Humming bird


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sonix

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Jan 17, 2002
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Hi all,

Mind to share how to take humming bird shot? I have taken many shots.. .but all blur...


Cheers.
 

You definitely need a flash to help freeze the hummingbird..
Here's a few examples of different shutter speeds..

DSC04578-SparklingVioletearWingUp.JPG

Sparkling Violet-ear 1/800s f3.2 ISO200

DSC06674-BlueHummer.JPG

Male Purple Honeycreeper 1/30s f3.2 ISO100

DSC06796-PurpleHoneyCreeperFemale.JPG

Female Purple Honeycreeper 1/60s f3.2 ISO100
 

But with flash ..... the glass will reflect it back right?

Or for G2.. i need something more powerful.. like 420 EX...
 

Originally posted by sonix
But with flash ..... the glass will reflect it back right?

Or for G2.. i need something more powerful.. like 420 EX...

The first shot is taken behind the glass while the 2nd and 3rd are in the open aviary in JBP...

To prevent the flash from being picked up by the camera, either the lens or the flash has to be almost touching if not in full contact with the glass. I found that a flash extender with also helps to direct the flash through the glass rather than allowing it to flood the whole area.
 

Here are some more taken behind the glass..

DSC01505-ArmazillaHummingBird.JPG

Amazila HummingBird 1/30s f2.8 ISO100

DSC04550-ParadiseTanager.JPG

Paradise Tanager 1/640 f3.5 ISO200
 

willy, how do you take your pics behind the glass? special permission from Jurong Bird Park?
 

Originally posted by sonix
I see... :eek:

Thanks... will try again next time.....
Do you have any tele-lens? I don't think the 3x zoom of the G2 would be sufficient.

Anyway, good luck!

:Later,
 

Originally posted by mpenza
willy, how do you take your pics behind the glass? special permission from Jurong Bird Park?

No no... I mean behind the glass from the bird's position.. (ie... normal position)...
 

Originally posted by Pinoy
Do you have any tele-lens? I don't think the 3x zoom of the G2 would be sufficient.

Anyway, good luck!

:Later,

My 707 has 5x... and my B300 has a 1.7x...
But I don't use the B300 for the hummingbirds..
 

how fast can those humming birds beat their wings?

u need 1/800s to freeze their wing, even 1/60 also not fast enough!

wonder how many shots you have tried before getting the first pic?
 

Originally posted by kamwai
how fast can those humming birds beat their wings?

u need 1/800s to freeze their wing, even 1/60 also not fast enough!

wonder how many shots you have tried before getting the first pic?

Hummingbirds beat their wings from 80/s normally up to 200/s during courtship.

Sometime you don't want to fully freeze the wings... some motion blur is nice to show movement... I've had comments that the first shot looks like a toy hummingbird suspended on an invisible string..

For the first pic, the Sparkling Violet-ear goes to the feeder once in 20 minutes on an average (when I was there).. it doesn't stay long at the feeder, only long enough to take 1 shot. 2 shots out of 4 were spoilt (wings were in a wrong position)... the other shot that came out ok was the wing in a downward position

DSC04579-SparklingVioletearWingDown.JPG
 

Originally posted by willyfoo


Hummingbirds beat their wings from 80/s normally up to 200/s during courtship.

Sometime you don't want to fully freeze the wings... some motion blur is nice to show movement... I've had comments that the first shot looks like a toy hummingbird suspended on an invisible string..

For the first pic, the Sparkling Violet-ear goes to the feeder once in 20 minutes on an average (when I was there).. it doesn't stay long at the feeder, only long enough to take 1 shot. 2 shots out of 4 were spoilt (wings were in a wrong position)... the other shot that came out ok was the wing in a downward position

Wow. I guess we need to do some research in order to take excellent shot. Tks for sharing. :)
 

Hi,

From my limited experience in shooting the hummingbird in JBP quite some time ago, here are some personal tips:

1. Prefocus on the feeder, lock the focus (or set to MF mode) at that focus point.

2. To prevent flash reflection from the glass, shoot at an angle; don't shoot directly in front. E.g. 30° off centre.

3. Use flash all the time. Don't worry about low shutter speeds as the flash will effectively freeze the wing motion as flash duration is like 1/1000s and above.

4. Have lots of patience.

Regards
CK
 

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