Out of focus fast moving targets EOS R6 Mark II

[Brocstar]

Hello. I’m a novice photographer. But I’ve been shooting with the R6 Mark II for about a month now. I have the RF 100 x 500 lens from Canon. I was shooting some fast moving birds that were feeding today and a lot of my photos were out of focus.  my lens was set from 100 to infinity. I had auto focus on. And I was shooting high-speed. From a far the photos look great but once you zoom in you can tell there is a lot of noise. I kept my ISO at 100 for most of the shooting as it was very bright out. Is shutter 1/500 too slow with an aperture of 5.6f, ISO 100 not great for high speed. I was hoping to get more tact photos. 

Another couple shots I placed were water shots of big groups of birds, dive bombing bait. I was hoping to get some tack shots of the pelicans and seabirds penetrating the water. But they’re pretty dull and not very sharp.One instance of that my settings were 1/5000. F7.1 and iso 1000, water super sharp birds not. 

Another example is 1/640, f7.1 iso… Water sharp birds not. 

I am fully zoomed at 500mm

I want to make sure I am using the best settings for fast birds feeding and catching food as theses opportunities do not come up very often. 

Seemed like on the solo shots with fish hanging from birds mouths, camera was having hard time focusing.  

Any help helps. 

Thanks 

[Brocstar]

I will have to check how my settings are set up.  I think I am in servo and I was in Spot or single point at first but it kept jumping off my subject so I moved to Area. I am gonna take a look then get back to you 

[March411]

Good luck Broc, it will all come together and you'll be getting great images in no time.

[Brocstar]

So I watched the Alaska set up guide. Now I followed his set up tips. Does he have more videos on how to use those custom focus settings in the practical sense.. He kinda ends the video once the customs settings are set. I plan on watching more of his videos but thought you might have a quick link to it. 

[March411]

He does have a video on next steps. He uses an R7 for the tutorial but it applies to several of the R series bodies.

How to use Autofocus System in the Field - Wildlife Guide for the R5, R6, R6II, R7, & R10 

[Waddizzle · Accepted solution]

“ I will have to check how my settings are set up.  I think I am in servo and I was in Spot or single point at first but it kept jumping off my subject so I moved to Area. I am gonna take a look then get back to you. “

The most likely cause for you losing tracking on a single bird is camera shake. If you only use a single focus point, then you are fully responsible for keeping the single focus point on your subject. 

Refer to a DOF table or app. All the birds would probably be in focus no matter which one you followed.

Cropping an image to a much smaller size can significantly reduce the resolution of the image, making it seem as if the image is out of focus. 

[Brocstar]

Thank you, 

I went and watched the videos that were sent to me by members and I used their custom  settings and going to give it another go today with my tripod. Hopefully I learned something 😉 

[Brocstar]

Was out today practicing with the new AF settings. It is still very difficult to have the camera lock onto subject while in flight. I am using the AF-On button for AF with Eye detection for animals but when they are moving fast it doesn't keep locked. So would I use my Spot Focus extended area with the star button and hold it down or just single press? I am also wondering with the AF--On do I keep it pressed down for the entire shot or just hit it once then done? 

Thank you for the help 

[Brocstar]

[March411]

What were the ISO, shutter speed and aperture for the image of the BIF? Also, is the first image cropped or did you shoot in a vertical orientation? How far were you from the subject and it looks like a beach or desert, what was the temp?

Did you download the DPP software to view your focus points. The wing tips look sharp in the first image.

The second image looks pretty sharp.

[Tronhard · Accepted solution]

Conventional wisdom suggests that one uses the following rule of thumb for shutter speed to account for hand-holding, being 1/focal length.  However, that is only for camera shake.  Fast-moving birds present their own challenges, so for that one needs to up the shutter speed significantly above that.   I would suggest shooting at something over 1/1000sec, and adjust ISO accordingly.  A bit of potential noise is easily fixed in post, but a fuzzy image from shake or bird movement is a much more difficult issue to sort out afterwards.

I shoot wildlife predominantly, and I personally use Back button focus, with servo, single-point with animal (or human as required) face and eye tracking.  I shoot using the R5, R6 and R6II and they all have fabulous focusing and tracking abilities, but they will not solve the issue of subject movement while the shutter is open. Upping your shutter speed will also reduce the chances of camera shake.

For shooting hand-held, I have always found the following technique to be effective:
Eye tight to the view finder
Hand under the lens, heel of hand under the body and the fingers curled under the lens.  Think of it like holding a rifle, it's the same principle.
Arms with elbows tucked tight to the torso to form a triangular support
Right hand lightly manipulates the controls - no weight bearing and a light touch.