Issues with Photographing Wildlife with the SL2

[Fred Newberry]

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I have been attempting to photograph wildlife action with my SL2, but my auto focus and tracking has been poor and has resulted in soft photographs.  Are there settings that I should be considering to improve AF?  Are there alternative camera bodies like Panasonic or Sigma that have L mounts that may have faster AF for shooting wildlife?  I would like to stay with my Leica lenses and not invest in another camera brand's lens system.  Is the Leica SL2-S a possible alternative for faster AF?

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[jaapv]

AF is not that fast, but the Panasonics are not much better. Still, I manage to get tack sharp images from my SL, Panasonic S5 and CL. Mostly this kind of image is soft due to micro-motion blur. Long lenses do need Electronic Shutter as OIS cannot handle shutter slap. Tracking focus works best on BIF with the sky as detail-less background or on really fast AF systems like Sony - and even then you’ll run into the limitations described below  

Be aware that handling a heavy rig for wildlife takes a lot of practice and experience, especially in stressful action shooting conditions. 
Actually AF speed is fairly irrelevant and does not make much of a difference. . Good knowledge of animal behavior and bushcraft are far more important. It allows you to anticipate animal behavior.  If you know where an animal is likely to be you can switch to manual focus and prefocus on that spot, or at least point the camera in the correct direction, check on the grass or something similar whether the AF interprets the situation correctly and then as the subject appears take the shot 
AF always struggles with wildlife. It has trouble locking on fur and often does not find the eye, tooth or beak. A twig or blade of grass in front of your subject or a tree in the background will throw it totally off. For that reason about half my wildlife shots are taken with manual focus. it results in more keepers and less OOF images. 
I advise you to take note of the work of our member Michali. He specializes in African wildlife and uses SL2 and I think SL2S.
I share his passion, but use a number of different cameras, amongst which SL, S5 and CL and lenses like the Sigma 150-600 and Vario Elmar R 105-280 ( manual lens).

For a beginner the easiest combination to handle is a Panasonic MFT camera with the Leica 100-400. 

[michali]

6 hours ago, Fred Newberry said:

I have been attempting to photograph wildlife action with my SL2, but my auto focus and tracking has been poor and has resulted in soft photographs.  Are there settings that I should be considering to improve AF?  Are there alternative camera bodies like Panasonic or Sigma that have L mounts that may have faster AF for shooting wildlife?  I would like to stay with my Leica lenses and not invest in another camera brand's lens system.  Is the Leica SL2-S a possible alternative for faster AF?

Welcome to the Forum.

I'll repeat what I said in a previous post on the subject (click the arrow in the link below). I use the both the SL2 & SL2-S for wildlife. I don't pick up much difference in AF speed between the 2 cameras. What the SL2-S gives you over the SL2 is excellent high ISO quality in low light situations.

Yes, the SL's are not in the category of the Sony's & Canon's for action, even though that mantra is getting a little stale. They're not as weak as made out to be.

Once you figure out the settings on the SL's that work for your style of photography, action images are not a big deal, and I'm not a machine gunner. I shoot in Single Shot Mode, the primary  reason being that I don't have the inclination, time & patience to scan through hundreds of images in post processing.

What the SL's do also offer is simplicity & straightforward menus, without countless buttons & superfluous functions, something I personally consider most important.

 

 

[michali]

Face to face with a fully grown Silverback Mountain Gorilla, from a recent Gorilla trek I did in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

Rather tricky conditions, he was moving through dense rainforest & feeding on bamboo, while I also had to be fully aware of keeping a respectful distance from him. At the same time trying not to trip over in the thick undergrowth, ending up on my backside & tumbling down the volcano....😅

SL2-S Reporter & VE Leica 24-90mm focus was set to AFS - Spot & it was sharp every time.

Another thing to note, as @jaapv & others have pointed out in other posts, you should also be using the Electronic Shutter, this reduces shutter slap & results in much sharper images.

(please click images for better res.)

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Edited December 19, 2022 by michali

[SrMi]

1 hour ago, michali said:

Face to face with a fully grown Silverback Mountain Gorilla, from a recent Gorilla trek I did in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

Rather tricky conditions, he was moving through dense rainforest & feeding on bamboo, while I also had to be fully aware of keeping a respectful distance from him. At the same time trying not to trip over in the thick undergrowth, ending up on my backside & tumbling down the volcano....😅

SL2-S Reporter & VE Leica 24-90mm focus was set to AFS - Spot & it was sharp every time.

Another thing to note, as @jaapv & others have pointed out in other posts, you should also be using the Electronic Shutter, this reduces shutter slap & results in much sharper images.

(please click images for better res.)

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

Do you see shutter shock blur even with 24-90?

[jaapv]

29 minutes ago, SrMi said:

Do you see shutter shock blur even with 24-90?

The longer the lens the more it is affected. 

[michali]

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1 hour ago, SrMi said:

Do you see shutter shock blur even with 24-90?

On the longer end from around 75mm to 90mm I do pick up shutter slap/shock. As I'm shooting outdoors, I just leave the camera set to Electronic Shutter.

[graeme_clarke]

Hello Fred and welcome,

Several variables will need your attention.

First, the SL2 and SL2-S have built in image stabilisation.  I now have a SL2-S with a 90-280 which also has this and the two combine. It's important to note that IS will not correct for the subject moving - more on that in a moment.  What it does is help stabilise the camera.  I use a monopod where possible with stabilisation switched on to give everything a more steady base!

Subject movement has to be dealt with by using a fast shutter speed. For large mammals, such as deer in the UK, or antelope etc in Africa I use a minimum of 1/800s.  Preferably 1/1600s or faster depending on the light with the aperture on a 90-280 set at f4 and AFS. I've had recommendations to use a smaller aperture - f5.6 or 6.3 to increase DoF so eyes and noses of large mammals are both in focus.  The penalty is higher iso (I have it set to floating) and the likelihood of more noise in the image.  Much depends on how far away the subject is and the background illumination. I usually use F4.  For birds in flight I always use f4, AFc, 1/2000s minimum, floating iso and hope!!!!  

Oh, and I always use the electronic shutter to avoid any other vibration issues.

I have a profile set with 1/1000s, medium drive, afs, electronic shutter, manual focus.  the SL2-S allows back button autofocus then a tweak with the focus ring that enlarges the viewfinder image avoids the problems grasses in front of the subject can cause  - see Jaap's advice.  If I rely on autofocus alone I've found I've lost a few what I hoped were crackers to that problem!!

Michaeli's point about whether or not to use motor drive is a good one to ponder. On my last trip to S Africa last week I've been using a medium drive rate to keep the focus on each shot.  Sometimes it's paid off as the animal moves and a worthwhile shot is in the middle of the string.  The penalty though is a massive number to sort through  (I'm facing 13,500 to go through!!!).  On balance it's more important for BIF than mammals if time for sorting is an issue.

Hope this helps.  If you have somewhere to try alternatives such as ducks on a pond or birds in the back garden it's worthwhile experimenting then set up some profiles.

Best wishes,

Graeme

[graeme_clarke]

Here are some recent images.  This one from Bradgate Park in Leicester, UK.  November 2022 in the rain.

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[graeme_clarke]

From S Africa, December 2022

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[Fred Newberry]

Many thanks to all of you for the time you have spent providing me excellent advice and convincing me that my Leica SL2 can produce quality wildlife images.  Now it’s up to me to make that happen.

[SrMi]

7 hours ago, jaapv said:

The longer the lens the more it is affected. 

Yes, but I am surprised that it is visible on the workhorse 24-90. I will run some tests to check if I can reproduce it.

[SrMi]

10 hours ago, michali said:

On the longer end from around 75mm to 90mm I do pick up shutter slap/shock. As I'm shooting outdoors, I just leave the camera set to Electronic Shutter.

I shot my bookshelf from 1/30sec to 1/320sec with the electronic and mechanical shutter, with 24-90 @ 90mm (handheld). Only at 1/125 sec did I notice a minuscule difference in sharpness when pixel peeping at 200%.

[LocalHero1953]

I am following this thread with interest. I use the 24-90 and 90-280 a lot, and have never noticed blurring I could attribute to shutter slap (i.e. when I am confident the camera has acquired focus and there is little movement in the subject). Most of my work with these lenses is indoors, where I would only use an electronic shutter if I was obliged to for silent shooting - normally I am at risk from artificial light flicker. I will do some tests sometime, but at the moment I'm not sure it's a problem I have to solve.

[jaapv]

47 minutes ago, Artin said:

I have never used electronic shutter at all and never realized and shutter slap with  any lens, not even with the 400mm + 1.4 x 

You need to shoot side by side, handheld (as often  is the case in wildlife) to see the extra "bite" to your images. Most prominent with O.I.S. lenses. If you go into the pertinent threads you'll find plenty of user experiences. There is no reason not to, either. An Elephant won't go oval by high speed.

[Robert E]

FWIW, I have had great success using my Nikon 500mm PF telephoto with my SL2 for wildlife. It works very well, even with the Nikon 1.4 TC. The autofocus is very fast and extremely accurate. The SL2 with the lightweight 500 PF makes a great combination, just awesome colors and rendition.

The thing you have to remember about using Nikon lenses with the SL2  and the SL/NIK adapter, is you have to use a Nikon lens with the "E" definition on it, not "G".  The Nikon E lens series work very well on Leica SLs,  I also use other Nikon "E" lenses with great success, but the 500 PF with the TC 1.4x is just awesome!

Cheers