to my D500, predominanty for reasonably stationary birds, but I doubt that I could hold it steady enough to track a moving bee. Perhaps your forearms are stronger than mine. ?. I¡¯ll be interested in hearing how that works for you.??/AnotherBobOn Jun 8, 2023, at 8:57 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote:
I went a different approach today.
I took out my 200-500 and from about 8 feet at f/11 - f/13 was working with about 1/2¡± dof. If I can get out for a break from work in the morning when the suns in the east and providing better light I may be able to up the dof with f/22 and higher shutter speeds. I¡¯d like to bump my iso down from 800 as well.
I was getting better results though.?
Hopefully the bees wont be so quick earlier in the day.
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The 200-500 showed promise. Need to bump the iso up from 800 though and either use a monopod or tripod. VR helps but at the close distance is not as effective.
My 70-200 f2/8 also showed promise this morning, again need to bump the iso up to 1200 and use a monopod or tripod. Same issues with VR as above.
At least the bee activity is higher in the morning. Having only 10-15 minute windows to get out limits what I can do.?
I¡¯ll try the tripod around lunch time to see how it improves things.
Jon
On Fri, Jun 9, 2023 at 10:15 Zane Healy < healyzh@...> wrote: I can¡¯t imagine using the Nikkor 200-500mm for bees.? It¡¯s a great lens, but it practically lives on my heavy duty Gitzo 320 tripod when I¡¯m using it.? I did try using it for birds in flight on Memorial Day weekend, but didn¡¯t have very good results.? It¡¯s possible, but the autofocus was too slow.? Plus, when going hand-held, you need make sure the ISO is cranked up enough to get a 500th/sec or faster shutter speed.
I¡¯ve had very good luck with the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E with bees.
Zane
Hi, Jon.Are you using a monopod or tripod to support the 200 - 500?? My 200 - 500 is almost permanently attached to my D500, predominanty for reasonably stationary birds, but I doubt that I could hold it steady enough to track a moving bee. Perhaps your forearms are stronger than mine. ?. I¡¯ll be interested in hearing how that works for you.??/AnotherBobOn Jun 8, 2023, at 8:57 PM, Jon <kd5sfa@...> wrote:
I went a different approach today.
I took out my 200-500 and from about 8 feet at f/11 - f/13 was working with about 1/2¡± dof. If I can get out for a break from work in the morning when the suns in the east and providing better light I may be able to up the dof with f/22 and higher shutter speeds. I¡¯d like to bump my iso down from 800 as well.
I was getting better results though.?
Hopefully the bees wont be so quick earlier in the day.
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Christopher Erickson
Bob Morse
Walt