Question on shooting BIF in manual exposure mode

hairyjames wrote in post #16216441
The ISO setting controls the sensitivity of the camera's sensor. The more sensitive you go, the more digital noise you get.

This actually isn't quite right. The ISO does not change the sensitivity of the camera's sensor. The ISO is only a way of changing how the camera counts the signal coming from the sensor.

I highly recommend reading Roger Clark's article on ISO. He can phrase it much better than I can.

LINK

jhayesvw wrote in post #16080891
I too shoot manual with auto ISO and love it except when it comes to very difficult conditions like birds flying in open sky then down toward the surface with dark trees behind them, in and out of shadows.
Its near impossible to adjust the ISO fast enough when the birds do this and you only get ONE shot at the bird.
I guess thats what makes wildlife photography fun. Its not easy but not completely impossible.

It helps to set up for a particular shot, rather than trying to be able to shoot anything that happens in front of you. It works best, in a situation as you have described above, to decide what shot you want. Let's say you decide that the shot you want is the one of the birds as they fly down toward the surface, with dark trees behind them. So you then set up for this particular shot. You wait for it. You anticipate it. You adjust your settings for this shot. That way, when the birds do come into this zone, you have prepared to get the best shot possible. This is a much better method than constantly trying to grab a shot of the birds every time they fly within range. The very best images are often those that the photographer committed to, forsaking other possibilities so that he/she would be best prepared for that one particular image.

Thanks Tom,
Thats the best advice I've read. I do tend to follow the birds and thus have to deal with ever changing light.
I guess I should just wait for the shot. Its just that im not very patient. LOL Im working on it though.

Yes, we are all impatient sometimes . . . and sometimes during bouts of impatience we "screw up" and get some of our best images! LOL

The key is always to "be there" and be ready whenever possible.

Great post by BirdBoy too about ISO settings that I'm still trying to digest that should help me make it easier to get better images in certain conditions!!!

All the best, Tom