3D TRACKING

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mervyn

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Decided today to have a go at photographing moving birds ( the feathered type!!!!!) with my D300 using continuous servo and dynamic area mode with 3D tracking. Bloody difficult and not as easy as you would think with the sophisticated autofocus system on the D300.

No doubt lack of experience has something to do with it. I was using my 70-300 VR Nikon lens and a lot of the pictures are blurred. Would this be down to not a fast enough shutter speed or am I not using the tracking properly. Any guidance notes on the web for this and how to use the system properly? Have just bought the 70-200 f2.8 lens but haven't tried it yet. Maybe I will get better results with it - hopefully. Help please!!:help::bang::bonk::thinking:
 
No replies yet? Shocking:p

Using the tracking is simplicity itself....I am not sure how much cross over there is from my D3 to your 300, but it must be close to what I had in the D2X....if you can select the number of focussing frames the tracking chases with you can improve things. The fewer the focus points you use the faster it will react simply because you are giving it fewer calculations to do.

You should have the camera body switch set to Cs, frame rate on one of the motordrive settings rather than single shot (so choose CH for faster response and faster frame rate).

Choose your focus point for the starting point - middle one? one off to one side? depending on the composition you are after.

Pick up the bird in th viewfinder before it gets to your shooting position, get the focus locked on and just keep your finger on the button, not necessarily shooting, but certainly to keep the camera wake and working....as the bird gets to your chosen point to take the picture press the shutter the rest of th eway down - you have to swing the camera and lens with the bird, keeping it in frame and the focus point on the bird, more or less. If you are on a tripod, it won't work, not well anyway.

That is all there is to it. You can also help the autofocus out by using the AF-on button on the back of the camera, press it with your thumb while your finger is on the shutter button - keep the AF-on button pressed in to maintain the autofocus over and above the shutter.

Go and find some ducks on the local canal or pond to parctise on. A £1 bag of bread is a good investment!
 
Hi Lensflare, yes only one reply!
As far as I can see, the 3D tracking is only available with the 51 points. 9, 12 and 51 points are available in the dynamic area mode all without 3D tracking so I am lumbered with the large number of calculations as I must take 51 points with the 3D.

my problem was that I could not get a well focused shot but could this be due to not having a fast enough shutter speed for a flying bird, sometimes coming towards me and sometimes side to side.

light wasn't brilliant so went to ISO 500 with f4.5 hoping to get reasonable shutter speed. I presume you dont need a very high shutter speed for a seagull.

Would i be better not having 3D tracking and just using continuous servo mode with dynamic area mode with fewer points, say 9 or 21

All advce greatly appreciated. Maybe photographing a turtle race would be more successfull:help::bang::bonk:
 
Ive not used it a great deal, its more for tracking from one side of the frame to the other.

If you can pan accurately enough id stick with continuous servo drive.

If you cant pan acurate enough, with 3D tracking the focus point shifts to compensate.

Ive only used it maybe a couple of times, but had good results.. Try a faster shutter speed, birds can be a right ******* to track.
 
Sorry - i missed out that bit. Yes give up the 3d bit. I have on the D3 too and just use a fewer number of focus points - try 9, if you can keep the focus point more or less on the target. 3D is designed for football and that kind of thing where the movement is erratic - flying birds are pretty much linear (except starlings going to roost - switch to manual for the flock. Pot luck with individual birds!)
 
Mervyn .... :bang: I too have been having problems with this, managed to get some results using it at some recent footy and athletics events my daughter was in. Tried to use it a few months ago in the summer at the beach to practice using some gulls as the subject, but i think my 18-200 was a bit shy of the required focal length.

:thinking:Would love to get some tips from someone who is getting consistent results though? :help:
 
Thanks Guys ( or gals)
Whats this blankety blank word...can't think for a moment what it could possibly be Monkey!!! The consensus seems to be to put camera on continuous servo focus mode, dynamic area mode with as few points that will cover the image ( 9,21 or 51) and NO 3D TRACKING.

For planes, motor bikes, race and rally cars does this apply. Keep 3D for erratic movement but where it can be predicted don't use 3D? Have I got it right? :clap::cuckoo:
 
MERVYN - you are absolutely spot on. Just like the focus will be!

The other thing that is worth a try - on slower moving subjects - is to set the switch on the backof the camera to the white square - it will then pick out the subject pretty well. Give it a go and you will find out when and when not to use this. People are good - not in a crowd, but people doing somethng, it will hunt them out of the background.

The dotted square is what I use mostly - dynamic area, with the focus selction limited to 9 points. Perfect for boats, doing boat to boat stuff at high speed. Car tracking shots, panning bikes and cars, that kind of thing.

If you have something predictable - like skateboarders coming over a jump - use manual focus and prefocus it. That is more relianble than any autofocus.

When trying to use the 3D tracking - it is worth using the AF-on button with your thumb - it will remain locked on even when you are not pressing the shutter - keep the lens pointed in the righht direction and follow the subject, ready for when it comes into your predetermined shot area. (i.e. see the shot before it happens)
 
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