Day: August 27, 2015

Photographing Hummingbirds with Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S & a High-Speed Sync Flash

by Stanley LearyNikon D4
 
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Nikon SB-900, Nikon SB-800, PocketWizard Transceiver TT5, PocketWizard Mini TT1, AC-3, ISO 6400, ƒ/10, 1/2000

The hummingbird bird feeder we have is close to the house. I have a door with many window panes where I put the two hot shoe flashes using TTL to control their output.

 
I kept the camera on a tripod, so I had very little to do except shoot when the hummingbirds came.
 
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Nikon SB-900, Nikon SB-800, PocketWizard Transceiver TT5, PocketWizard Mini TT1, AC-3, ISO 6400, ƒ/10, 1/2000
 
The color is so much better than just available light.
 
Nikon D4, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, Nikon SB-900, Nikon SB-800, PocketWizard Transceiver TT5, PocketWizard Mini TT1, AC-3, ISO 6400, ƒ/10, 1/2000
 
For comparison, this is the photo I posted yesterday with the Fuji X-E2 and the 55-200mm.
 
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/6.4, 1/2000
You can’t shoot high-speed sync flash with the Fuji system I know how to use. Maybe later.

Capturing Hummingbirds with Fuji X-E2 with 55-200mm

by Stanley LearyPhotography
Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/6.4, 1/2000

I may have accidentally gotten a photo of a hummingbird in the past, but now with a feeder on our back porch, I think I will make a better attempt for the first time.

I realize the feeder placement may need to change, and I may need strobes to make these fast birds pop.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/6.4, 1/2500

So to take these photos, I had my Fujifilm X-E2 camera on a tripod, and I used the Android Fuji app to fire the camera.

Fujifilm X-E2, FUJINON XF 55-200mm, ISO 3200, ƒ/6.4, 1/2500

I did this because as I stood there with the camera, the birds would come flying in and quickly see me behind the glass and take off. So either I build a blind, which I might do to hide from the birds, or I can use the remote and go and sit down and wait till I see the pop into view on my phone screen.

 

The only thing is there is a delay with the shutter.

 

Here are the screen grabs from the app:

 

 

 
REVIEW OF APP
 
The APP will disconnect you from your present Wi-Fi connection and look for the Fuji X-E2.
 
Once connected, you can touch the screen where you want the camera to focus as long as you are in AF mode. You can control all the functions of the camera that I could test.
 
Now that I have captured a few photos of the hummingbird, I will now try to get a better picture in the future and, hopefully, a few different breeds.