Zooming with feet of sort - CZ135 and Hummingbirds

[sury]

Is a known technique for getting closer to the subject with (typically) a fixed FL lens. As I continued to experiment, I remembered buying a corded remote for my Dimage A2 circa 2008. I used it few times but it started collecting dust since then I bought A100 and its attendant remote controller.
Also, at that time I was not happy that the remote came with a looooooong cord. Interestingly enough, the trigger battery worked like a charm after not being used since 2008.

So today I moved the camera close to the feeder, covered it with a hand tower to keep camera from getting hot in the sun, and unknowingly dampening the shutter noise. The distance is now about a third of my previous location (inside the home). So you can see the set up and the remote trigger in my hand and I am safely ensconced inside my home watching for them to come along. It was a classic case of shoot and pray. I took about 220 images, out which about 90 turned out to be "duds" (no bird in them).
Camera set up:




Cropped:

[aster]

.

I think the set up is a good and practical one. How about setting the camera to continuous with 5-7 frames rate and increase capturing more of the moving birds? My camera -A6000- is always on continuous nowadays because of birds and to increase the chances of a keeper when camera is hand held.

The cropped shot is really good by the way. Lots of neat details...

Thanks for sharing, Sury.
Yildiz

[sury]

Yildiz,
Thank you. I have camera set up in continuous, high frame rate at 12 fps. In a short span of 20 min. I had 3 visits and 226 shots. About 90 are shots without birds. I think the camera is too close to the feeder for getting the motion. My Fllickr folder has about 150 photos, with multiple series of (almost) identical shots as I was trying to capture motion. I will try with camera at a different position and a little back away from the feeder to get greater field of view. That gave me another idea. If I can place camera close to the feeder, perhaps I should try my CZ24-70 or Sigma 17-35. They both are 2.8 and faster than my zoom.

All are crops:

[aster]

.

Wow! Sury, these are great.

All those fine details and the smooth bokeh... Your experiments' results keep getting better and better....

Must be exhausting to go through some 150 frames to see if they are worth keeping and processing. I wish you patience.

The birds are very lovely and photogenic though and anyone that figures out shooting hummingbirds with success probably will be better with other subjects too. You are on the right path...

Thanks for sharing,
Yildiz

[sury]

Yildiz,
Thank you. I owe it to the forum for encouraging me, taking time to provide your input and suggestions that motivates me.
Here is the last set of crops.

[jbtaylor]

Trial, error, improvement.
Great lens choice for background blurring.
What's your next move?
JT

[aster]

Yildiz,
Thank you. I owe it to the forum for encouraging me, taking time to provide your input and suggestions that motivates me.
Here is the last set of crops.

I thank you for complementing us for your own work and accomplishments, Sury.
I see myself as very fortunate as you bring so much beauty and thought provocation to our minds.

All three are nice but the 2nd and 3rd are mesmerizing for me. Well done.

Thanks for sharing,
Yildiz

[sury]

JT
I am looking at CZ24-70 and/or Sigma 17-35 at close up for wide angle of view.
Yildiz, thank you. Much appreciated.

Sury

[jbtaylor]

How long is the remote cord?

[sury]

Probably 10feet or so.

Sury

[jbtaylor]

#2 in set 2 looks like the best light yielding the least amount of noise resulting from the cropping. Still got the 70-400?
I have an evil plan in mind.

[sury]

I have so far used 70-400, Tamron200-500, Minolta 500f8, Minolta 100 g2.8 and CZ135.
You pick your poison and i"'ll play.

[aster]

#2 in set 2 looks like the best light yielding the least amount of noise resulting from the cropping. Still got the 70-400?
I have an evil plan in mind.

What can possibly be on your mind, JBTaylor?
Very curious.

Yildiz

[jbtaylor]

Seems to me that this is a problem of close up, cropping, noise (high iso), and freezing the object. As someone that bought a small blind from a sporting goods store and placed it under my deck in order to shoot birds at a bird bath, I suggest the following:
1. Longer lens placed closer to your house.
2. Zoom onto the left side of the feeder leaving space in the left side of the frame.
3. Set lens to 5.6 or f8.
4. Manual focus onto the feeder.
5. Set exposure to low multiple.
6. Wait (in a comfortable chair inside your air conditioned house).
7. Fire when you think the bird is aligned with the feeder (focus peeking will be helpful).

You may not get the shutter speed to freeze the wing but they hover such that the head would still be sharp. I tend to believe that a sharp head with blurred wings might be a more interesting shot than the fast bird seen perfectly still.
Let me know what you think.
JT

[sury]

JT,
I did the position experiments. My challlenge was light when I used the zoom. By the time I switched to 135 we started having nice
bright days. Still I had to boost to ISO1600 at f5.6 on CZ135. Perhaps 1/4000 may be too fast. Previous sessions were at 1/1250. Perhaps
I will with Shutter at 1/2000s and adjust iso accordingly. Good suggestion JT.
I have sharp images when the bird is perched. I have decent images when it is in flight (my next challenge).
The ultimate is the ubiquitous, bird with clear body and blurry wings. Today is very bright and I may get lucky.

Sury