Hunting trip photography advice.....

[Chaemono]

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Back to topic. I'm shooting some pumpkins today. Any advice? Took the M10 with the Noctilux, though, because the colors are delicious.

 

@Timkr, some brutal and some nice shots. Thanks for posting.

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[RoySmith]

If you are not planning on shooting 4K video, 280 is way too short. You need at least 400 to comfortably position yourself close enough to produce anything meaningful. Also, if you have never took bird pics before, remember this fundamental principle: do not try to approach birds, have them come to you. Make a blind, hide, put some bait 20-30 feet away and wait. You may need a diaper depending on resilience of your bladder ))

Birds have memory, but they cannot count. If you enter the blind, they will know that you are there and won’t come close. Have someone come with you and when he will come out, they will think that you aren’t there either. This is not a joke.

 

A while back, I spoke with a noted wildlife photographer, Robert Taylor, about a photo he had taken of an arctic loon. He described the difficulty he'd had because he learned that that loon could count. After building the blind and entering with 3 people and 2 people leaving the blind the mother bird would not return to the nest. Only after 3 people entered the blind, built a stick dummy with clothes on it, and then "3" leaving the blind, did the mother return.

 

 

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[Anika]

A while back, I spoke with a noted wildlife photographer, Robert Taylor, about a photo he had taken of an arctic loon. He described the difficulty he'd had because he learned that that loon could count. After building the blind and entering with 3 people and 2 people leaving the blind the mother bird would not return to the nest. Only after 3 people entered the blind, built a stick dummy with clothes on it, and then "3" leaving the blind, did the mother return.

 

 

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Birds are thinking and also feeling creatures - how do they feel about shooting them???

[jaapv]

Please do not turn this into a pro- or con- hunting thread. We will be forced to close it down.

[Irakly Shanidze]

Actually, no.

 

Same field of view with SL full frame, but taken further back (so, both 24MP), but one with a relatively standard lens, the other slightly telephoto, all other things being equal, same image. The larger sensor, and the longer lens, cancel each other out.

 

Same field of view, one sensor full frame cropped to 10MP the other APS-C 24MP, all other things being equal, you get more resolution with the APS-C, and the same depth of field. Try it in practice, try it with a depth of field calculator, the result is the same.

 

John, I do not want to get into a protracted discussion, as taking pictures and working with images is something that I do for living. If you want to know the truth, take pictures, make prints and look at them

[Irakly Shanidze]

A while back, I spoke with a noted wildlife photographer, Robert Taylor, about a photo he had taken of an arctic loon. He described the difficulty he'd had because he learned that that loon could count. After building the blind and entering with 3 people and 2 people leaving the blind the mother bird would not return to the nest. Only after 3 people entered the blind, built a stick dummy with clothes on it, and then "3" leaving the blind, did the mother return.

 

 

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wow, this is fascinating! apparently, birds in Florida are dumber, and I did not have this problem

[Irakly Shanidze]

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Getting the 500 8.0 is a  step too far really. I own the lens and I can only say that it is really not that good and a crop will normally outperform it.  If you had said one of the old 560 mm Telyts I would agree.

 

which lens?

[jaapv]

Well, I was not actually referring to a specific lens, but if one is on manual and trying for dynamic things like birds, the Telyt 560/6.8, preferably in PIGRIFF, is an excellent choice.

Relatively light, easy for quick-focus and optically quite good, especially in the image center.

[Irakly Shanidze]

Well, I was not actually referring to a specific lens, but if one is on manual and trying for dynamic things like birds, the Telyt 560/6.8, preferably in PIGRIFF, is an excellent choice.

Relatively light, easy for quick-focus and optically quite good, especially in the image center.

 

The reason why I recommended a mirror lens is because it is much easier to manage in a chaotic environment. One thing when you are on a bird photography assignment when you are the king of your own time, and taking pictures while your friends are hunting is very much another Quality wise there are some really good mirror lenses like Zeiss Mirotar and Russian MTO 5.6/500.

[wildlightphoto]

wow, this is fascinating! apparently, birds in Florida are dumber, and I did not have this problem

 

 

Birds in many parts of Florida are accommodating enough that a 90mm lens is sufficient.

[Anika]

Please do not turn this into a pro- or con- hunting thread. We will be forced to close it down.

You are right, I am sorry not suggesting Leica safari for that, I was just thinking it’s all about “hunting” with a camera, was naive..... Edited October 4, 2017 by Anika

[IkarusJohn]

John, I do not want to get into a protracted discussion, as taking pictures and working with images is something that I do for living. If you want to know the truth, take pictures, make prints and look at them

Well, I’m not sure that answers the question, but we’re all entitled to our preferences, I guess. I don’t take pictures for a living, but I have been taking pictures in a number of formats since the mid-1960s (does thar count? Nah, thought not - a bit like taxi drivers knowing cars?)

 

I’d still put a TL2 in my pocket, and take the shotgun.

 

Happy to have a discussion about the relative benefits of sensor size any time, but perhaps on topic.

 

Cheers

John

[caissa]

If it is only for birds (maybe also small birds), then a Panaleica plus the Leica 100-400 zoom is worth a try. This lens is actually equivalent to 200-800 and still very manageable.

This is much more flexible than the SL with 90-280.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1211984-REG/panasonic_100_400mm_g_series_lens.html

 

If this is actually a hunting trip, you probably will find it rather frustrating. "Hunting" birds with a camera is usually a different - much quieter - thing. (I would rather go on a separate excursion).

Edited October 4, 2017 by caissa

[andkeen]

Advice on what exactly?

To get a life maybe?

[LD_50]

To get a life maybe?

What? Why would you say that?

 

I asked what specifically the OP needed advice on... tracking with AF? Specific bird behavior advice? Something related to the SL? Lens choice? Etc.

 

Reading the replies the OP got a little bit of all of that. It’s helpful to have clarity on what advice is needed. I don’t think I saw that the OP ever responded to any advice and never clarified so I didn’t offer any.

 

What was your point in writing this to me?

[fsprow]

I have done a great deal of bird shooting and my best advice is to enjoy yourself and the experience and forget taking photos (it pains me to say this).  You will not be able to take photos that combine the shooter and the quarry in any way that relates to the experience. 

 

A camera to show the hunters getting ready in the field and enjoying themselves with a single malt after the shoot is most appropriate.

[pico]

If you are going waterfowl hunting your best bet is shots (in this case...photos) of the birds coming in to your decoy spread.  For that I think your kit will work well as long as you can keep it dry.  If you are going upland hunting (grouse, woodcock or even pheasant) I think that a kit as heavy as yours will feel like a boat anchor after about 1/2 hour!  Besides that, as fast as the action is in upland bird hunting, you would be lucky to get 2-3 keepers out of an entire day.

Mark

 

For duck hunting over decoys, my late father-in-law shot with cylinder over modified (Browning) which means close range and a 50mm is fine. 90mm if you are really good and far enough away from the boat. My mate used to sit in the boat with him. He left her the shotgun and Leica IIIf & 50mm. It all worked.

 

Upland birds are super tricky, fast, and you will shoot with your ears tuned to the first hint of a flush, and a modest lens is adequate. 50mm. Pheasant - I was blessed to live by a stream between corn fields in Iowa where half the time the birds landed near our feet. 35mm.

 

Geese? Ferget it. SLR motor. But all you get is birds falling. No environmental hints. No shooters. Boring.

Edited November 10, 2017 by pico

[andkeen]

What? Why would you say that?

I asked what specifically the OP needed advice on... tracking with AF? Specific bird behavior advice? Something related to the SL? Lens choice? Etc.

Reading the replies the OP got a little bit of all of that. It’s helpful to have clarity on what advice is needed. I don’t think I saw that the OP ever responded to any advice and never clarified so I didn’t offer any.

What was your point in writing this to me?

My point is that the best advice to the OP is that there might be more to life than blasting wild animals out of the sky for "fun".

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[LD_50]

My point is that the best advice to the OP is that there might be more to life than blasting wild animals out of the sky for "fun".

Okay, I hadn’t realized you were making more of a ethical/political statement about hunting.

[pico]

My point is that the best advice to the OP is that there might be more to life than blasting wild animals out of the sky for "fun".

 

Hunting is also much about eating, surviving and being part of the balance of nature. The world is large, and you might understand your particular locale is profoundly different than thousands of others.

Edited November 10, 2017 by pico