10-08-2016, 03:06 PM
You were very lucky to come across so many vultures flying close enough to fill the frame at 200mm.
You didn't mention the shutter speed you were using, hand-held I shoot at 1/1600 sec. and some are still slightly soft because of shake. I definitely get far less keepers at a 1/1000 sec. Now with the 500mm Nikon I'm shooting more at 1/2000.
The difference between F8 and F11 in terms of depth of field is not great at long focal lengths, so with multiple birds you are only going to get one bird in perfect focus, you just have get the right one.
I don't use OS/VC.
The problem with vultures is their very dark undersides, AF struggles with little light off the bird against a bright sky, I've been trying to climb and shoot from above them, now the weather is cooler they have to gain height themselves due to the lack of thermal activity. In the high heat of summer they glide using thermals at altitude and become small targets in the sky.
10Kgs of raw meat helps bring them closer!
You didn't mention the shutter speed you were using, hand-held I shoot at 1/1600 sec. and some are still slightly soft because of shake. I definitely get far less keepers at a 1/1000 sec. Now with the 500mm Nikon I'm shooting more at 1/2000.
The difference between F8 and F11 in terms of depth of field is not great at long focal lengths, so with multiple birds you are only going to get one bird in perfect focus, you just have get the right one.
I don't use OS/VC.
The problem with vultures is their very dark undersides, AF struggles with little light off the bird against a bright sky, I've been trying to climb and shoot from above them, now the weather is cooler they have to gain height themselves due to the lack of thermal activity. In the high heat of summer they glide using thermals at altitude and become small targets in the sky.
10Kgs of raw meat helps bring them closer!