Grackles aren’t everyone’s favorite bird but I now have a soft spot for this one.
Photographing songbirds (or any small bird) in what I call “full flight” has always been next to impossible for me. They’re just too small and their flight is too fast and erratic. Occasionally I get one sharp and in frame immediately after takeoff but after they’ve been in flight for any more than a second or so (what I call full flight) I might as well be trying to photograph a mosquito in flight in a hurricane.
But with the Canon R-5 I now have a legitimate chance of success.
1/6400, f/6.3, ISO 1000, Canon R-5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Eight days ago at a local pond I was pleasantly surprised to get this male Common Grackle sharp for several shots in a burst. As he flew over the pond he’d already been in full flight for over 200′ so he was at speed and flying somewhat erratically. But I got him sharp anyway.
I was encouraged so the next day I tried it again with another male grackle doing the same thing and that time I got about 2 dozen consecutive sharp shots of the grackle. They were ugly photos because of power lines, buildings and roof tiles in the background but the grackle was sharp in every last one of them! To say I was blown away is a little strong but only a little.
Much of the credit goes to the autofocus capabilities of the R-5 rather than to the photographer. When it works, Canon’s animal/eye detection is very, very impressive. And since I’m shooting 45 MP images I have significantly more wiggle room to keep the bird in the frame and with those huge files I can crop more and still have good to very good image quality.
But there’s a caveat. The animal/eye detection doesn’t always work so well, especially with a bird in flight in low light or with busy backgrounds. There are times when my active focus point has obviously grabbed the bird in flight and when I first review my images the bird looks sharp but when I look at them at 100% they aren’t sharp enough. Sometimes I actually wonder if I could have done better with my old camera. Probably not, but I still wonder.
But at least I now know that I have a reasonably good chance of success when I attempt to photograph a speedy and erratic songbird in full flight. So I’ll keep trying.
Ron
PS – It snowed last night! There’s about 3″ of white stuff on my deck, we’re supposed to get more today and they’re forecasting 1-2′ of snow in the mountains. I hope most of it ends up in the Great Salt Lake.
Grackles are one of my favorite birds, perhaps because of the peculiar name and because we don’t have them here to hear. Another bird I’m glad you post, in no small part because of that outsize tail. Glad to hear you you don’t have buyer’s remorse for the R5. And so you shouldn’t, judging by the results.
Thanks, Lyle. I’ve had buyer’s remorse a time or two in the past and I certainly didn’t want to repeat it.
Wow! Sleek and beautiful. Great capture, Ron! Thanks.
Thank you, Ellen.
How lovely that your new toy does at least some of what it is supposed to do. On the cheating front, I grew up hearing that a poor workman blames his tools. Which says loud and clearly to me that you shouldn’t give the camera all of the credit either.
It’s been a while since I’ve heard that saying about workmen and their tools, EC. Brings back memories.
And for me too. Just the same I hope you will learn to give yourself at least some of the credit for your photographs…
Grackles are such funny birds. You can tell who is dominant in the flock by the lack of white stripes of poop. And they can mimic things. It’s not funny to live where some have learned to loudly recreate car alarms. Lol great shot though!
Arwen, I’ve heard a fair number of weird stories about grackles. Thanks for adding to my list.
Ron: I love hearing about the R5, as my wife and I are going through the same growing pains (we bought our R5’s about a week before you bought yours). One review I read said the photographer thought using his R5 to photograph birds in flight was somehow cheating. Your great shots of the grackle prove the point! Nice to see. Thanks.
Thanks, Richard. You might be interested in the comment thread on Everett’s comment.
Great shot. Near where I live there is a area where there are a group of Common Grackles. Never seen one in flight where it did not have at least a touch of erratic movement about it.
Michael, this time of year there’s a lot of grackles hanging around that pond. I actually like them.
Ron – from what I hear from others is that the R5 is all they are saying about it, but I think in addition to this very sophisticated technology, the majority of the credit goes to you. You are a photographer who is willing to take the time to learn all there is to learn about this camera both through study and continued day by day use.
Thanks, Everett. I’ll take some of the credit but I don’t know about the majority. As my Dutch friend Hans Overduin said yesterday, “The new generation of AF’s almost feels like cheating”.
That’s indeed what I said, but with a wink of course – as the image is always in the end made by the person BEHIND the camera. The camera can only do so much. Anticipation, skills, experiences, ‘eye for it’ – only the photographer can bring these ingredients for the end result 😉
Hans, I knew what you said was at least partially tongue in cheek. But I’ll admit, I had the same thought…
I’m sure when digital cameras came out many thought the same thing about much of that technology…… 😉
Excellent point, Judy.
Nice Grackle shot! Glad the new tech is working for you. Always a relief when you take a chance and spend a lot on something new.
“Always a relief when you take a chance and spend a lot on something new”.
You hit that nail on the head, Brett! I’ve been worried sick about it. That was a lot of money for this retired teacher to spend on a ‘toy’.
I did exactly that when I impulsively bought the battery pack for the R-5. I spent $350 on it and I’ve now decided that with my style of shooting I don’t need it. The R-5 with its electronic viewfinder drains batteries pretty fast but I have three of them and I’d rather switch batteries than use the battery pack. So now I have to sell a battery pack that’s never been used at a loss.
Oh well, at least it isn’t the camera that was the mistake.
Nice! Glad the R-5 is working well for this even if not always. Grackles can be a noisy pest but are pretty birds.
19 and snow coming sideways – hard to say how much so far – certainly won’t be the “spring dump” they are getting in other areas and we need but hopefully enough to protect the wheat (and garden) from the 6 degree temp predicted for Wed. night!
Judy, I see it’s 16° in Cut Bank right now, with wind of course. I assume it’s winter wheat you’re worried about…
Yes – some spring wheat planted but not up just yet. Winter wheat already struggling from ongoing drought and a lot didn’t get up last fall (might help that)…..:(
I guess I’ve been away from the farm for too long. I struggled to remember when we usually planted spring wheat up there.