Timiskaming Birds Forum

Following up on Mark's Christmas post, here is a thread dedicated to photography.

I'll get things started with this tip.  Do not shoot from your vehicle window if the temperature outside is considerably lower than the temperature inside.  In cold weather, if you are planning to shoot from your car window, then leave the window open as you drive and do not put your heat on inside the vehicle. The inside temperature should match the outside temperature.  If your vehicle is warm, and the outside air is cold, then when you put your window down all of the hot air escaping from the vehicle produces a very dramatic heat shimmer when it contacts the cold outside air.  This may be almost invisible to the eye, but it is guaranteed to wreak havoc with your ability to get sharp photos.  The heat radiating from the hood of the vehicle from the warm engine will do the same thing as it drifts by your open window.  When I'm shooting in cold weather, I completely exit the vehicle and move some distance away from it before taking any pictures. (Remember, a tripod is recommended if you are using a telephoto lens.)  Shooting at a feeder through an open window at your house will produce the same effect.  When shooting feeder birds - shoot from outside.

I like the idea as well maybe it should be a forum of its own so all of the tips will be easy to find and archived. I cannot afford to buy my new lens so these tips will not be as important for me now but will be huge for me down the road. As well it would be handy to have how to get the pictures as past of an email as you photographers have already discussed. As phot proff of sightings becomes more important  a dedicated spot on the site will reflect this.  Hopefully i will have my lens in time for the spring migration  .

 A while back, you showed me an electronic sight (Daisy) intended for use on an air rifle, but adapted to mount on a cemera to aid in photographing birds in flight. I found & purchased my sight (Crossman) at Canadian Tire. I found an adapter on-line for such a rig at www.photosolve.com. The price is 24.95 US, plus delivery, and plus likely tax & duty.  Did you puchase your adapter, or did you make it yourself? If you made it, how simple was it? (Parts, etc.)

I tried the Extendasight adapter from www.photosolve.com, but found it not to my liking. It was too inconsistent in mounting position, which meant I had to sight it in every time I mounted it. What a pain. I made my own instead from an old piece of flash accessory gear that I had from my 35mm film camera days.  The piece I used was a flash adapter that mounted into the hot shoe and allowed for a sync cord to be used for a camera body that did not have a built-in sync cord socket.  A little trimming with an exacto knife and some judicious use of 2-part epoxy, and voila - a Red-dot-Sight hotshoe adapter.  I will post a photo of it this weekend.

Here are some photos of my RDS mount.  Works like a charm and positions the RDS in the same position every time.

 Thanks Mike.  I will hunt down something similar if they still make it, or try to find a defunct flash unit etc. It does look pretty solid. Does it protrude to the rear much on camera? What I'm asking is: If you are in between flying shots, and want to use your viewfinder up close, does it interfere?

No, it does not protrude obtrusively when mounted on my camera. Note, however, that I mounted the hot shoe adapter as far back on the mounting rail of the RDS as possible, for exactly that reason.  If I am wearing a ball cap in the normal way (ie visor forward), then the RDS does interfere with the ball cap when I try to look through the camera viewfinder.  In such cases, I usually just rotate the ball cap so the visor is out to the side or rear, or I remove it altogether.  Without the ball cap, I can place my eye up to the camera viewfinder and don't even notice the RDS mounted to the hot shoe.  When in the field in an environment where there is a chance of bird-in-flight shots, I often leave the RDS mounted for the entire outing.  I don't leave it turned on, though, as that is too hard on the battery.  When using the RDS, I like to keep the camera pressed up to my face just as I would when using the camera's viewfinder.  Some folks prefer to use the RDS with arms outstretched, but I find this does not work nearly as well for me.

Hopefully it will be the same on your camera, but if not, it is quick and easy to slip the RDS off and put it in your pocket for a few normal shots.  It means you're not as ready for a surprise bird-in-flight opportunity, but that's a chance I'd be willing to take.  I do not like to use the LCD display on the back of the camera for framing and shooting of handheld shots.  If it came to a choice between using the viewfinder or using the LCD display, I would remove the RDS in order to use the viewfinder.  I like the intuitiveness of aiming the camera using the viewfinder, and would never buy a camera that did not have an integrated viewfinder.  I also like the extra stability of having the camera pressed up to my face compared to holding the camera out in front of me the way you would if using only the LCD display.  (On a tripod, however, I will sometimes use the LCD display.)

Good luck with your new gear.  It will take some practice to get used to using the RDS.  Be prepared for a low success rate initially.  You will find, though, that persistence and practice will pay dividends after a while, and your success rate can get very high using this simple device.

 Here's my suggestion for improving your birds in flight shots - go down to a local area that has lots of seagulls and just sit there and practice - you can get hours of practice quite easily