Photographing finches

[davlee]

I wish to take good pictures from outside my aviary. Can anyone recommend a reasonable easy to use camera that will 'see through' the mesh somewhat? I have an old Lumix that just doesn't produce good results.

Dave

[vettepilot_6]

Paint wire black if you haven't already. ..get a good smart phone small lens...or just take from inside aviary

[starman]

Dave,
As Vp has pointed out, the only way to get NO influence from the wire is to shoot through the square voids in the mesh. This,of course, means using a tiny lens like those in mobile phones and even the best of those are not good for fast-moving targets. The only way to get reasonable "through the wire" results is with a DSLR using a large aperture close to the wire (preferably black painted), and a fast shutter speed to stop subject movement blurring. To prevent the camera from focusing on the wire instead of the birds you also have to use manual focus. The large aperture close to the wire makes it appear as a series of dark indistinct squares across the image, if there is no direct light hitting the mesh it is not too distracting. But to sum up, what is better is some lens ports (with covers) cut into the mesh or physically taking shots from inside the aviary. This has its minuses also as the birds usually will not settle long enough for you to bang off more than a few shots.... and if they do settle, often the mirror clatter from the camera sets them off again.
Even with good gear I find it very difficult and my (lack of) patience often gets the better of me.
If you post the model of your Lumix, I might be able to suggest how (if there is any way) to get reasonable 'bird' shots with it.

[davlee]

Thanks for the answers. The Lumix model is DMC-ZS3. Despite being old, I am very happy with it apart from finch shots.

Dave

[starman]

Dave,
For general photography that is a well-equipped camera. I think it was known in Australia as the DMC-TZ7. Taking a quick look at the specs, it appears to be an auto-only model with no FULL manual control mode. This makes it a bit more difficult for finch work as here the birds hold all the aces with their erratic and unpredictable movements. A non-DSLR camera with auto-only focus takes a little time to lock focus and this adds to the inherent shutter lag....by the time the shot is taken, the finch may have covered half the length of the aviary . Auto focus cameras more than often want to focus on the wire rather than the subject (the perched finch). Another problem is that the aperture iris can not be locked wide to help make the wire "disappear".
What were the main problems with your images from the camera.... focus, exposure, movement blurring or other? If it is the same problem each time a remedy may still be available. If the main problem is subject movement blurring you can try bumping up the Iso setting to around 400 (not more), but remember to return it to auto for general shots.
If your birds tend to always congregate in one area, I would consider putting in a camera port (with mesh cover). This would take care of most of the camera's shortcomings and alleviate the need to enter the aviary. With your Lumix's long focal reach you could make the port a suitable distance from the birds so that they would not be spooked by its/your presence.

[BrettB]

Taking finch photos is challenging. I have never been able to get any decent shots through the wire.
Center weighted autofocus is a must, otherwise the pics are often out of focus (has focused on the branch or some other nearby structure)
This is one of the few times I really crank up the Iso, so I can use a fast shutter speed with out excessively opening the aperture.
Fortunately my camera doesn't get too much degradation of picture quality at higher Iso

It can be frustrating
Good luck
Brett

[davlee]

I have 2 main issues - 1). Blurring, which I can partly remove with software. 2). False looking yellow tinge. I don't know much about photography, but now that you have made me aware, I will work out how to change the Iso setting.

By taking photos outside the aviary, subjects aren't moving when I press the shutter. Taken inside the aviary they are mostly on the move.

Dave

[starman]

Hi Dave,

There are two types of movement blurring:
1. The whole image is blurred - nothing is sharp. This is caused by camera shake ...... the photographer has unsteady hands or the shutter speed is too long for hand held photography...solution use a tripod or faster shutter speed
2. The subject is blurred - everything else is sharp. Use a faster shutter speed or increase iso setting to increase sensor sensitivity (power).

The unnatural colour hue is caused by incorrect white (colour) balance setting.... usually people leave this on auto setting or daylight. Check to see if your setting has been accidently changed..... auto should be OK for most outdoor situations. I mentioned not taking the iso setting too high...this is because cameras with small sensors produce very noisy (grainy) images at higher iso levels, but as Brett says you can try bumping it up a bit more if you can tolerate a little image degradation as a trade-off. Hope this is helpful.... but fully auto cameras are a bit like finches... they just do their own thing.

[davlee]

Does strong optical zoom influence blurring? I expect it probably increases the affect of camera unsteadiness.

Thanks for the info on 'yellowing'.

Dave

[starman]

Yes, it certainly does. At longer focal lengths movement blurring is proportionately increased....you need very steady hands or some form of support for all but the fastest shutter speeds. Conversely, movement blurring is rarely a problem at wide angle settings. Supporting the lens turret with your left hand while operating the shutter with your right can significantly improve stability .... but don't do this if the turret rotates while composing or focussing or you could strain the mechanism/motor.