novice question?

I have a hide set up in woodland and i am getting some great shots but i seem not to be getting the shutter speed i want.

I use a 40D and a 400mm 5.6.

I set camera to Av

I use tripod / monopod

I set ISO to 400/640/800 +

I am getting speeds of 1/50 up 125th

The one other thing i have done is use a remote switch, but i havn't checked the results yet.

Is this as good as it gets or can i set to Manual and select a shutter speed and change the exposure or something?

I shoot in Jpeg.



Best Regards

Ian

Manual is indeed one option, but it does mean checking in the viewfinder each and every time that the exposure is OK, but then you do this anyway! The obvious second option would be Shutter priority and allow the aperture to alter as required. Which brings it's own problems.

It sounds as though you really want auto ISO adjustment. Sadly Canon have not yet offered us this, although Nikon do, so I imagine it's only a matter of time. There are options that Canon could and should junk and replace with useful alternatives. Has anyone here used the quick print thingy? Thats the sort of thing I'd get rid of, while a proper mirror lock up button is high on my wish list.

Richard

Thanks, i have never used Manual so that would be new for me.

I think i will try this on the weekend

Ian

I think it's more a problem to do with the maximum aperture on the lens (f/5.6).

If you're in woodland, then I guess many of your shots will be in the shade/dappled sunlight, and hence pretty dark. Even though your eyes grow accustomed to the dark, of course the camera does not, and that's why you're struggling for shutter speed.

Alternatives would be (in order of ease):-
Try putting your iso up to 1600 and see what the results are.
Limit your shooting to sunlit subjects
Buy a lens with a wider aperture (f/4 or f/2.8 ) - however, this will be exponentially more expensive for longer focal lengths.

try i put the hide in a place that lets you get the birds in a lite area it will make a vast diffrence your kit is fine for the job.
Rob.

Thanks Pete & Gyrob.

I understand that a faster lens would be better. And as for the hide, when i put the thing up ( its permanent ) there were no leaves on trees and plenty of light. Guess what now? yip its all covered up lol.

The next hide i put up will be on a beach

Ian

Hi Trooper,

Another thing you could try is a bit of negative exposure compensation. Roll the thumb wheel counter clockwise to put the meter one or two marks to the left of centre. Each one represents 1/3 of a stop.

This will make the images darker tho. You can push them back up in post but you won't be able to do much without introducing alot of noise.

Time to buy Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure"
If you need 1/50s @f/5.6, ISO400, then that's the shutter speed you need for that lighting condition. If you bump up the ISO to 800, you can use 1/100s (or 1600 for 1/200s). Just basic Photography 101.

if you really want, go into manual mode and select 1/8000s. Let us know how the picture comes out!

I'd much rather raise the ISO to get a faster shutter speed.

evandavies wrote in post #5624010
Hi Trooper,

Another thing you could try is a bit of negative exposure compensation. Roll the thumb wheel counter clockwise to put the meter one or two marks to the left of centre. Each one represents 1/3 of a stop.

This will make the images darker tho. You can push them back up in post but you won't be able to do much without introducing alot of noise.

I just got my 40D...Don't be afraid of iso 1600!

The gain in shutter speed will pay of...You can remove noise, you CANNOT add info that is not there in postproccesing.

I am amazed that nobody has mentioned the Better Beamer. Do a search here for it, and I think you will decide that it is worth the $40.

Also don't forget to link your spot meter to the AF sensor!!

Thanks all and yes "understanding exposure is on my list"

how do you link your spot meter to AF sensor? sorry

Thanks
Ian

Don't be afraid to use ISO 1600 or 3200 on the 40D, I would start there. Easy, quick, and costs nothing. Still it sounds like that make get you to 1/250th, which might be still a tad too slow.

And if you use negative exposure compensation as suggested by others, you will need to shoot raw in order to bump up the exposure later, then remove the noise with noiseware or noise ninja.

LBaldwin wrote in post #5624112
Also don't forget to link your spot meter to the AF sensor!!

what does this mean and how do you do that?