F stops

Briony

Briony

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Nicki.
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When shooting birds in flight what F stop would you use as I have been having problems with TV mode and was going to have a go with AV today? or am I barking up the wrong tree??
 
I think shutter speed has to take priority.
I'd aim to shoot at 1/500s minimum with an aperture of about f5.6 to f6.3. Put your camera on manual and select an ISO to achieve these settings.
Whatever you do, it will not be easy - esp. with small birds.
 
Briony said:
When shooting birds in flight what F stop would you use as I have been having problems with TV mode and was going to have a go with AV today? or am I barking up the wrong tree??
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It depends on your lens, light conditions, where the sun is, in relation to the subject due to shadows and loss of detail. It also depends how far away the subject is as it flies past. Light conditions are the most important factor on achieving good results, but as arclight suggested, use TV and try and keep your shutter speeds above 1/500 sec. You can use AV if you want to control DOF and ain't worried about shutter speeds, but that also depends on your lens that your using.
 
I presume from your request that you are getting Out of Focus shots and wish to use the additional DOF to cover this. Firstly getting the bird in focus is the main requirement, then keeping it still, ie a fast shutter speed, finally consider whether the background is to be in focus or out of focus and select an appropriate stop. If your camera has it try seting both shutter and aperture and use Auto ISO to let the camera calculate the correct exposure. Of course backlighting, black/white birds, metering method will have an effect on this.
 
Thanks Ken yes all my BIF shots seem to be OOF, so have been out today and experimenting (and got very cold !!!) the results are in the bird forum. Seem to have had the best results shooting in the TV/AV mode and Auto focus make a heck of a difference :cuckoo: why I have not used that before I will never know, as the saying goes you learn somehting new every day ;) just wish I had someone to go out shooting with to learn lots more :'(
 
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