Buy a harness like the one the flag bearer wears in a parade. Attach your camera and lens to a monopod and stick the monopod into the pocket where the flag pole would go. Adjust the monopod to the correct eye level. It looks stupid but it provides amazing steadiness, swingability and it considerably lessens the weight of the lens.

Thank you so much for your positive peptalk and feedback on trying to get crisp shots! I always appreciate this and from listening to words like this has aided me in loving my progress as I get better and recognize there is always fun and self development in photography!

I wonder why you choose for fixed ISO, speed is more important I would think. Using M mode and fixed speed and F together with auto ISO is more logical for me. Exposure can be easily adjusted when needed for dark or light birds.

@PaulMiguelPhotography

Жыл бұрын

I just wanted to test myself and guess the 'correct' ISO! But yes, I would set shutter speed, aperture and then balance with the ISO

I love the flight shot of the Shoveler, great video as usual.

Very nice! Thanks for sharing. I have also been photographing ducks the last couple of weeks and yesterday I had my first male shoveler. Lovely colorful birds.

Had to get rid of my 500mm f4 for the rf 100-500 you can hand hold that all day no problem bad back was the main reason for ditching the f4 😢

Yep, long lens combo can be somewhat cumbersome. I have the rf 800mm f11 lens with the RF 1.4 converter with my R6 or R5 and that can be "fun" to play with. Then on top of that just for giggles I set the R5 to crop mode.

Wow, beautiful light on those Shoveler in flight shots Paul. Good effort holding that lens with TC for BIF shots.

Very nice indeed

Great video, with great results! Few monthes ago, I swiched from canon 500 mm mk1 to 500 mm mk2, and now its easyier to hand hold it (also with x1.4 iìi extender). I also switched the camera from 1D4 to R5. It is now much lighter combo.

Thanks for the video Paul 👍🏻 I so wish I hadn’t sold my old 500 f4 mk1 now, every time I see you using it it reminds me lol. I bought it new for £3,800 at the time !!! Crazy prices now for a new Mk2. Push that iso with the R6 especially now with DXO etc. 😊 love the shoveler shots by the way 👍🏻

Yes. Yes you can. R7 + 500 F4 is mk 1 = healthy living !

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, thank you, Paul. You got some fab images. Shovelers are one of my favourite duck and I think tufties are a bit comical and cute. I only have 2 lenses - a 70-300 and a 100-400. And a 1.4 TC which I only use in the brightest of weather. My camera is so slow to attain focus, and I think the TC makes it worse. I'd never be able to carry a lens like yours, let alone use it!! But I would still love to own one and give it a go!

I wouldn't be afraid of using faster shutter speeds for crisper images. Let that ISO go free! One thing that helped me with long lenses is to practice: put the camera down, then up and shoot. With more than 800mm I usually shoot only stationary subjects (portraits). Thanks for the video!

@ColinMill1

Жыл бұрын

"Let the iso go free" - Yes indeed! There is an obsession these days about noise. People should look at some of the great photographs of the film era, especially those taken with 35mm cameras. In low light you had to use high ASA film like Kodak 2475 recording film that, even so, only gave you 1250 ASA and gave you a picture that looked like it had been made using breakfast cereal 🙂. If the image is only worth looking at because the technical image quality is very high then perhaps the camera turned up to the shoot but the photographer was absent.

@cmeluzzi

Жыл бұрын

@@ColinMill1 You're right. A bit of grain/noise would do no harm - it may even make that photo look unique. Not to mention that under good light, newer full frame cameras can go up to ISO 8000 or 10000 and produce nice images easily. Denoise software also helps a lot. I've shot wildlife pictures at ISO 20000 using a Canon EOS R (the first version) and most people wouldn't even notice that in the final image. Coming from the film era, I know for sure what breakfast cereal images look like (I loved the comparison LOL!). And these grainy images were everywhere, including National Geographic.

Great video Paul. That lens looks heavy👍👍👍

@PaulMiguelPhotography

10 ай бұрын

It is!

Some nice Shoveller in flight photos. They are a fast duck. From experience I think you might need a bit more than 1/2000th of a second for consistently sharp photos, for when they come close to you.

Greetings Paul, nice content, just started watching your videos. Keep up the great work! I use a canon 7d mark ii with your setup the canon 500mm and a 1.4x an amazing combination! ,Quick question how did you mount your 500mm canon lens to the Manfrotto 502 head? on my 500mm F4 IS USM version does not have the original canon mount and I am only able to utilize one of the screws from the manfrotto plate to the lens foot and it can swivel a little after long walks. Thanks

In my place,never see sky without many cloud.70%cloud 30%clear

I often use my 100-500 with a 1.4 extender, but I imagine that's a lot easier than with a big heavy prime.

I was photographing some swans flying a few days ago but hadn't realised I was not using continuous focus...check your photos! I was gutted

I use the Canon 2X version III on my 500mm F4 IS and it's amazing, and razor sharp Images !!!

The maximum hand held in flight I go for is 840mm f5.6 minimum shutter speed 1/2000th of a second! It's surprising how good you can get with a bit of practice shooting with the wind behind, head on and as they veer off to the sides, landing great too ! I shoot on a Gimbal head usually, often in windy conditions, I like the way the birds battle against the conditions ! But any long lens is not easy good video Paul

I mostly use the Canon EF 500 f/4 L IS USM with 1,4x-teleconcerter at my EOS 5DIII. In fact I prefer this combination instead of using the RF 800 at the EOS R. If neceassary handhold - even with tripod hanging beneath the lens.

If passers by saw you using that combo they'd assume you are bound to get great shots. They have no idea about the restricted field of view and the difficulty in keeping the birds in the viewfinder. My max is 500mm so I have to wait for the birds to be closer. The other morning at my local lake I sat waiting and all the action seemed to be "over there". I too resorted to snapping a Pidgeon and some mallards close up in the sun. I eventually got a tufted duck in flight and boy was it fast. I came away with decent pics of Heron , cormorant, swans and mallards in flight, but you are right you have to put the hours in.

Thanks, Paul! What a great day and fine video! You really got perfect exposures busing M mode! Please, would it be much more difficult to do - let's say - the same work with a 5D Mark IV considering the Frames/second rate, and the lacking of the eye detection system that you have? I'm trying to take decisions here. Best! Júlio.

@PaulMiguelPhotography

Жыл бұрын

The eye detection might not be the most important thing, but a fast frame really helps here. And the 5D mark iv is great but frame rate is slow.

@julioamaral4391

Жыл бұрын

@@PaulMiguelPhotography Ok, Paul Thanks a lot for the information! I am going to buy my R camera (6 or 5) soon. Really it seems the right thing to do. I'm a little resistant to frequent changes of equipment, or trusting a large part of the result to the equipment. But in this case... Has to be done. Love your work and your way to think about Nature and Photography. Congratulations from South Brazil!

You need to try the Olympus 150-400. Can hand hold it all day and with the in built tele extender is equivalent to 1000mm FF. Have a look at Duade Paton's excellent youtube channel as he has just started to use the much cheaper 100-400mm lens. Ditch the tripod!

I try to prefocus at approx the distance I expect to photograph the ducks. Using my D850 I get a surprising number of sharp shots. If I am prefocused somewhere near the distance the camera locks on very quickly.

@PaulMiguelPhotography

6 ай бұрын

Yes, that definitely helps

It's easy to shoot with 800mm with Nikons 800PF

The R6 IBIS allowed me to hand hold my 500/4, something I couldn’t do with my old 7D

I not see some cloud...where?

Hi Paul, I have the same lens (500mm f4, is usm mk I) and just cannot find any info on how many shots per second can you take with that lens when using mechanical shutter? I am considering to buy R6ii and if I am correct it will allow me to take ca 7 shots/sec with that lens. Is that correct? Are you still happy with that combo?

@PaulMiguelPhotography

5 ай бұрын

Great question my friend. And one I had to look up. It is reduced from what I had with my 1DX(on mechanical shutter. I think you are correct. With my R6 and my EF lenses I should get around 7 or 8 frames per second on mechanical. This is not ideal as I'd rather use mechanical to avoid rolling shutter. It really depends on how the birds moves. It's a compromise. But electronic shutter is ok a lot of the time.

@gregiboy155

5 ай бұрын

@@PaulMiguelPhotography thx a lot!

@PaulMiguelPhotography

5 ай бұрын

You're welcome. I forgot - 'Whistling Wings' covered this very well on his KZread channel.

Fast dolphin 92

Bonjour est-ce que acheter d'occasion aujourd'hui un objectif 500mm F4 reste raisonnable ?

@PaulMiguelPhotography

6 ай бұрын

Quality wise, i believe so. The biggest problem is Canon will no longer service it and parts for it don't seem available.

@jeanmarcsabatier7917

6 ай бұрын

oui effectivement canon ne le répare plus . Vous avez le 500mm is ou non is@@PaulMiguelPhotography

Can anybody help me re the 500mm. Is it normal to initially tip the lens vertically to stop the internal motor from clunking? It's fine once this has been done.

@guyjackson4143

Жыл бұрын

Without knowing the brand of your 500 f4 I can only speak for the Sigma I use. A small design flaw in their super teles is when you swap out lenses on your camera body is to make sure the camera is turned off. That tells the gyroscope in the lense to shut down and re-enter. The klunking your hearing is the gyro recentering from the last time it was on the camera. My 120-300 2.8 does the same thing if in a hurry I forget to power down. Hope this helps, this information came directly from a Sigma engineer.

@nigelbramley4188

Жыл бұрын

@@guyjackson4143 Thanks Guy. Forgot to mention it's a Canon EF the same as Paul uses 👍

I find the hardest thing with my 500mm f4 other than the weight is the field of view finding the bird 😂😂 especially with a 1.4 teleconverter on

@ColinMill1

Жыл бұрын

I'm going to try mounting a reflector "red dot" gun sight to the camera (may need to be on an upstand off the hot shoe to have view past the lens)

@guyjackson4143

Жыл бұрын

I have the Sigma f4 500mm sport and tried the excate idea you mentioned using the red dot sight. It has to be mounted at least 1.5 inches above the hot shoe and the slightest touch to the sight will alter your point of aim. The movement issue has been the one I haven't been able to overcome. Even on a tripod the vibration of the camera will affect the aiming point.

@ColinMill1

Жыл бұрын

@@guyjackson4143 Many thanks for the reply. I did wonder about the stability of anything on the flash shoe. Perhaps picking up on the base of the camera and the tripod bush is a better solution. A sturdy L bracket might be interesting or simply a plate on the base with the sight mounted so it could be used holding the camera in right hand low portrait orientation.

You should try a 600mm on an R7, 700 is easy.

What distance roughly are those geese from you at 700mm?