Hummingbird Practice

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Juliette

Juliette

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Hello, I'm a photographer for 30 years, but new to bird photography and just starting to practice a little more often with backyard birds. I am at the point now where I'd like some feedback/critique. My challenge is that I haven't upgraded my lens yet. The next lens up for me would entail a lot of weight and until I'm sure about how invested I am, the cost may be too high. If I keep at this, I'll probably need a new system, so obviously not going there yet. Just wanted to see if this is for me. Curious to know your thoughts. Thanks so much.
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I agree with Jerry, faster shutter speed and wide aperture.

I don't know anything about your camera body, but there are 150-500 and 150-600 options for the X mount from Tamron and Fujifilm. You probably already know that, though. :) 300mm is pretty short for most bird photography.

If you want to stick with mirrorless and not spend too much, I think the best way to move forward might be with a Fuji mount lens and the body you have now.

Good luck in your journey and HAVE FUN! :)
 
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Woodyg3 said:
I agree with Jerry, faster shutter speed and wide aperture.

I don't know anything about your camera body, but there are 150-500 and 150-600 options for the X mount from Tamron and Fujifilm. You probably already know that, though. :) 300mm is pretty short for most bird photography.

If you want to stick with mirrorless and not spend too much, I think the best way to move forward might be with a Fuji mount lens and the body you have now.

Good luck in your journey and HAVE FUN! :)
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Hi @Woodyg3 - yes, but with the limitations I have with this set up, pushing that shutter speed as you know compromises the already challenging ISO issue. I can remove the 1.4x TC for more light but there goes the reach ... I can't justify buying the 150-600 yet because I'm not sure if I'm going to pursue this side of photography so I'm trying to make do with what I have until I decide. This Fuji system leverages the fastest option I have that I currently use for my event photography but the lens makes it my "good enough" kit for now. I really probably need to find another kit to play with without breaking the bank! On the other hand, Sigma is about to release a new x mount lens with 500mm reach at about $600 so there's that! Probably the smarter option.
 
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Because you are experimenting at this point, I would not necessarily change/purchase a new lens. As has been pointed out, generally longer is better for bird photography. However, hummingbirds are generally very tolerant of people being close, so 300 mm is adequate for your initial efforts. For me, if the eye, face and body of the hummer is sharp and frozen, it does not make much difference what the wings are doing. To truly freeze the wings, you need to use SS of 1/3200-1/8000, or to use flash. IMO that is not always needed though. When I shoot backyard hummers, I try to accomplish several things: first, I do not shoot them coming to feeders. No matter how good your shot is technically, it will not be appealing with a plastic feeder in the image. I use a cut flower sprinkled with a little sugar water placed near the feeder. Even if the feeder is still present, most hummers will check the flower out. You have to be quick as they may not stay long; prefocus on the flower. The second thing I try to do is to have a good background. A slightly OOF fence won't be appealing. If you are creative, even in a small backyard, you can come up with an angle and placement of the flower that will yield a pleasant OOF BG. I do not want to hijack your thread, but this is an example of a hummingbird image taken with just over 100 mm of lens. Shot with ambient light, totally set up with a cut flower hanging from a Plamp, SS of 1/2500 (which did freeze the wings in this case).
Hope you stay with it; it can become an obsession.
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Your s.s. is too slow and your aper too small, I would open it wide to keep the bg as soft as possible, plus it lets in more light so lower ISO's. I would set my camera on a tripod close up with the aper wide open, 1/1600th minimum, with AUTO ISO. You can always rent a lens that you think may work well to see if you like it. GL!
 
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K9Kirk said:
Your s.s. is too slow and your aper too small, I would open it wide to keep the bg as soft as possible, plus it lets in more light so lower ISO's. I would set my camera on a tripod close up with the aper wide open, 1/1600th minimum, with AUTO ISO. You can always rent a lens that you think may work well to see if you like it. GL!
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Thanks for the feedback @K9Kirk but the problem is the lens too. At that focal distance f/8 is the best I can manage. The shutter speed most definitely needed to be kicked up but also there's the noise... @bajadreamer was spot on that for now I should practice and buy a lens later when I am sure I'm in it for the long haul. Thank you!
 
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Juliette said:
Thanks for the feedback @K9Kirk but the problem is the lens too. At that focal distance f/8 is the best I can manage. The shutter speed most definitely needed to be kicked up but also there's the noise... @bajadreamer was spot on that for now I should practice and buy a lens later when I am sure I'm in it for the long haul. Thank you!
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I see, I wasn't aware that you couldn't use a larger aper. Is that because you were using a teleconverter? If so, I would try some shots without the TC. You may have to crop more but the light will be better which would mean a lower ISO. Also, were you using a tripod? If not, I would use one for you situation. If you're limited to somewhat slow s.s. a tripod would most likely help with the sharpness. A good program such as Topaz (I use Topaz Studio 2) is very good for eliminating/reducing noise. Here's a link for a free trial of it with the option to buy. You will like the NR it offers. https://silentpeakphoto.com/photogr...to-editing-app-reviews/topaz-studio-2-review/

BTW, you seem very motivated, I think you will do well in this field. GL!
 
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Thank you @K9Kirk ...yes, the TC has been on so long I forgot it was there! I'll remove it. I have been using this amazing monopod that I love! Thank you for the link to Topaz. I've heard a lot about it and another program I can't recall the name.... I have been using the denoise in Adobe LR. Adobe is not a great match for Fujifilm but it's all I have at the moment. YES very motivated, thanks! I just want to be sure it sticks :).
 
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Juliette, I shoot a lot of hummers. I have a group of 12-15 that visit my two feeders daily. I shoot between 1000 and 3200, the setting depends on what I want from the shoot. I'm getting hummers in flight and then taking out the feeders. If I want to see more motion in the wings I shoot somewhere around the lower setting, if I want stop motion I shoot at 2500 or 3200. I shoot in manual, setting my aperture at f/8 in this case because the birds are quite close to me and it does seem to make a little difference in the sharpness but I generally shoot wildlife at f/5.6 and I set the ISO to auto-ISO. I watch to ensure that whatever is in the background is far enough away to blur in a nice way so I position myself for that background and the light. I use LrC first, then Topaz Denoise, and then PS to remove the feeder if need be. I've posted three shots to show you what I get and I have, literally, hundreds of these shots. I try to get the bird doing something that looks interesting or highlights some aspect of the bird. Isolating the bird against a simple background puts the focus on the bird.

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K9Kirk said:
You're welcome. Give that Topaz a try, their denoise is great! Best of luck!
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I have been using Topaz Denoise since it came out. I just recently started using LrC denoise. I like results from LrC better. below LrC on left Topaz on right. Both using default with no adjustments.

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For a lens upgrade consider a 100-400mm lens. Fuji has one. Sigma just introduced a Fuji version of their mirrorless version of the 100-400. I have an older DSLR version of the Sigma that I use with my Nikon D500, and it is very good.

Try different shutter speeds. 3200 will mostly freeze the hummingbird’s wings. Slower shutter speeds will be needed for blur showing wing motion. Have fun experimenting.
 
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Noise reduction keeps improving. Bright soft light and low ISO is preferred but there are short windows of time during the day when the light is optimal for that. I don’t photograph hummingbirds at feeders, only flowers, and they can be in shadows when the light is golden and only in sunlight when the sun is direct and harsh. I could find better light if I wasn’t so lazy and got out of my patio chair.

Granted my body and lens are excellent but the second image in my thread link below is of a hummingbird taken at a Shutter Speed of 1/3200, F/Stop of F/5.6 and an ISO of 25600. I can’t remember if I used DxO or Topaz. Possibly DxO for RAW conversion and Topaz for final noise reduction.

https://bcgforums.com/index.php?threads/western-tanager.26590/#post-298762
 
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FrenchFry said:
Nice shots! Can you position the feeders nears more vegetation and flowers to get a more natural background?
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Hi FrenchFry, if you hit the small Reply button on the right then everyone knows you are replying to. If it was to me, my feeders are very high up and I'm not one to attache artificial things to a scene, at least not for the most part. I do have a nice shot from elsewhere around my home of a hummer at flowers. I actually like to get the hummers alone in the air in flight as then the focus is only on the hummer.
 
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Viathelens said:
Juliette, I shoot a lot of hummers. I have a group of 12-15 that visit my two feeders daily. I shoot between 1000 and 3200, the setting depends on what I want from the shoot. I'm getting hummers in flight and then taking out the feeders. If I want to see more motion in the wings I shoot somewhere around the lower setting, if I want stop motion I shoot at 2500 or 3200. I shoot in manual, setting my aperture at f/8 in this case because the birds are quite close to me and it does seem to make a little difference in the sharpness but I generally shoot wildlife at f/5.6 and I set the ISO to auto-ISO. I watch to ensure that whatever is in the background is far enough away to blur in a nice way so I position myself for that background and the light. I use LrC first, then Topaz Denoise, and then PS to remove the feeder if need be. I've posted three shots to show you what I get and I have, literally, hundreds of these shots. I try to get the bird doing something that looks interesting or highlights some aspect of the bird. Isolating the bird against a simple background puts the focus on the bird.

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Beautiful images @Viathelens ... I only hope one day to produce similar images. I appreciate the feedback and will keep trying!
 
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Craig Yuill said:
For a lens upgrade consider a 100-400mm lens. Fuji has one. Sigma just introduced a Fuji version of their mirrorless version of the 100-400. I have an older DSLR version of the Sigma that I use with my Nikon D500, and it is very good.

Try different shutter speeds. 3200 will mostly freeze the hummingbird’s wings. Slower shutter speeds will be needed for blur showing wing motion. Have fun experimenting.
Click to expand...
I actually am getting the Sigma as soon as there is a used on the market (since I try not to buy new AND I'm taking my time with this craft). Thanks!!
 
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