Birds in flight (BIF) is one of the more challenging subjects for camera, lens and photographer. However recent advances in autofocus tracking at high frame rates have made BIF possible for a range of consumer camera/lens combinations with a reasonable expectation of good results.
There is much discussion on user forums about the best settings and techniques and several YouTube videos devoted specifically to using the R5/RF100-500mm combination for BIF.
This post is my contribution to the topic.
There is something magical about being able to pluck (in the imaging sense) flying birds from the sky and render them clearly in a still photo.
In the good old days of manual focus, capturing birds in flight required huge setups with a hide, multiple flashlights and possibly weeks of patient waiting in the near vicinity of a nest.
For many years even autofocus was not up to the task of locking onto a bird in flight.
But now there are several camera/lens combinations which can do it effectively.
Broadly speaking Canon and Sony have the most advanced autofocus systems and the highest effective frame rates making these two brands currently best for BIF. Maybe in due course other camera makers will catch up.
I have used the Sony RX10.4 for BIF and posted my suggestions for using this camera on this blog.
Some of Sony’s interchangeable lens cameras are also reported to be very effective for BIF when matched with an appropriate lens.
However I have decided to go with Canon for reasons reported on this blog.
Canon uses dual pixel AF which has been developed over the last few years to become arguably the most effective system currently available for tracking rapidly and unpredictably moving subjects.
The six main elements of photographing birds in flight are: equipment, settings, subject selection, techniques, managing expectations and review.
Equipment
* Body and lens. This post is specifically about the R5 with RF 100-500mm L zoom. This combination delivers very high image quality, very fast tracking AF and a good user experience. It is an excellent kit for BIFs.
* Batteries and other equipment. When running at 12 or 20 fps you will get more frames per battery charge than is usual when making single shots. Even so a session could involve 500-1000 frames or more so at least one and preferably two Canon LP-E6NH batteries is desirable. Note that if battery level falls below about 60% the maximum possible frame rate is reduced when using mechanical shutter or EFCS. I do not recommend third party batteries or the older LP-E6 battery for BIF.
* I mount a 77mm clear filter over the front element of the lens and leave it there at all times. I regard this as essential when working near the sea and desirable anywhere else. I use Hoya HD which gives good results.
* I do not find any kind of support such as a monopod useful for BIF. It restricts camera movement excessively.
* Some bird photographers like to use a hide of some sort. I am sceptical about these, finding that simply standing still is often as good a way as any to indicate one’s benign intent.
Birds are by no means stupid which makes me think that attempting to conceal ourselves in some kind of hide is a bit like Pooh Bear trying to deceive the bees. Maybe I just can’t be bothered with the nuisance of a hide.
* Pre-burst for takeoffs. The R5 does not have but some other cameras do have a pre-burst feature. The issue is that birds operate about 10x faster than humans. By the time we are aware that a bird is taking off it is lost to the photographic endeavour. A 0.5 or 1 second pre-burst capability could be very useful in this situation.
Settings
In this post I will just refer to those settings which I think are of particular relevance to BIF. I have posted a full description of all my recommended settings for the R5 elsewhere on this blog.
* Image quality.
I use CRaw for everything all the time. This produces manageable file sizes with no detectable adverse effect on image quality when compared to full sized Raw. I do not recommend JPG for BIF as it is often necessary to use all the dynamic range in the Raw files to recover highlights in white feathers. The R5 can produce HEIF files but it appears photoshop cannot edit these yet.
* Frame rate and shutter type.
If shutter type is set to electronic, the frame rate in [high speed continuous+] drive mode is 20 fps. This is a fixed rate with no slower options. With E-Shutter, A/D conversion is at 12 bits. It is worth noting that 20 fps produces a torrent of files which have to be evaluated at the end of the day. At 20 fps it takes less than a minute to produce 1000 files.
With mechanical shutter or electronic first curtain (EFCS) AD conversion is at 14 bits, except for [High speed continuous+] which is at 13 bits.
Both mechanical shutter and E-shutter have various disadvantages so I just use EFCS all the time for everything. This gives a maximum frame rate of 12 fps which I find is very satisfactory for most birds in flight. Small birds which flap their wings very fast might benefit from 20fps.
* Memory cards.
The R5 has two card slots, one for Compact Flash Express type B (CFEB) and the other for Secure Digital variants (SD). Always use the CFEB card for BIF and make sure you invest in one with plenty of capacity. I use and recommend Sandisk CFEB 128 GB cards. These are expensive but the interesting thing is that I have spent less money on memory cards since moving to CFEB than I did when I was using SD simply because I have only bought one CFEB card since getting the R5. You also need to invest in a CFEB card reader and any necessary connectors.
* BBF (back button focus) or FBF (Front =shutter button focus)
There are never ending inconclusive discussions on user forums about this. Some users extol the virtues of BBF, others can’t see the benefit. I am one of the latter. I use the camera for many different types of subject for most of which BBF is an un-necessary complication to the capture process. Even for BIF I find FBF easier to work with as I only have to press one button to initiate focus and exposure metering and make the exposures.
* Recommended capture settings
Shooting mode Tv, shutter speed 1/4000 sec, ISO auto, drive mode [high speed continuous+], AF servo, exposure compensation guided by EVF appearance, AF method [face/eye detect with tracking], subject to detect animals (works for birds).
AF menu screen 3 Servo AF settings: This is a work in progress but I am currently using Case 2, tracking sensitivity -1, Accel./decel.tracking +2.
AF menu screen 5: Initial Servo AF pt for face detect/tracking: Auto.
I congregate these and other settings for BIF onto custom shooting mode C3. Some settings which cannot be assigned to a Custom shooting menu are placed in My Menu.
On the left side of the lens barrel: Focus limiter 3m-infinity, AF/MF to AF, Stabiliser On, Stabiliser type 3 for erratically moving subjects.
Note that some users advocate switching the stabilisers Off for BIF. The notional basis of this is several reports on user forums claiming that there is or can be an adverse interaction between the IS system and camera/lens movement when the camera is being moved quickly so as to produce blurring of the image. I recommend users carry out their own tests on this.
* Locations and subjects
In general, water birds lend themselves most readily to BIF photography. On the coast this means gulls, cormorants, terns and similar species. Inland there are different groups of species depending on geography but there will be some kinds of water birds in most locations around the globe.
Many of these birds are common, they fly fairly straight and they will come in close to humans if those humans are patient and prepared to stand still for a while. Offerings of food will often bring birds in.
At sea out near the edge of the continental shelf there are more sea birds which will often come in close if offered fish guts and pieces.
Welcome swallows and similar species will seem initially impossible to capture in flight as they fly so fast and change direction so abruptly, But they go round and round in a localised area so if you miss one the first ten times you might get lucky the eleventh time.
Bush birds are extremely difficult to capture in flight. One technique for capturing these is to set up a perch with some grubs, photograph the birds perched when they come in and try to photograph them as they take off.
* Observation
Equipment and settings are important but the photographer’s strategy, skills and experience are even more important.
Observation is essential. Observe where and when birds gather and fly. Observe their flight patterns. Observe any frequently used perch locations. Observe how the birds react to your presence.
Move towards a group of birds slowly so they are not frightened.
Stand still for 30 minutes in a known bird area. You might be surprised how well birds accept a person standing still. Never try to chase after them.
Try to get up-sun and up-wind of the location where birds are flying (sun and wind behind your back). Backlit shots can be good for variety but birds will be rendered most clearly with the sun front-on.
When the time comes to start the capture process speed is of the essence. Press that shutter button before you think the bird is framed correctly in the viewfinder. Fire in short bursts.
Keep at it. It is said that the only certainties in life are taxes and death. To that I would add the certainty of thousands of out of focus or completely out of frame shots when one is learning to do BIF.
Managing expectations
* Keeper rate
I have read posts on user forums from people claiming to have achieved a 90% (or thereabouts) success rate with BIFs. I suppose it may be just barely possible that in a highly controlled setup with trained birds flying on command from one known location to another that such a high success rate might be sometimes be achieved.
But out there in the real world with wild birds coming into one’s capture zone unpredictably, at any speed and from any direction, I find that my keeper rate is very much lower. Many, many frames miss the bird altogether or have the bird cut off by the edge of the frame.
Often the bird is so small in the frame the image is barely usable.
Modern AF systems are almost magical in their capability but they don’t always give the desired result. I often get a sequence of frames all with the bird out of focus.
I will be pleased if I get five good shots in a session. Shots that I will be happy to print or to show on this blog. This might be 1%-2% or less of frames exposed.
* Frames per session
When photographing static subjects it is often appropriate to make one or two carefully composed and focussed shots.
For BIF think in terms of 500 frames for a short session and 1000-2000 frames for a longer session.
The duration of a session in hours will depend on each user’s stamina and perseverance of which a considerable amount is required.
Most important last words advice
Practice, practice, practice, practice.
Review each frame after each session. Try to figure out what you could have done and what you plan to do next time to improve the number and quality of keepers.