Nuthatch in Flight

[reh321]

I spent an hour sitting in my living room {it is cold out there right now} with a good view of our bird feeder. I got two good photos of birds landing on the feeder, but guys leaving it were just too quick for my reflexes.

I should already be familiar with the difficulty of photographing birds in action. Several years I tried to photograph a black bird launching itself from a reed over a marsh, and I was fortunate to get a photo of the bird several flaps after the launch.
Redwing Black Bird - PentaxForums.com

[Lmcfarrin]

I spent an hour sitting in my living room {it is cold out there right now} with a good view of our bird feeder. I got two good photos of birds landing on the feeder, but guys leaving it were just too quick for my reflexes.

For what it's worth, I've posted a detailed review on this small bif topic to include the following;

- manual focus vs. auto focus
- wireless triggers
- hides
- fps and megapixels
- normal to short/long telephoto lenses
- crop sensor vs full frame (specifically the K-1)
- cameras tested/reviewed (Sony rx10 III, Sony A6000, Pentax K-5, Pentax K-3 II, Olympus O-MD E-M5, and the Pentax K-1 II) - I was suppose to also test the KP, but it didn't happen. I think the KP would have been better than or equal to the E-M5:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/12-post-your-photos/373278-abstract-pent...k-1-ii-kp.html

I've spent three years now tweaking this bif flight technique involving primarily normal lenses to get these unique captures. THESE BIRDS ARE TOO FAST TO USE TYPICAL HUMAN REACTION TIME. YOU HAVE TO USE ANTICIPATION and study the birds' habits to know where to place the camera away from the feeder. I'm actually more motivated to shoot in bad weather (rain, snow, low temps) because it adds to the personality of the images. When I shoot, I spend at minimum 6 hours and use as many as 6 cameras at once operated by wireless triggers. Simply put, I have a tremendous amount of patience/time, trial and error, and money into this. I'm not bragging, I'm telling. Most of the conventional bif techniques I've abandoned (ie I use manual focus and as wide as 35mm lenses). From my experience, my skill as as a photographer is less important than my skill to set up cameras/ focus traps to capture an image IN ANY manner I desire. However, the trade off will be noisier images due to use of higher iso, motion blur vs. slightly out of focus, and heavy cropping due to the small size of the birds.

---------- Post added 01-22-19 at 03:33 AM ----------

Personally, I've had so many great BiF shots ruined because half the bird was out of the frame, I find the wide angle approach refreshing. When the weather get above -20ºC I might give it a try with the K-1 and DA*55 1.4. Maybe the framing isn't optimal, but I've done a lot worse.

In regards to weather, "bad weather" is "good shooting" weather because it gives the photos personality and uniqueness.

I was provided a loaner K-1 II to test specifically for bif from B&H arranged by Pentax Forums. My conclusion, the K-1 II is of course more than adequate in regards to image quality and megapixels, but inadequate in regards to fps. The birds are moving through the frame so fast, the K-1 II's 4.5 fps is no different than shooting single shot. My experience, the camera that has performed the best to date and I own all listed except K-1 II:

1st place - Olympus O-MD E-M 1 II (as fast as 60 fps raw)
2nd place - Oly E-M5 (9 fps)
3rd place - K-5 (7 fps), A6000 (11 fps), RX10III (14 fps)
4th place - K-3 II (8.3 fps)
5th place - K-1 II (4.5 fps , too slow)

An American football analogy: you can use a linebacker (K-1 II) to guard a quick and shifty receiver (Nuthatch), but the job is better suited for a defensive back (cameras at 7 fps or faster). My experience is you match speed with speed. Therefore, unless you are going to be shooting bif with a D5 or A9, full frame will not be the camera for the job. The image of the bif has to be captured first before all the other functional camera strengths can be appreciated.

[reh321]

THESE BIRDS ARE TOO FAST TO USE TYPICAL HUMAN REACTION TIME. YOU HAVE TO USE ANTICIPATION and study the birds' habits to know where to place the camera away from the feeder.

Even in my hour I noticed the cardinal(s) following a different path than the smaller birds {no blue jays or other larger birds during that time}

[Lmcfarrin]

Even in my hour I noticed the cardinal(s) following a different path than the smaller birds {no blue jays or other larger birds during that time}

Each bird type approaches and departs the feeder differently. If you're "hunting" Blue Jays, learn their habits, and so on. I've been doing this so long with a routine the birds are somewhat use to me. At times when I'm setting up, birds will hit my feeder 3 to 4 feet from me. I've had a Blue Jay and a Black Capped Chickadee land on my feeder approximately 8 INCHES from my head (no exaggeration). However, Cardinals are the most skittish. Feeder placement in proximity to your home and the type of feed all play a part in the attraction process. Unfortunately 1 hour is not enough time to be on watch unless you become familiar with their max feeding times - usually dawn, mid day, and dusk. There so much to it other than pressing the shutter, but I'm willing to share.