CAPTURE AND TRACKING. TECHNIQUE AND SETTINGS
Getting on Target
Nearby and fast flying targets aren't in sight for long. To capture them, the camera must be brought on target quickly, but camera and lens are tiring to hold up for extended periods, waiting for a target to appear
Using a Loxxon Pro carrier or cam grip however, the camera may be held comfortably at your side, with one or both hands, until the target appears. Then, using both hands, it's swiftly brought to eye level, and shooting begins. With little practice, this is easily achieved in under a second!
Holding and tracking.
Holding the camera close; face resting against the viewfinder cup, gives good results, as it locks head and eye into the same position, relative to the the sight and reticle every time. Making it easier to position and hold the reticle steadily on the target as it's being tracked.
The target is followed or tracked by rotating the upper body, with a firm grip on the loxxon grip and camera grip. A good stance is important for stability and smooth tracking, as is tucking in the elbows, to lock camera and upper body together.
Gimbal Mounting
The loxxon reflex sight and mount system, developed initially as an aid to hand held photography, is also a helpful tool when used with a gimbal mounted camera. Again enabling rapid target capture, and smooth tracking without risk of target loss through v.f blackout or the target momentarily wandering from the viewfinder, thus needing to be recaptured and refocused.
Camera and lens Settings
Everyone has their own ideas about camera settings, so the following are suggestions only, and are based solely on my own experiences.
High shutter speeds, high iso and small apertures are the necessary evils required to freeze fast moving action. I say evils, because, if you live in the often gloomy northern regions of our planet, you'll understand how these settings can work against good imagery. So what can be done?
​
Shutter speeds
It's true, that shutter speeds of 1/2000 to 1/3000 work well for freezing fast subjects, but in low light, they can bring their own problems...soft, washed out, and noisy images. I've experimented with some success with speeds as low as 1/1000, hand held at 600mm, but the highest frame rates must be used to increase the chance of a few keepers. It helps also if the subject is a slower mover.
Image Stabilisation
At 1/2000 and above, I turn it off, as it doesn't seem to contribute much at these speeds, and uses more battery.
​
Focus
Focus is set to AFC on Sony gear, and shutter priority to Actuation on AF. The relevant animal insect or bird settings are used, if available. Focus boxes: Medium or small spot, most of the time, and zone occasionally, focus sensitivity set to high. The tracking modes are rarely used as they frequently seem to prefer the background to the subject.
​
Focus limiting
Give the lens less work. Pre focus on objects in the target range, so the lens doesn't have to hunt for targets. If I'm shooting dragonflies at 20-30ft or so, I'll limit focus to between 2.4 and 10m, the reduced element travel gives quicker focus and keeps the lens from focusing on distractions in the background. If my subjects are more distant, I'll set it to 10m to infinity. Only rarely do I leave focus set to full.
​
ISO
Auto ISO seems pretty reliable most of the time, giving optimal results, but just now and again, if an image doesn't look right, and the ISO numbers look too high, I'll manually adjust to a value that works under the conditions. Frequently this value is the same as the camera would have chosen, but occasionally it's significantly lower and the resulting images appear brighter and cleaner.
That aside, there's no substitute for photons. So, I tend to shoot flying birds and insects on bright early mornings or late afternoons, with the targets bathed in strong side light from a low sun. In that regard, northern winters are not so bad, as the air is often clearer and the sun is low for more of the day.
Sight Collimation
As with focus limiting, If I'm shooting targets, close-up, I'll collimate the sight for "close-up" too.
The closer the target, the more important accurate collimation is for good subject framing. It's also easier to track and hit your target, if you can aim directly at it, sure of a hit, rather than having to calculate a lead. This all becomes less critical when shooting at greater distances, as the target shrinks relative to the increasing field of view.
That said, accurate collimation is quick and easy, and will always yield better framed and focused results.