Using Canon 100-400mm lens on Wildlife safari soon - can I hand-hold or is tripod always preferable?

[henslens]

I am going on a camping safari in a 4WD truck in Africa soon  - not sure how easy it will be to manoevre a tripod - should I still be able to get sharp images with the IS if hand-held assuming I can use a high enough shutter speed or should I always try and use a tripod/monopod? (or lean on the truck window ledge failing that?)

If using the tripod / monopod, should I still be using the IS? I haven't really come to terms with this function yet (or lens, I'm sorry to say). I have often got disappointing results with the autofocus.

Thanks.

[diverhank]

Henslens,

Regarding switching from a 40D to 60D...this switch is not going to give you that much advantage besides the megapixel.  The focusing system is essentially the same as is the frame rate.  As others have stated a 7D would give you much better advantage with a better AF (autofocus) system and a faster frame rate.

For a safari, I'd recommend using AI Servo for focus and hi frame rate for shooting.  Actions like eating or yawning are usually too fast for us to see much less capture...some people disdain "spray and pray" but that usually produces incredible moments.  I normally do 3 shot bursts, sometimes 6 shot bursts to catch birds with fish in mouth or in mid-air.

As for IS, if safari action is anything like BIF action I'm used to...I could observe absolutely no difference between Mode 1 and 2 (I also shoot BIF with my 70-200mm f/4L IS + 1.4X extender).  After a while, I just set it to Mode 1 and forget about it.

Regarding turning off IS...don't unless you have it mounted on a tripod on solid ground not moving at all.  When there is absolutely no motion, the IS system would introduce phantom motion (noise) into the solution, making the images worse.

[henslens]

Thanks again, for useful comments.

Budget is a consideration; also I am not a Pro (obviously) - just a keen amateur and not sure whether the 7D would be too sophisticated for my use. (The 6D would be great too if one could afford it). Given that the trip is in 6 weeks I was thinking I could get my head around a 60D more easily than jumping up to the 7D. But I will consider it. In Australia the 60D is around $600 and the 7D $800.

Very useful info re the IS modes and tripods. Thanks again for this. I'm a bit worried about all the storage needed for all the images from the 'spray and pray' shoots. Especially in Raw which I presume I'd be taking. I'm thinking a small notebook and external harddrive for back-up.

I haven't used AI Servo so this will be interesting. Maybe that's one of the reasons I've been having trouble. Should I still use it if the eg. lions are stationary, like snoozing in the shade?

[cicopo]

I rarely take my cameras off of AI Servo & I shoot static that way with excellent results. There is a learning curve to the AF system on the 7D but other than that the rest is pretty much what you already had to learn to use the cameras you've used to date, whether they be P & S or DSLR's. Learning the menu system & interpretting the results of changes is similar so weigh the benefits carefully before buying.

[diverhank]

Whichever you decide 60D or 7D, it will be a good upgrade.  Keep in mind, you want to get this equipment early to get used to it before the real action begins...You don't want to have to learn new equipment while taking pictures of a lifetime.

I always take a laptop and a portable hard drive with me on vacation :).  I like to download the pictures every day and save them on both the laptop harddrive and the portable.  Again, for trips of a lifetime, I'd go all out with the number of shots.

You should experiment with AI Servo to get used to it.  Basically it works just like the single point method except that if things move, it will track things for you (change the focus points).  In order for it to work properly, first you need to get the subject in focus, then as long as you keep depressing the focus button (shutter button in your case), the AIServo will track the object for you and keeps it in focus.  You still need to follow the movement but it's a bit easier.  For cameras with better AF like the 7D, 5D3, 1D you can see the effect much more easily because they have more than 9 AF points...on my 5D3, with 61 points it's uncanny to watch the system track the moving bird for me in AIServo as it moves across the screen...the first few times my mouth just dropped in pleasant disbelief, having been used to the 50D 9 points.  The 7D has 18 AF points I believe.  I haven't personally used it so I can't comment but I'd think it's much better than the 9 point AF systems.

For animals and birds, I think AIServo is all you need to set it to.  I am able to get razor sharp images of non-moving birds in this mode.  If you want to switch, I believe both the 60D and 7D will allow you to customize a button (most uses the DOF button) so when you depresses it, it switches from AIServo to Single Point for that shot.  It's pretty handy.  I have it set but I don't use it that much.  The only time I use single point focus is for people portrait and landscapes which I rarely do...I spend 95% of my time on the birds and the bees :).  I suppose it's handy to focus on a lion's eye...and there's that button...One of the things I like about Canon is the customization.

AI Servo mode is handy for fast moving, erratic bee flight

Or fast moving birds - spray and pray worked here

Here's a static shot using AI Servo - Focus has not suffered.

[henslens]

Thanks to both for your comments - I have a lot to learn about AF as well as this lens. Your images are stunning Diverhank. I would die happy if I could take one like these - and your humming birds....

I will definitely start using AI Servo.

Can I just ask one more thing? Re the focus points - I normally choose the centre point, or another more peripheral one as the case may be but I've never used all 9 at once  -  on the 'Single Shot' AF setting - and this is where I seem to be getting disappointing results - now if I switch to AI Servo do I activate all 9 (or 18 if 7D) points or just use the relevant point as I have been doing? Never having used them all at the same time I don't really understand the function of this - I thought they were more for the fully auto camera setting, rather than the creative modes and the instructon manual doesn't go into that much detail.

(Ps When you say the 'single point method' you mean the 'Single Shot' as opposed to 'AI Servo' setting do you?)

[ebiggs1]

Remember this, if you want fantastic photos, not only focus is paramont. But Photo Shop (or Light Room) is too.

There is not much you can do with an out of focus (OOF) picture but there is a lot you can do with a great focus!

[diverhank]

Henslens,

Thanks. With the 100-400 you will be making similar shots in no time...the key to sharp images to me is to keep the shutter speed as high as you can afford it while shooting handheld.  IS will help but does not replace shutter speed imho. 98% of my shots are unsharpened in post processing.

Regarding focusing...yes I got my terminology all mixed up...I meant single shot method.  Like you I always use the center focus point.   For BIF I don't have enough time to mess with it. I crop to recompose later.  

The camera allows us to vary the focus point to places other than center point.  The reason is sometimes it's advantageous to do so when precision is needed.  For example if you are to take a picture of a model, obviously you don't want to place the model in the center of the picture -where your focus point is.  So you focus on her eye, lock focus (by keeping depressing the shutter or the lock focus button), recompose (put her in "rule of third" grid or whatever) then take the shot.  We all do this from time to time.  It works fine in most cases but it's not the best way because when you recompose, the distance to the model has changed a little bit so your focus is no longer razor sharp on the eye.  It makes a huge difference when you are using f/1.2 to f/2 to maximize depth of field.  The best way to do this is to compose the picture properly then move the focus point away from the center to put it on the subject's eye. 

For the 40D, 50D and 60D, there are only 9 focus points and they are very close to each other so the utility of moving the focus point is limited.  It gets better when you have more points to play with.  Also on models with more focus points, you can select 4 or 8 points around the center point to assist in focusing.  This helps a lot for action shots when tracking moving objects - tiny ones like moving bees where it's almost impossible to keep the center point on a bee's eye for more than a fraction of a second.  Edit:  Nobody uses all points...if you want that, switch to full auto...the only time all points are useful (to the camera) is so that it can gauge the correct depth of field to vary the f/stop to keep all subjects in focus.  I prefer to determine that myself and set the appropriate f/stop.  By the way, AI Servo starts out with the center point but it will use all available points (depending on the lens) to help you track.

[henslens]

 I will look up your website Michael. I will probably take the tripod anyway for lower light landscape shots etc

Re ' By the way, AI Servo starts out with the center point but it will use all available points (depending on the lens) to help you track'  Diverhank - the available ones you refer to are the ones you have selected, I presume?

And I do use Photoshop but, as with the camera and the lens, in a fairly basic way. (If you wanted to see a few examples I have put the web page on my details for what it's worth).

I have also borrrowed books on Canon lenses and cameras so this forum has definitely got me started on improving my knowledge and technique. Thanks for taking the time.

[diverhank]

Henslens wrote: "

Re ' By the way, AI Servo starts out with the center point but it will use all available points (depending on the lens) to help you track'  Diverhank - the available ones you refer to are the ones you have selected, I presume?"

=====================

One thing I really like about you is that you really read the comment. I really appreciate that.  I guess I need to be more precise in what I write...what I meant is starting from the point(s) you selected, AI Servo will use other points to keep the object in focus as it moves near the other points.  Regarding the lens, depending on the aperture capability (eg. f/2.8 versus f/5.6) - the camera may be able to use, say all 61 points for the 5D3/1Dx versus fewer.  The camera user manual (at least the 5D3) has a list of lenses, what group they belong to and how many points...This info is too much in the weeds...I can't tell you much more than this, though.

[henslens]

Just to let people know the outcome - I have bought a 60D - thought long and hard about a 7D but decided in the end the higher ISO was the main feature I wanted to allow for the low light conditions I might meet and to assist with the shutter speeds etc when using the 100-400 lens. I may one day want a 5DIII so thought I'd better save my pennies!

Thankyou for all the advice re using IS, tripod and different AF settings - have taken it all on board. Africa here I come!