[Hutch]

What settings do you guys use when photographing wildlife? I typically shoot waterfowl but id appreciate input for any type of wildlife photography.

[Imp]

On my K-30, I use TAV mode. I cap the ISO to about 1250/1600, sometimes 2000 if it is a darker day. Then I try to keep the aperture around f/8-11, with a shutterspeed around 1/400th bare minimum for BIF.
Generally I don't use AF-C, I use center spot with back button focusing.

EDIT: my aperture is around f/8-11 because of my lens, the Tokina AT-X 400 f/5.6, doesn't perform very well wide open. If you've got something like the DA* 300 f/4, or the DFA 150-450, those will perform well/acceptably wide open and you don't need such a stopped down aperture. My lens requires bright days!!

[GeneV]

I also tend to use TAV for birding photos. Otherwise I'm always fighting the camera's settings. With the DA*300/4, I keep the shutter speed at no less than 1/400, but I will shoot at apertures wider than f/8 to keep the ISO reasonable, especially for smaller birds. I will use AFS or AFC, but AFA drives me nuts with the shutter delays. For small birds in branches, the focus area is the small select spot, sometimes used with MF. For larger waterfowl, I will use more focus points.

[Billk]

I use TAV or manual pretty much always for birds.


I usually use single point autofocus most of the time. Occasionally more central points.


For birds on the wing I tend to range between 1/1000s for soaring birds (pelicans, gulls, hawks etc) and 1/2500s for really fast moving ones (swallows, lorikeets etc). I usually use F8 but will go wider at dusk and narrower in really bright midday light. I aim to keep the ISO under 1000, including for dusk silhouette shots.


For birds on the water, ground or branches, I generally have 1/400s as my minimum shutter speed when tripod supported and 1/600s when handholding (That's with DA 300mm or Da 300mm +1.4TC.)


Fruit bats are quite languid flyers and you can go down to 1/800s and still get sharp shots.


Pretty similar settings for dolphins, whales, seals and sea lions.

[C_Jones]

I have a Sigma 150-500 that I use with my Pentax K-3II. I use TAV mode, and no tripod for most shooting of birds in flight or even standing. For birds in flight I usually use F7-F8 and 800-1000 shutter speed. The EV I sometimes give myself a +.03 or +.07 to brighten the underside of the flying bird in case it is apt to shadow due to light conditions. If the bird is hunting, like an Osprey, I will sometimes up the shutter speed to 1250 to catch the dive and leaving of the water.

When you are shooting something like a beaver swimming in normal light, you can go to like F11 or F13, 320 shutter speed, and adjust your EV slightly if needed to accomodate. If you see something like a Heron walking in the water, those settings might be useful too. I use AF.C due to the constant movement of wildlife in most cases, and Spot metering. Also, if you set your "Highlight Correction" on that will prevent glare blowout. I do not use "Shadow Correction". I also recommend you use your "Shake Reduction" (SR) if you do not have it on your lens, but do not use both, and I recommend the camera "SR".

[bertwert]

Av Mode, Manual ISO from 100-3200 depending on light.
No AF as my lens I use is MF. Spot metering, Continuous high.

My lens I use is a 800/8.8 telescope with a fixed aperture so only thing I am adjusting is the ISO

[biz-engineer]

On my K-30, I use TAV mode. I cap the ISO to about 1250/1600, sometimes 2000 if it is a darker day. Then I try to keep the aperture around f/8-11, with a shutterspeed around 1/400th bare minimum for BIF. Generally I don't use AF-C, I use center spot with back button focusing.

I use about the same setting, more or less depending if I use the TC or not + DA300. Without TC, I set aperture between f5.6 and f8. With TC , I set aperture between f8-F11. I use ISO Auto. For static birds, I use from 1/100th and 1/250 shutter speed and SR ON. On tripod, I manage to get sharp shots down to 1/30th shutter ISO200 with remote MLU (=SR OFF). Basically, I tried to keep ISO floating between 100 and 800, not higher than 800. Using back button AF to get the lens in focus first helps as it separates initial camera AF from shutter and tracking operation.

[micromacro]

I prefer AV if light changes frequently, and tend to use manual mode if light is predictable.
I've tried Tav, but did not like it much. Mostly AF.C, almost always burst mode (never know when the subject moves), central focus, prefer F8 on DA*300mm for flying and distant subjects, and from f4 and up for static portraits. ISO usually is between 400 and 800 to get speed from 1/1000 and up (for f5.6-8)when light is sufficient to catch fast movement. Metering depends on what I want, but usually pattern.
I can't use tripod for wildlife, only hand held.

[r0ckstarr]

1/400? What are you guys shooting, dead birds? We're trying to freeze the motion, not blur it. Bump your ISO up. 1/1000 should be the starting point.

I use Manual Exposure Mode for everything. AF.C, center focus point, Back Button Focusing, Continuous High.

For other settings which include AF.C and Back Button Focusing, see this thread:
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/38-photographic-technique/236970-perfect-...everytime.html

1/1600

[Imp]

1/400? What are you guys shooting, dead birds? We're trying to freeze the motion, not blur it. Bump your ISO up. 1/1000 should be the starting point.

Valid point. This picture of mine was 1/160th of a second... but then its equivalent to the bird being dead

https://500px.com/photo/111832759/parakeet-with-berry-by-ncarr?ctx_page=1&fr...er_id=11488281

[Paleo Pete]

I shoot all manual, and manual focus lenses. All mine are older lenses so full auto is not available anyway.

I usually start at ISO 400, f8, and whatever shutter speed I think will get a good exposure. I've been doing this for over 30 years, I can usually look around and gauge my exposure pretty well. I take a test shot and I'm not often more than one stop off.

I rarely shoot faster than 1/500, I try to keep the ISO as low as possible. I'll go up to ISO 1600 if I have to, but I usually stay at 200 or 400 if possible.

Slower shutter speeds do work well, even with flying birds 1/500 will stop most motion. I'll shoot at 1/180 in a heartbeat. With perched birds, I only worry about making sure the shutter speed is high enough to stop my own movements. With a 200mm lens, 1/180 will do the trick. I've shot as low as 1/90 with my 135mm I'm using most of the time now.

This was taken at ISO 800, 1/350. This Goldfinch would try to intimidate every bird that landed on the feeder, I got several shots of him and a couple stopped the wing motion at 1/350. (using a K30 and 135mm lens at f11)



This one was taken at ISO 800, 1/250, probably f11. That's what I've been using for aperture as much as I can get by with.



ISO 200 at 1/500.



I prefer a faster shutter speed if possible, but slower will work quite well, there is no reason to limit yourself to 1/1000, I've gotten loads of nice shots at 1/180. On an overcast morning I'll start at ISO 400, f8, 1/180. I shoot more birds than anything else, shutter speeds of 1/250 or higher will stop everything but their wings if flying. I like 1/500 for in flight shots if I can get it, I love it if I get enough light to go to ISO 200 and 1/1000, but that's not often.

This was taken at ISO200 and 1/250, as the Heron landed.. the only motion is the wingtips. I didn't have time to change ISO and shutter speed...

[osv]

This one was taken at ISO 800, 1/250, probably f11. That's what I've been using for aperture as much as I can get by with.

f/11 is a landscape aperture, but it does give you some dof insurance.

if a camera is using af, it may not focus well at closed-down apertures like that... the sony ff cameras, for instance, won't use pdaf stopped down beyond f/8 or so.

[r0ckstarr]

Also, read Kengoh's technique. Very interesting and worth trying.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/122-lens-clubs/55946-300mm-plus-lens-club...ml#post3543205

[Lowell Goudge]

I have generally shot Tav lately, and with the k5 I let ISO go where it needs to. ISO 6400 on a k5 works well to keep the shutter reasonable


But lower ISO and SR also works well like the following

the first shot is from the K7 using the 1.7x AFA and the K300/4 at ISO 1600,

and 100% crop of the head


Or you can use a flash, stop down, go with a low ISO, this next shot is using my *istD with flash again using the 1.7x AFA on the K400/4