Hummers
- This topic has 17 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated Aug 27, 2010 at 9:25 am by
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Sweet photos of a sweet bird! Nice work!
Last spring, while shooting wildfowers, I was fortunate to have a hummer drop in, to feast on nectar, what a thrill.
Diving
Sipping
Inquisitive
Enjoying a Beautiful Day
The tiniest soul with feathers
Bulls Eye
Abundant Wildflowers
Pretty Wings
Keeping an eye on the camera, and operator
Time for more pollen on the bill
Dropping a single speck of pollenGraham those images are awesome. Were you shooting a Macro at the time? The thought occurred to me to try my Macro but I just didn’t. I’ll most likely use it when I go after the in flight shots because of the increased speed. I’ve just started with the hummers and it has me really thinking about finally spending the money for another flash to use remotely.
Again great shots.
Hey Mike, thanks! I was shooting with a Nikon 200mm macro lens.
Surprisingly, some of my favorite bird photos were captured using the 200mm macro lens. Last fall, while fly fishing, I got a shot of a hawk flying across the river, with the macro lens.
I used the 200mm macro lens for both shots below…
great hummers Graham. Are those Annas?
Mike if your talking about a true 1:1 as in Canons 100 f2.8 macro your probably better off using an extension tube (maybe 12mm) on the 400 f5.6
Macro lenses because they are required to focus from the MFD (measured in inches) out to infinity are stupid slow to focus. Not really suitable to birds in off the cuff birds in flight. If your over a set up as in a spot where you know the birds going to fly and pre-focus that alleviates the focus speed issue.
180mm f3.5 macro
There’s a delicate balance between getting close enough that the hummer/ butterfly and simliar sized fliers fill enough of the frame and the resulting DoF. Remember your DoF is determined by focal length, aperature and distance to subject.
Even stopped down to f14 or f18 your DoF on a 1:1 macro can be measured in fractions of an inch. Not enough to get most of your subject in focus. That bee was shot at f10 and only half of it is within the effective DoF
full frame (uncropped) 400 f5.6 with 12mm in tubes (so shot at roughy 6 feet) f7.1 iso 1000 1/1000th. Note the DoF isnt enought to get all of the dragon critically sharp.
If your worried about the f5.6 max aperture on the 400……dont be. If you tried this kind of shooting at f2.8 and in close so your not cropping your DoF would wafer thin. Youd have a hard time getting just a fraction of a hummers bill in focus.
Probably the best lens for hummers etc in flight in Canons line up is the 300 f4. It has a nice MFD of I think 6feet and is fast to focus. Not as fast as the 400 but still very fast.
Great advice John, Thanks. The 400 just hasn’t impressed me up close but I probably haven’t given it a fair shake yet either. Have you ever owned or played with the 135 f2?
A few Bumble Bee in flight Images from the 100 2.8.
Mike the 400 isnt really designed for in close, thats evident by its focus limiters and MFD. That said add a tube and now your working in close.
shots of this nature kind of fall into a in between area. fairly small subjects like hummers and butterflies which require a need to be fairly close ( making long lenses in appropriate), yet also large enough that you run into DoF problems.
this is a Dragn at 180mm and
dont like double replying but I forgot to answer your question Mike.
135mm f2: Yeah Ive taken a few shots with one. Loved it but don’t really have a use for it given I have the 85mm f1.2 for portraits and similiar.
And to clarify an earlier comment.
Getting lenses to return under various shots types is usually doable, your hummer shots are testament to that Graham.im just replying from the viewpoint of….Ok, I want to shoot hummers in flight tomorrow. What should I mount…So with the choice a 1:1 macro would be a 2nd or 3rd choice to a 300mm f4 or 400mm with a tube.
Tubes also “magnify” the image for any given focal length/distance to subject. So it allows you to stay just that bit further back and yet still have fast focusing (when needed).
Mike this isnt my shot the photographer is James Sjl
400 f5.6 L and a tube
if you enjoy hummers and shooting them thnk about getting a tube or 3 for the 400
Just thought i’d mention, that I am as eager to learn as I am to teach…
http://www.lpaphotography.com/article.php?story=20100420135857316Ive used an 85mm fired remotely to get small birds. Mixed results.
TCs rarely work well on zooms. Can only surmise it’s because the inner workings on zooms are more complex than a prime. I won’t mount a TC on a zoom, just find the hit to IQ too much.
I’ll use my 1.4 TC on either my 400 or 500. Most recently my GF bought me the 2X for my bd. Had been thinking about adding that for Oct when I start chasing White Tails. Even with the 500 and 1.4 its still tough to get close to big bucks and want the extra reach just incase I see one across a field I have no hope getting closer to.
Like anyone with a new toy I had to test it out, wondering how large the IQ hit would be.
1000mm at 1/200th handheld
1000mm at 1/320th
For Birds in Flight I like the 400mm. Havent used a lens that focuses as fast as that one other than the 300mm f2.8. And its light 🙂 <
The day I stop learning photography is the day the fun starts diminishing. Yeah, I like looking at problems and then figuring out to meet them head on, work arounds or simply coming at them from left field.Tubes and TCs are something you should always have regardless of lens, they open many doors otherwise made difficult.
400mm f5.6 and 12mm in tubes becomes a ghetto macro lens without the need to carry both my 400 and my 180mm f3.5 macro
Graham,
I’ll compliment you on the wonderful work and then ask the big question. Where in the world were you catching those browns on your fall fishing trip in 09?!
Tonight I played around with the 100 trying to get an inflight.
These guys are about 3″ long. Not the easiest targets…
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