Insect-in-Flight Guides for Nikon?

[DBalaur]

I have an entomologist friend who wants to start planning an upgrade path from his Nikon D3200 (or something in the D3xxx series - I can't remember) to something more capable of photographing IIF (insect-in-flight) within the next 2-3 years. I know BIF, but I don't really know anything about IIF, not even the appropriate lens of choice - my macro lens is a manual focus.

• He is open to jumping to full-frame and Z. But, knowing that Z8/9 is completely out of his budget, is it wise to jump to Z? Or should he stay with DSLR?
• What would be the best type of lens to use for IIF? He already has 3 lenses that I think could be good candidates: AF-S Micro 105mm, AF-P 70-300mm, and AF-S 200-500. Sure, macro lenses give you a better reproduction ratio, but I don't know if their focus motor can keep up with a flying bee - I recall the Z 105mm does not have a fast motor either.
• Are there any channels/websites dedicated to IIF?

 

[StefanSC]

I don't know any sites or channels dedicated to Insect-in-Flight photography but I've dabbled a bit in the field. Here are the lesson's I've learned:

1) Learning the flight patterns of insects helps a lot. For example, dragonflies tend to hover for a second in various places so you can grab them then:

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In this use case, you want a camera that has close focus priority AF (e.g: Nikon D500 / D850) and a long lens that has good close focus abilities (Nikon 300mm f4, Olympus 300mm f4, Panasonic 50-200mm f2.8-4, Nikon 100-400Z).

2) Landing and take-off are the best moments to take a shot of an insect in flight:

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For this, you want a camera that has Pre-Capture (the ability to buffer shots when the shutter is half-pressed). A macro lens is helpful but it's not a must if you have one of the lenses from point 1) as you won't be at 1:1 magnification anyway.

So basically, for IIF I'd look at the following kits:

Nikon D500 and 300mm f4 and 1.4x TC. Decent frame rate, endless buffer, Group-AF for close focus to keep the focus on the small close insect and not let it run to the background. Great bang for budget if the older 300mm f4 AF-D is used.

Panasonic G9(and II) and 50-200mm f2-8/f4 and 1.4xTC. Pre-capture and Near-AF priority, very sharp, quite light. The older G9 is tremendous value on the used market but the G9 II has better AF.

I'd also look at the OMDS OM-1 with Olympus 300mm f4 or the Panasonic 50-200mm and 1.4x TC. A bit on the pricey side and lacking any close priority function, but it has a custom focus limiter, it's silly fast, has Pre-Capture and it's bird detection feature can pick up insects in flight as well:

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[Patrick M]

good advice Stefan and superb examples!

 

[DRwyoming]

Good advice above. To me the biggest thing is to observe your potential subjects and identify things they're doing repeatedly like feeding on certain plants or hovering as they move up and down a stream or similar as described above. That's when I've been able to capture flying insects.

In terms of gear I'd look for something like at least a D500 in DSLRs (or similar in other brands) or something like a Z8 in mirrorless (again or similar in terms of AF features and frame rate in other brands) with the biggest advantage of high end mirrorless AF systems probably being the compositional flexibility to position the flying insect where you want them in the frame regardless of where you acquired focus. Well that and all the other mirrorless features like WYSIWYG exposure through the viewfinder. I haven't personally relied on pre-capture for flying insects as I much prefer to shoot and process raw files but I can see how it would be helpful for takeoff shots. Mostly I'd want fast frame rate, reliable AF and good AF tracking for compositional flexibility if going mirrorless though many of my flying insect photos were captured on DSLRs like the D500, D5, D6, D850 and similar.

In terms of lenses I'd recommend the 300mm PF if shooting a DSLR and that or the Nikon 100-400mm if shooting mirrorless for their balance of focal length range and maximum magnification again just speaking for Nikon's offerings.

 

[PhotoLover]

Good advice above. To me the biggest thing is to observe your potential subjects and identify things they're doing repeatedly like feeding on certain plants or hovering as they move up and down a stream or similar as described above. That's when I've been able to capture flying insects.

In terms of gear I'd look for something like at least a D500 in DSLRs (or similar in other brands) or something like a Z8 in mirrorless (again or similar in terms of AF features and frame rate in other brands) with the biggest advantage of high end mirrorless AF systems probably being the compositional flexibility to position the flying insect where you want them in the frame regardless of where you acquired focus. Well that and all the other mirrorless features like WYSIWYG exposure through the viewfinder. I haven't personally relied on pre-capture for flying insects as I much prefer to shoot and process raw files but I can see how it would be helpful for takeoff shots. Mostly I'd want fast frame rate, reliable AF and good AF tracking for compositional flexibility if going mirrorless though many of my flying insect photos were captured on DSLRs like the D500, D5, D6, D850 and similar.

In terms of lenses I'd recommend the 300mm PF if shooting a DSLR and that or the Nikon 100-400mm if shooting mirrorless for their balance of focal length range and maximum magnification again just speaking for Nikon's offerings.

Flying insects are hard. My hit percentage is a LOT lower with live insects than BIF ... it's hard to track their movements and with minimal DOF .... For things like dragonflies, as others have noted, you about have to notice patterns and catch them when hovering in a spot you predict.

I use a Tamron 90mm macro lens and a Tamron 100-400 for most shots like that. The latter can focus to 5 feet, so on my crop sensor cameras at 400 you are getting 12x magnification at 5 feet. I've used both a Nikon D500 and a Nikon D7500 with those lenses and if the friend is on a tight budget I'd suggest the D7500. I haven't found the D500 to be noticeably better at this type of shooting. You need to learn how much to stop down to get enough DOF.

Your friend should also look at getting a flash and diffuser hood (which I don't have but am planning on getting). For some truly good shots of mostly still critters, look at sh1209's shots.

I will have to go back and check and see if I've had any luck with *flying* insects using the 90 mm macro. The problem is that you are pretty darn close with that lens, really hard to track. Easier with a telephoto that can focus close.

Here is one with the macro lens:

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But he's not really flying, just hovering over the flower.

 

[JDG Photo]

I have an entomologist friend who wants to start planning an upgrade path from his Nikon D3200 (or something in the D3xxx series - I can't remember) to something more capable of photographing IIF (insect-in-flight) within the next 2-3 years. I know BIF, but I don't really know anything about IIF, not even the appropriate lens of choice - my macro lens is a manual focus.

• He is open to jumping to full-frame and Z. But, knowing that Z8/9 is completely out of his budget, is it wise to jump to Z? Or should he stay with DSLR?
• What would be the best type of lens to use for IIF? He already has 3 lenses that I think could be good candidates: AF-S Micro 105mm, AF-P 70-300mm, and AF-S 200-500. Sure, macro lenses give you a better reproduction ratio, but I don't know if their focus motor can keep up with a flying bee - I recall the Z 105mm does not have a fast motor either.
• Are there any channels/websites dedicated to IIF?

On Facebook: Insects in Flight, UK & Europe May some gook info here.

 

[DBalaur]

Thank you all for chiming in so quickly! I think the path that makes the most sense is upgrading to a more advanced DSLR body (D7500-D500) while using the current lenses (AF-S 105mm & AF-P 70-300mm) until he feels the need to upgrade the lenses himself.
@StefanSC can you go into more detail about the "close focus priority AF" thing?

 

[Tim Karels]

Upgrading from F to Z probably won't make that much difference in he ability to capture insects in flight. There is a specialized unit from Cognisys that is specifically designed for triggering an external shutter when an insect crosses between a laser and sensor. It's not cheap, but it is cheaper than a Z8 or Z9. I've not used this unit, but I have used some of their other equipment and it is extremely well made and they have good support.

 

[PhotoLover]

Upgrading from F to Z probably won't make that much difference in he ability to capture insects in flight. There is a specialized unit from Cognisys that is specifically designed for triggering an external shutter when an insect crosses between a laser and sensor. It's not cheap, but it is cheaper than a Z8 or Z9. I've not used this unit, but I have used some of their other equipment and it is extremely well made and they have good support.

A question I've asked on this forum -- and never got any response -- is whether the eye detection on the high-end mirrorless cameras work on insects. I mean, a dragonfly has big eyes. Bees have large eyes, etc. It would make insect photography easier if the camera would just lock onto the eyes; right now you often need to use single point or a small number of points to ensure the eye is in focus, because DOF is pretty small at these distances (for flying insects I'm generally not as close and would often use Group AF).

But I have no idea if the Z8/Z9 class cameras actually can do this.

 

[StefanSC]

@StefanSC can you go into more detail about the "close focus priority AF" thing?

In Nikon DSLR speak that would be Group AF (D810, D500, D7500, D850, D5/6 have it).
In Panasonic speak, that would be Near-AF.

Both do similar things. Roughly, they make the camera focus on the closest thing under the focus points. When shooting insects (both static and in flight), it prevents the AF from getting distracted by something from the background. Unfortunately it also means that it will grab an insect wing just as well as an insect body.

I don't of any other manufacturer that has similar functionality.

is whether the eye detection on the high-end mirrorless cameras work on insects.

Don't know about the Z8/9s or A1 but the OM-1 sometimes picks up insect eyes.
For example in the below shot (with 60mm macro and Raynox 250) it locked on the insect eye and kept the focus there consistently).
It also more often than not picks up insect bodies.

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[DBalaur]

A question I've asked on this forum -- and never got any response -- is whether the eye detection on the high-end mirrorless cameras work on insects. I mean, a dragonfly has big eyes. Bees have large eyes, etc. It would make insect photography easier if the camera would just lock onto the eyes; right now you often need to use single point or a small number of points to ensure the eye is in focus, because DOF is pretty small at these distances (for flying insects I'm generally not as close and would often use Group AF).

But I have no idea if the Z8/Z9 class cameras actually can do this.

It seems that animal eye AF can lock on insects with prominent round eyes (moth, dragonfly, bee?), but given that their eye count and shapes are so varied (even moreso if you include other arthropods like spiders) I suspect it's tough to design a dedicated insect eye AF. I know the Canon R3 can sort of track bee's eyes pretty well.

In Nikon DSLR speak that would be Group AF (D810, D500, D7500, D850, D5/6 have it).

I see. I thought that's just a standard feature, was not even aware that the lower consumer Nikons would not have it.

 

[DBalaur]

Upgrading from F to Z probably won't make that much difference in he ability to capture insects in flight. There is a specialized unit from Cognisys that is specifically designed for triggering an external shutter when an insect crosses between a laser and sensor. It's not cheap, but it is cheaper than a Z8 or Z9. I've not used this unit, but I have used some of their other equipment and it is extremely well made and they have good support.

That could be a nice unit for a research station (e.g., bee farm), not as practical for hiking and international travel though.

 

[PhotoLover]

It seems that animal eye AF can lock on insects with prominent round eyes (moth, dragonfly, bee?), but given that their eye count and shapes are so varied (even moreso if you include other arthropods like spiders) I suspect it's tough to design a dedicated insect eye AF. I know the Canon R3 can sort of track bee's eyes pretty well.


I see. I thought that's just a standard feature, was not even aware that the lower consumer Nikons would not have it.

Things like better autofocus options and more extensive controls are generally what distinguish higher end cameras from the lower end cameras. The actual image quality is usually about the same. There is, for example, little reason (in my opinion) to pick a D500 over a D7500 if you are only shooting landscapes. That's a dSLR example, but I think it's the same in the mirrorless world.

 

[Tiago C]

Have a look at Paul Wright on Flickr.
https://flickr.com/photos/150689779@N08/

Not a Nikon shooter but he takes a lot of photos of insects in flight and the EXIF info is available.

 

[John Navitsky]

next best af in a z camera behind the z8 is the zf, although if possible to wait we’ll probably see a z6iii in ‘24.

one z lens to consider is the 100-400

 

[Wapiti]

No recommendations here. Just a comment about the images posted. First, the images are amazing and second, they have perked my interest in IIF.

 

[macwalter]

I have an entomologist friend who wants to start planning an upgrade path from his Nikon D3200 (or something in the D3xxx series - I can't remember) to something more capable of photographing IIF (insect-in-flight) within the next 2-3 years. I know BIF, but I don't really know anything about IIF, not even the appropriate lens of choice - my macro lens is a manual focus.

• He is open to jumping to full-frame and Z. But, knowing that Z8/9 is completely out of his budget, is it wise to jump to Z? Or should he stay with DSLR?
• What would be the best type of lens to use for IIF? He already has 3 lenses that I think could be good candidates: AF-S Micro 105mm, AF-P 70-300mm, and AF-S 200-500. Sure, macro lenses give you a better reproduction ratio, but I don't know if their focus motor can keep up with a flying bee - I recall the Z 105mm does not have a fast motor either.
• Are there any channels/websites dedicated to IIF?

I often do butterflies and dragonflit’s in flight and have done well with a d500. I will say the z8-9 would be probably the best option but pricey. You need fast AF and a lens like the 300pf f4 works really well. I now have the z8 and it works very well and the 100-400z is also a great lens for insects.

 

[AlanB313]

The d500 could be a really good, less expensive choice. I echo the recommendation of the 300mm PF f4, with or without a tc1.4iii. The 300mm pf is fairly close focusing with or without the tc. I had great fun taking pictures of Sphinx moths in the Sierras last summer. I'll try to dig some up and post.
Your friend has a decent lens already (105mm af-s micro), but I think the 300mm pf would get highly used with either Z or a d500 for IIF.

 

[macwalter]

The 300of/4 does work very well with the 1.4tc. In fact for several years this was my go to birding combo as well. Even the 1.7tc was decent in good light but I would shy away from it for insects in flight. I haven had a lot of opportunities to use the z8 with the 100-400 for this but it is surprisingly good at BIF and I mean smaller birds like peeps etc. I think a close focus lens really aids in insects in flight but I would think for larger insects a macro might be a bit short.