1. Nikon D7100.

Great disappointment for wildlife photography!
I had this with a Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 lens and a 2X converter.

Problem was we could not set it to focus on the center of the screen! It kept "hunting"all over the designated focus area, which made it practically impossible to lock focus on a moving bird.

The old D300 was much better in this regards, as well as the Canon 7D.

I have already ordered the Canon 7D Mk II.

Panasonic FZ70 with 60X zoom

Did not get much use, as the photos were far too soft.

Panasonic FZ200

Fantastic, and got used on a daily basis.

Panasonic ZS40.

Fantastic, got used more than any other cameras we had.

Quality is great, and has a 30X zoom to bbot.

Canon 7D

Fantastic, great usability and great quality. Used with a Canon 70-200mm F2.8 lens and a 2x converter.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
1. Nikon D7100.

Great disappointment for wildlife photography!
I had this with a Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 lens and a 2X converter.

Problem was we could not set it to focus on the center of the screen! It kept "hunting"all over the designated focus area, which made it practically impossible to lock focus on a moving bird.

That's really odd. My lowly D3100 has the ability to move the focus point wherever I want it.
I usually keep it in the center because I shoot with a 55-300 telephoto most of the time.

I evny you having the 70-200 lens. I rent that lens two or three times a year. Going back to my DX lenses is a disappointment.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
1. Nikon D7100.

Great disappointment for wildlife photography!
I had this with a Nikon 70-200mm F2.8 lens and a 2X converter.

Problem was we could not set it to focus on the center of the screen! It kept "hunting"all over the designated focus area, which made it practically impossible to lock focus on a moving bird.

The D7100's autofocusing is one of the best there is, usually considered much better than the Canon cameras. But, and it's a big but, it is very complex with so many options that it's not hard to pick the wrong one. Take a look at this to get an idea:

http://www.everythingd7000.co.uk/autofocus-guide/

There also a few "tips", such as getting the focusing point to go back to the center of the viewfinder by pushing the center button on the multi-wheel, designating focus to the AF/AE button on the camera back rather than halfway pressing the shutter release, etc. The system is actually very good, much faster than the Canon's, just a little complex.

At least one professional photographer thinks it is the camera's strongest performance feature:

http://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-d7100/4

I went to the Nikon dealer after I came back and told them about this problem.

Apparently I am not the only person having this happen.

At least for my purpose, it was an absolute disaster - hence no one used the camera on the safari.

Actually, the Nikon autofocus system is not any better than the Canon autofocus system. Both are about the same, while some models outdo other models. It you want to fastest and most accurate focus system for sports and fast moving subjects, it's very difficult to duplicate the accuracy and speed of the Canon DX-series cameras. That's why you see so many white lenses in sports events.

However, it's very possible that Saeed did not configure the camera for moving subjects. For example, lest say that I want to track a subject that is moving (bird flying, a small animal moving around, and so fort), and I am using a Canon 7D:

Set the camera's ISO depending on light conditions, AI-Servo (to track the subject), the focus point in the center of the frame (center point), the camera on aperture priority (Av), and the shot speed to faster or to normal-fast burst mode. When you press the shutter button half-way and hold the button in that position as the center point is on the spot you want the maximum focus, when the animal moves the lens adjusts the focus accordingly (the camera tracks the subject as it moves).

Center point on the lead dogs, camera on AI-Servo, ISO on Automatic, burst mode:






It should be the same with the Nikon camera Saeed was using. Also, Nikon and Canpon cameras have fully automatic modes. The Sport mode is used for action shots (sports, birds, and so forth). In this mode the camera sets itselft automatically, so all you have to do is to press the shutter button to take the picture or a burst of pictures. I never use those modes, however.

Ray,

We looked at the manual of the camera, and it specifically says the only way one can set the focus on center spot is on manual - and only for stationary subjects!!??

We were trying to take photos of vultures coming down to land, and the focus holds fine as long as they are against the sky. But, as soon as they get lower, and there are trees in the background, all hell breaks loose.


We did not have this problem with either the Canon or Panasonic cameras.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Ray,

We looked at the manual of the camera, and it specifically says the only way one can set the focus on center spot is on manual - and only for stationary subjects!!??

We were trying to take photos of vultures coming down to land, and the focus holds fine as long as they are against the sky. But, as soon as they get lower, and there are trees in the background, all hell breaks loose.


We did not have this problem with either the Canon or Panasonic cameras.

Hmmm...that's weird. On Canon you can use the fully automatic "Sports" mode, or just go to any of the other modes and set the camera any way you want. I use Av (aperture priority) because that way I can control the lens aperture. In the Canon 7D you just move the focus point around the frame to any place you want.

I use that feature a lot with large wildlife such as moose. Since I want to keep the eyes in focus, I move the focus point to the animal's head. For a bird on flight I just keep the focus point on the bird.

Sorry about the problems w=you were having with the Nikon camera.

Saeed,

Your autofocus may be set on the wrong (or least applicable for birds anyway) AF - Area setting. Don't let the camera try to select this for you automatically, choose the appropriate one, take control.

See this:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/...our-nikon-d7100.html


If you are in face recognition area mode, or some sort of "camera decides for you mode", the focus points will be jumping around the screen trying to locate a face. I don't know if Canon DSLR's have face recognition technology in their autofocusing options. Most older Nikons don't, but the D7100 does. It would not be a good choice for birds in flight.

I would try the "wide" area mode. Then again you might want to try a couple of the area modes to see which work best. If you want to lock the focus sensor you want, you can choose it and then turn the little wheel around the OK button on the camera-back to L (for lock). In fact, although I haven't verified this myself, if that ring is already on L you may not be able to change the focus mode so you will want to move it off "L" for changes.

Now the area modes need to be distinguished from the focusing modes such as AF-S (for single shot) and AF-C (for continuous). For birds in flight you will want to be in AF-C, in my opinion. There are also the release options which are "release", "focus" and "release + focus". In "release" mode the shutter will fire even if nothing is in focus. In the "focus" mode the shutter won't fire at all unless at least one of the focus sensors gets focus (and it may not necessarily be the one you want, causing some people to reduce the focus points to fewer more centrally located numbers like 9 or 21 instead of the full 51, which is yet another option) and lastly the "release and focus". The last one seems a little mysterious to me. The theory is (I think) that when you are shooting a rapidly moving object in continuous focusing mode and with the motor drive in high speed (CH), it is going to take the first picture, even if not in sharp focus, but then fire when focusing has caught up with the rapid firing shutter. I have not yet experimented with this on my Nikons.

It takes a while to get used to these options and their best uses. One of the things I seem to forget is which of the options are done through the menus on the LCD screen, and which of the options can only be set with the camera body buttons and wheels only apparent on the little top screen. I don't have a D7100 but I think you can program at least some of the options you like into a user setting (the U1 and U2 options) to be able to switch rapidly from one to the other, depending on the subjects.

Nikon user manuals are notorious for being hard to understand, resulting in the huge aftermarket business of "How To" books, some of which are good, and others almost useless.

Lastly, birds-in-flight (or BIF) seems to have its own "experts" and amateurs with their own mega lenses, Wimberly gimbals, etc. For these photographers, famous for getting it "right", BIF is almost a religion. They have their own web sites and blogs, forums where they exchange their techniques and photos, and have their own heros and gurus. Some even teach specialized classes in the discipline. Sports photographers, who actually sell their photos for a living, use many of the same techniques but they don't seem to have as much time for internet.

Arthur Morris of Birds As Art diplays some extremely well done bird photos on his blog:

http://www.birdsasart-blog.com...flight-category-are/

I'd probably go crazy if I had to go back and forth between Nikon and Canon bodies. I can only remember some of the basic settings on my Nikons.

Saeed- Thank you for your practical experience from the field. Any camera is only as good as the film in it. Do you have particular brand you prefer?

quote:

Originally posted by Ole Miss Guy:
Saeed- Thank you for your practical experience from the field. Any camera is only as good as the film in it. Do you have particular brand you prefer?

Quality wise, there is no difference between Nikon and Canon if you are interested in SLRs.

Due to operational factors, I tend to like Canon more - I have all the top models from both Nikon and Canon.

But find Canon tend to be more user friendly.

What they call "bridge" cameras, there is nothing to touch the Panasonic FZ200.

For pocket cameras, again, Panasonic seems to be without any comnpetition, both quality wise or practicality.

My current favorite is the TZ40. I carry one in my pocket all the time.

Sadly, other manufacturers seem to concentrate on functions that are not really very practical for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Ole Miss Guy:
Saeed- Thank you for your practical experience from the field. Any camera is only as good as the film in it. Do you have particular brand you prefer?

do you really mean film?? does anyone still make film cameras in a 35mm format??

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:

quote:

Originally posted by Ole Miss Guy:
Saeed- Thank you for your practical experience from the field. Any camera is only as good as the film in it. Do you have particular brand you prefer?

do you really mean film?? does anyone still make film cameras in a 35mm format??

In 2013 there were still eight 35mm film cameras being made: 2 Nikons (although one is not really made by Nikon), 2 Leicas, 2 Fujis, 1 Voigtlander and 1 Vivitar. I don't know if that has changed.

http://istillshootfilm.org/pos...l-being-made-today-a

The Nikon F6 is still in production and still available. It is the most advanced 35mm film camera Nikon ever made and can use almost all of the new VR (vibration reduction) and autofocus high resolution lenses in the Nikon line-up. It's also very expensive. Here's a link to Nikon's web-site:

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nik...Film-Cameras/F6.html


But there are so many excellent 35mm film cameras on the used camera market for so much less money that I would assume not many are sold.

While you may not see it in your local drugstore anymore, 35mm film made by Kodak, Fuji and Ilford is still available and there are a couple of lesser known brands as well.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr...=UTF8&qid=1414910255

As for medium format, I think the Mamiya 7ii is still being made, and maybe one of the Fuji GF models, so there may be more 35mm cameras still in production than there are medium format.

Thank you Wink. Yes, I did mean film.

Anyone who still think film is better is living in a dream!

Just got a call from my dealer than my Canon 7D Mk II is ready for collection!

I am looking forward to it.

You gentlemen are making some excellent points here.

However, I think the most critical thing when it comes to photography are the lenses. When I was doing film I had a Hasselblad system. Hasselblad is still good if you can use a 50 MB image. I find that for most of my photography 12 MB is more than adequate.

I continue to use my now dated Nikon D2X. The Hasselblad did teach me the value of quality lenses. Therefore when I buy Nikon lenses I buy the highest quality available and there are about four or five levels available. These lenses approached the quality of the Hasselblad/Zeiss lenses.

This discussion points out the reason that I don't really like point-and-shoot cameras with built-in lenses. I would be very surprised if they spent more than five dollars for the glass therein. Further, most don't give you an opportunity to manipulate things like depth of field and BOCA.

Of course there is a weight penalty and if you are willing to live with the limitations of a small camera that is a good reason to use it.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Anyone who still think film is better is living in a dream!

Saeed, there is at least one photographer whom I think does stunning wildlife photography who uses a film camera: Nick Brandt. Probably most of the people on this forum interested in photography have heard of him and/or his photographs.

http://www.nickbrandt.com/User...rapher_Jul_06(1).pdf

He uses a Pentax 67 camera, B&W film and doesn't even use telephoto lenses. He does do post processing of his scanned negatives on a computer however. While you may be right about him living in a dream, I don't see too many taking better photographs than he.

I'm not Nick Brandt, so digital photography is the best choice for me and probably the majority of people. The choice probably depends on what you want to create.

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
Anyone who still think film is better is living in a dream!

Saeed, there is at least one photographer whom I think does stunning wildlife photography who uses a film camera: Nick Brandt. Probably most of the people on this forum interested in photography have heard of him and/or his photographs.

http://www.nickbrandt.com/User...rapher_Jul_06(1).pdf

He uses a Pentax 67 camera, B&W film and doesn't even use telephoto lenses. He does do post processing of his scanned negatives on a computer however. While you may be right about him living in a dream, I don't see too many taking better photographs than he.

I'm not Nick Brandt, so digital photography is the best choice for me and probably the majority of people. The choice probably depends on what you want to create.

I wish him the best of luck.

As for me, I am only an amateur, and I certainly find digital to be infinitely better for my purpose.

I used the Nikon D4s at a school function, where we were asked not to use flash, and was stunned with the quality of the photos.

It was a play with some light, but not enough. Despite this, high ISO photos never looked so good.

In fact, other parents were using a whole bunch of other SLRs, and none produced ANY usable photos.

I had to get a cases of USB sticks and my 16-port USB COPIER has been working overtime!

Got my Canon 7D Mk II this afternoon.

It is on charge right now, and I am hoping to try it soon.

Saeed- You greatly under estimate your ability with a camera. We have all seen your products.

quote:

Originally posted by Ole Miss Guy:
Saeed- You greatly under estimate your ability with a camera. We have all seen your products.

You are very kind.

But, there is a difference between an amateur and a pro.

An amateur only has to satisfy himself, while a pro has to satisfy his customers.

Making things yourself, one does get extra satisfaction.

Take for example computers.

One is rather restricted to what one can buy commercially nowadays, as most of the top makers are concentrating on gaming.

I am in the process of replacing two ancient desktops - one is 4 years old and one is 6 years old - and by computer standards, that IS ancient.

I cannot find what I want, so have to build them myself.

Looking forward to 4K video, I have selected the following components for both computers.

ASUS Z99 DE LUXE MOTHERBOARD
INTEL i7 5960X CPU
64GB DDR4 RAM
NVIDIA QUADRO 5200 GPU
4 X 1TB SSDs
6 x 4TB HDs
WIN 7 64 ULTIMATE
2 X ASUS PQ321 4K MONITORS


Hopefully all the parts should be here in the next few days, and I will start putting them together.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:


Looking forward to 4K video, I have selected the following components for both computers.

ASUS Z99 DE LUXE MOTHERBOARD
INTEL i7 5960X CPU
64GB DDR4 RAM
NVIDIA QUADRO 5200 GPU
4 X 1TB SSDs
6 x 4TB HDs
WIN 7 64 ULTIMATE
2 X ASUS PQ321 4K MONITORS

Saeed,

I really like your design. May I suggest a couple of possible alternatives.

Generally, my comfort level improves if the motherboard is made by the same company as the processor chip. I don't know about incremental compatibility of Asus board as I've never used anything but Intel boards.

I really like the idea of solid-state drives. Functionally, with the computer any time you can remove a rotating component you improve reliability significantly. In today's world large solid-state drives are becoming more and more available and reasonably priced.

Because disk drives are less expensive, I tend to use them periodically for data backup. Not using them 24 seven but only occasionally helps their reliability in terms of absolute time.

I tend to buy my computer cases from "California PC" http://www.calpc.com

While they make standard cases with fenders and wheels on the bottom, I also like rack type products where you can put several computers in a rack mount. I've user equipment for years and it is all metal and heavy duty.

Intel no longer makes motherboards, or the ones they do make are very basic.

I have been using both ASUS and Gygabite motherboards in other systems and they are both great.

For a number of years now, we have been using the Coolermaster HAF X case, and we like them a lot.

HAF X

I love SSds, they certainly make life easier - especially copying large files.

I've shot with various SLR and DSLR Nikons over the years and my latest is (was) a D600. While you need a basic computer engineering degree to operate all the features, it, like most all Nikons, takes fantastic pictures.

Was always impressed with it until a friend showed me what his little crappy Canon T5i could do with the new STM IS lenses. The touch screen with Live View can do some amazing things especially with macro manual focus using the touch screen. You can zoom into a spot, magnify it 10 times, manually fine tune the auto-focus and take the picture without dialing dials and pushing lots of buttons. Not only is it amazingly simple to use, it is very quick.

So there must be a big difference between 18 MP with the Canon and the 24 MP from the Nikon? Not really, not from the side by side comparison. The superior metering system of the Nikon do not meter any better than the Canon. And the Canon with the ability to manipulate live through Live View was a major advance over the Nikon operating system. Furthermore, the STM IS lenses were quicker and quieter than my Nikon lenses - especially noticeable when shooting video.

So my Nikon and lenses found a great home in Africa - thankfully got 100% of my money back there, and I now am shooting with the T5i and pocketed a lot of bucks between the two cameras. I don't miss my big badass Nikon.

quote:

Originally posted by Opus1:
While you need a basic computer engineering degree to operate all the features, it, like most all Nikons, takes fantastic pictures.

A very perceptive comment. I actually have a basic computer engineering degree (Systems Analysis) and while I don't believe the camera rises to that level like with even moderately complex systems you may be required to read the manual at some point.

I would say is important to choose your first camera carefully. Once you have done that whether it be Canon or Nikon I would stay with that manufacturer as the philosophy of control design an operating system tends to stay the same.

As I mentioned before careful selections of lenses is half the battle. Again, I tend to purchase the very highest (most expensive) lenses offered by the manufacturer. Similarly, with filters. It doesn't make sense to have a $2000 lens and put a low-quality filter on it.

This thing is in my view that is most important is addressing the opportunity costs. There you are at some point in your travels about to take a picture, knowing that you will probably never return to that position or circumstance again. For example, that is part of the reason that people hire professionals to photograph weddings.

If I were dripping with gold I would probably buy a Leica rangefinder, and only that because Hasselblad doesn't build a 35mm with Zeiss lenses.

If you don't believe me take your Nikon to the Pro Shop and have them fit a F1.4 28 mm or 85 mm lens to it.



Picture taken with cheap point-and-shoot as D2 X was otherwise employed. :-)

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the Nikon. From all accounts, the D7100 is a very capable camera, but complicated.

Nikon cameras have three basic focusing modes. Maybe more, now, but the usual is AF S for Single or Still subjects; AF A, which lets the camera decide what is important, and AF C, Continuous, Which means the camera will follow the subject, as long as the shutter release is depressed half-way, focusing continually, until your lizard brain, and the voices in your head say NOWNOWNOW!!!

If your camera is set to AF A, a bird against the sky is no problem, but when other elements enter the viewfinder, particularly between you and the subject, the camera can have a nervous breakdown, deciding what it or you want to focus on. Guess who will win? The camera, or course.
Rule: NEVER let anything electronic know you are in a hurry!

At the race track, or for BIF mechanical (Aircraft) or feathered, I use AF C, Center focus point ~95%, and FEAR NOT!

REading the manual may be instructive. Me, I prefer the ______ fill in the blank, For Dummies, or another similar tome for clarification, because Nikon's manuals do not communicate well.

Just picked up the new Canon EF 100-400mm IS II and off to Namibia with it next week. Looking forward to stacking it up against the Nikon lenses.

After almost 1100 pictures in and around Etosha, the new EF 100-400 is a good improvement over the original EF lens. Amazingly sharp focus in all lighting conditions. A great addition to the Canon line.

Just got mine yesterday.

And will check out in the next few days.

Saeed, I will be interested to see how it stacks up against your other Canon lenses. My take away was I'm not missing my Nikon lenses at all - and honestly I thought I might when switching to Canon.

I would like to see it maybe an F stop and a half faster, but shooting wildlife in daylight it's not necessary at all. The lighter weight (when compared to Nikon) and the fantastic image stabilization makes it a bunch faster and really more versatile in the field than my big Nikon lenses.

Not trying to bash Nikon BTW...