I use BBF on my D500 with the group focus. I have the Fn button set for single point.
Autofocus area modes
- Thread starter Gail L
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In that case just experiment with the different AF modes in your camera Gail, what’s the worst that can happen?
I’d go somewhere where you’ll have lots of opportunities to practice so that when you see an eagle you’ll nail it!
I expect to see some epic eagle shots in the near future, good luck.
Gail L
Member
That's what I plan to do I simply wanted to know what most people use so that I could start there and experiment from there. From the answers I got I'm going to start with the group focus mode, which seem to be the most common used. No worries about spotting eagles! They're here in the hundreds at the moment, lots of opportunities for action fishing and fish stealing shots lol. I hope I do get something epic!
In any case, I plan to have fun.
Starting with Group AF sounds good, but also give the Dynamic Area AF a go starting at 25 point as I’ve found that can be quite helpful in a lot of situations.That's what I plan to do I simply wanted to know what most people use so that I could start there and experiment from there. From the answers I got I'm going to start with the group focus mode, which seem to be the most common used. No worries about spotting eagles! They're here in the hundreds at the moment, lots of opportunities for action fishing and fish stealing shots lol. I hope I do get something epic!
I’d probably stay away from the 3D Tracking or Auto AF on the D500 for now, but that’s me.
Everyone is different & we all learn in different ways but that’s the beauty of digital cameras as you get instant feedback by being able to look at your efforts on the back of the screen & make corrections or changes immediately.
Totally agree with the fun bit, after all if your not having fun
you may as well be at work 
!Now go git them Eagles
Don McCracken
New member
It’s difficult to comment without seeing some of your work. Some photographers are never satisfied, while others believe every image is a keeper.
It takes time to develop competency in any discipline and photography is no different. With the D500 and the 200-500mm, you are using quite a bit of focal length and this tends to exaggerate issues with technique.
To start, try to work with two focus modes. Use Single Point for stationary and slow moving subjects. Use Group for birds in flight. Choose your subjects selectively, when the background is clean and their orientation creates compositional strength. Focus on the eye whenever possible and make sure your shutter speed is adequate to capture motion. Small birds move quickly, even when perched. Remember to expose for your subject and not the background. Shoot in small bursts and recompose.
For eagles, be patient and wait for a good quality approach (distance, direction and height). Try to have the sun and wind at your back. Be aware of atmospheric conditions such as heat distortion. I use fast shutter speeds with the D500 and prefer 1/4000s for eagles. An f-stop of f6.3 or f7.1 is usually adequate. Your exposure will need to be slightly different for an adult versus a juvenile because of the white plumage on the adult.
It takes time to develop competency in any discipline and photography is no different. With the D500 and the 200-500mm, you are using quite a bit of focal length and this tends to exaggerate issues with technique.
To start, try to work with two focus modes. Use Single Point for stationary and slow moving subjects. Use Group for birds in flight. Choose your subjects selectively, when the background is clean and their orientation creates compositional strength. Focus on the eye whenever possible and make sure your shutter speed is adequate to capture motion. Small birds move quickly, even when perched. Remember to expose for your subject and not the background. Shoot in small bursts and recompose.
For eagles, be patient and wait for a good quality approach (distance, direction and height). Try to have the sun and wind at your back. Be aware of atmospheric conditions such as heat distortion. I use fast shutter speeds with the D500 and prefer 1/4000s for eagles. An f-stop of f6.3 or f7.1 is usually adequate. Your exposure will need to be slightly different for an adult versus a juvenile because of the white plumage on the adult.