I am glad to given a chance to have a unit CANON EOS R3 to have a series of test on Birds/Nature Photography.
As for other camera, I plan to have series of tests which related to Tropical forest birds Photographer concerns eg. ISO performance, AF performance, Raw files dynamics range etc.
After days of basic understanding the camera (actually it is like a upgraded version of my old CANON EOS 1dxm2). I will try share other view of the camera later in other posts, here lets share one of the major concern : AF performance.
For this test, I am using
CANON EOS R3
CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2
CANON 1.4x TC III
No feeding, No nesting and no idea what bird flying to/from which directions. Just base on what you see and trying the Camera capability to focus and capture.
Setting
AF area (whole sensor)
AFC, eye-control AF off
Drive mode: H (15fps)
AI Servo (AF-C)
RAW and use DPP straight convert to JPEG and resize.
I am glad to given a chance to have a unit CANON EOS R3 to have a series of test on Birds/Nature Photography.
As for other camera, I plan to have series of tests which related to Tropical forest birds Photographer concerns eg. ISO performance, AF performance, Raw files dynamics range etc.
After days of basic understanding the camera (actually it is like a upgraded version of my old CANON EOS 1dxm2). I will try share other view of the camera later in other posts, here lets share one of the major concern : AF performance.
For this test, I am using
CANON EOS R3
CANON EF 500mm F4 IS2
CANON 1.4x TC III
Handheld inside car
No feeding, No nesting and no idea what bird flying to/from which directions. Just base on what you see and trying the Camera capability to focus and capture.
Setting
AF area (whole sensor)
AFC, eye-control AF off
Drive mode: H (15fps)
AI Servo (AF-C)
RAW and use DPP straight convert to JPEG and resize.
All of sudden a White-throated Kingfisher flying infront of us, with immediate response I just point the Len toward the bird and lets the camera lock focus on the bird and track … capture the images in ~3-4s
most of the species are winter visitors to Malaysia. Small and active birds, look-alike, and sometimes difficult to ID without pictures taken and call recording.
– in North Borneo (KNP, Crocker Range etc) both Yellowish and this Gray-light greenish exist
– 小而活跃。通常在海拔800米以上
– 黑头。翅膀没纹。在北婆罗洲（沙巴）有黄 或 这灰-浅绿 两种。
201603, KNP, Sabah, Malaysia
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2. Yellow-browed Warbler, 黄眉柳莺, 黃眉柳鶯, Phylloscopus inornatus, キマユムシクイ, CEKUP-DAUN KECIL BIASA
– Small, active warbler with greenish upperparts, white underparts, distinct pale yellowish eyebrow, and distinct pale wingbars (upper wingbar short and less distinct) *Ebird
– Dull, relatively unmarked olive-brown warbler with a prominent yellowish-white eyestripe, faint wingbars, and pale whitish underparts. Visually inseparable from Japanese and Kamchatka Leaf Warblers; listen for song, an electric chattery trill. Also gives a metallic two-noted call and a short harsh buzz. Breeds in shrubby areas, often near water, throughout the Eurasian taiga. Breeding range extends to Alaska, where it is the only leaf warbler. Winters in lowland and foothill forest, forest edge, and gardens, primarily in Southeast Asia. (Ebird)
The large, mostly white raptor that cruises over lakes, rivers, and coastal waterways in search of fish. Impressively widespread: found on every continent except Antarctica. Mostly white head and underparts; dark brown back. In-flight holds wings with a kink in the wrist (shaped like an “M”).
– perch near the pond, river, beach-ready to catch fish for food
The osprey or more specifically the western osprey (Pandion haliaetus) — also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk — is a diurnal, fish-eatingbird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.
Striking and essentially unmistakable, with elegant shape, boldly pied plumage, long bluish-gray legs, and long, slender, upcurved bill. Curve is stronger on female. Usually breeds in small colonies; nesting birds call noisily. Nonbreeding flocks locally number in hundreds. Feeds while wading or swimming, sweeping its bill side to side. Most common in coastal wetlands and brackish lagoons and estuaries, but will also appear inland, particularly on or near large lakes. (Ebird)
Normally refer weavers, weaverbirds, weaver finches and bishops. These names come from the nests of intricately woven vegetation created by birds in this family.
1. Baya Weaver, 黄胸织雀, 黃胸織布鳥, Ploceus philippinus, キムネコウヨウジャク, Burung Tempua
non native male with bright yellow head
update
– the male having bright yellow head, female dull overall dull brown. Normally moving in group with munia
– 公鸟，头部黄。母鸟全浅棕色。通常是群体活动。
20240106, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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– pretty common at open grassland and paddy field. male with bright yellow crown.
– another hot day at Paddy field and all of sudden, saw this bird carrying a long leaf flying toward us.
– a slightly complicated species to be ID among Edible-nest (which also either white-nest or Germain), Black-nest & Mossy-nest which best to id by their nest build
– for Penisular Malaysia, many believe the mix of White-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) and Germain’s Swiftlet (Aerodramus germani) or some study claims North – germani and South – fuciphagus
1. Brown-backed Needletail, 褐背针尾雨燕, 褐喉針尾雨燕, Hirundapus giganteus, オオハリオアマツバメ, LAYANG-LAYANG BESAR BIASA
– a fast-moving back “brown”, forehead normally consist of white spot sub-species indicus . Or without white giganteus
飞非常快的较大型的雨燕。头部带白（indicus）。
update 202408
– fantastic afternoon, we miss ours main target but so many good bird show up even at noon time. 4 of this big “flying fast” bird passing by few times and managed to have it .. and suddenly feel the R3 not fast enough 😀 even managed to have good few frames.
– 一个很慢的中午，目标鸟完全没声没影。可是很多很好的鸟却出来看看我们
202408, Fraser Hill 55, Pahang, Malaysia
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202103, Selangor, Malaysia202103, Selangor, Malaysia
– a slightly complicated species to be ID among Edible-nest (which also either white-nest or Germain), Black-nest & Mossy-nest which best to id by their nest build
– for Penisular Malaysia, many believe the mix of White-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) and Germain’s Swiftlet (Aerodramus germani) or some study claims North – germani and South – fuciphagus
One of the reasons to own 8k video most probably is to crop the video like this one to get more clarity (but I didn’t reduce it to 4k just want to show 8k video and zoom in)
let’s have a look at 4k and tell me how’s this video looks like? very good? good? normal?
I am glad to be given a chance to be tried on the Fujifilm XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR. Even though we don’t have that many opportunities to do more tests on this setup because of the Covid-19 lockdown.
for quick sharing from Fujifilm XF70-300mmF4-5.6 R LM OIS WR Liew WK – Lens Stories
For birding Photography, we always concern about on few camera and lens specifications
1. Image Quality
– how sharp and how’s the ISO performance
– with Teleconverter Image quality
2. Autofocus performance
– how fast the autofocus, how accurate autofocus, and how good is the tracking capability
3. Weather-resistant, Weight and Size
– no one can deny bigger lens (longer and bigger aperture) will give you better image quality but we need to know how much we can tolerate with Image quality drop with the size and weight reduce.
– most of the bird photography here (Tropical rainforest – Malaysia) involves a lot of tracking, walking, hiking so it is not really a good choice to carry heavy equipment to long hours to do bird photography here.
Some Extra Features
4. Minimum Focus Distance
– most of the Bird photographers also a nature lover who may also capture many other creatures (butterfly, snake, etc
– minimum focus distance of 0.83 which give magnification 0.33
5. Image stabilization
– I can’t comment much as not really do a lot of testing on this but some of the dark conditions where I shoot ~600mm at 1/10-1/30s also give a very good success rate but for my comfort. 1/100 is a base shutter speed to get a very high success rate for myself.
I also captured some videos handheld
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Very low light condition
ISO1600, F8.0, 1/30
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1. Image Quality
– with previous testing on the Fujifilm equipments
– as previous testing share, the X-T4 AF performance FAST, accurate and tracking is good too.
– I won’t share any single point AF here as all others above are using AFS or single focus but here I am sharing what I am concern about continuous focus for both lock focus & tracking capability
– Both above Loglight Condition sharing pictures were captured in very low light condition and AF is still fast and accurate for AFS
All pictures below captured with AFC – continuous focus and Zone (almost full screen). [I let the camera and lens decide to lock the object and track without any additional setting change]
i. Terns
– many of them flying far and near with moderate speed but in any direction under the hot sun
– most of the focus can lock fast and continuous tracking the bird by the next 1-2 s as the tern fly out from the frame
– it is almost no fail to lock focus when the birds flying with blue/white sky and sea background which has enough contrast
– it is getting difficult to lock focus when a bird flies into the frame where the background is green
– this owl all of a sudden fly out from the small palm oil plantation- the focus lock fast but the tracking miss 50% intermittent as it is flying toward me fast and close (some of the focus frame lock on the wing but not the head).*** the tracking may able to improve by some AF setting. as the focus locking is fast enough to focus again after miss out of focus within 1-2s flying toward me seriesFujifilm X-T4, Fujifilm XF70300, TC 1.4x [434mm, ISO800 F.8.0 1/1250]
– This is a special case where this hornbill standing on a building wall. So make use of the continuous focus & tracking mode. Even the bird is near the tracking work since the bird begins flying until it missing into a tree.
– the moment happens just ~2s, while I am shooting 7fps. and the focus just miss 2 frame
– it is very difficult to capture swift picture due to normally they are flying fast, all different direction
– success rate is not very high due to the flying speed very fast and accelerates in any direction for feeding. But the camera and lens still able to lock the focus as long as my position is at the right position.
– due to the APS-C sensor size the lens design in a smaller size compared to an equivalent 35mm equivalent lens (100-400mm)
– the lens with X-T4 which is 607g (including battery and SD memory card)
– 1.4x TC
with such focal length 107mm to 457mm or (107mm to 457mm)x1.4 or x2)
look at the size
4. Minimum Focus Distance
– this lens can take a photo at a minimum focus distance of 0.83 which give magnification 0.33 think this is also good for some butterfly, big object macro
