Thank you for your excellent video , Just to let you know you how inspiring it is watching your channel . Putting the exif information on your pictures is so helpful to an amateur who wants to improve, it makes me want to get out there and take some more pictures . Here in the UK the Winter Weather is holding me back a bit but i here you have Snow in Florida for the first time in 30 years . Good luck with your Photography
You are very welcome. Glad to be making videos that help inspire others. I haven't seen the snow but I heard about it. When it does snow here, it never sticks!
Thanks! Auto-iso works well for me. I have learned to actually change the ISO when auto-iso is on by adjusting the aperture or shutter speed. Of course there is a trade off but it has helped me keep the iso really low in several situations.
I have a D500 and am thinking about getting a 200-500 lens, but just wondering if you are getting most of your still shots by hand holding the "boat anchor" for any length of time? Really appreciate your videos... Thanks!!
All shots are handheld unless I say otherwise. The 200-500 is a little heavy. I recently got a heavy duty strap for it that works quite well. Plus, it gives you a nice upper body workout.
Hey Mark, have seen or used the Olympus EE-1 Dot Sight? I purchased one a year or so ago with my EM5 MKii and Panasonic 100-400mm, and now use it on my D500 with the Sigma 150-600mm S lens. Its pretty cool, allows you to follow birds in flight accurately with both eyes open and camera away from your face. Cheers Rick
We used to live a few miles from Myakka State Park, moved a few years before the digital age, unfortunately, but I have your great videos to watch! Nice photos!
Thank you. I have been experimenting with the 200-500 and it is doing well for macro. Not quite as good as dedicated macro lens, but the results are looking impressive. I'm going to eventually make a video suggesting others give it try.
Most people are happy to get one or two good and maybe one great shot one an outing. You get so many fantastic shots it's amazing. You've got a great eye for composition and a fast trigger finger. Amazing! I've got the 200-500 coming Friday. I have the D810 to test it with this week. I'm leasing the D500 for my Alaska trip that I leave for next Friday August 12th. I pick it up next Thursday, which isn't much time with it. I'm hoping it is as easy as put the 200-500 on there and shoot as it was for you. Are the controls fairly similar to the D810?
Thanks for all the great compliments. I really appreciate it. The controls are very similar with just a few slight differences. I prefer the control layout on the D500 over the D810. The 200-500 works great on the D810 but as you know the D810 is slower. The D810 also produces much cleaner images than the D500. If you do any amount of post processing, the work flow for D500 images is different than the D810.
Sorry, I misunderstood you. That is exactly what I meant. My D500 files require a completely different workflow in Lightroom and I think it is just the sensor again.
Nice job on the focus pull with the two Ospreys, that isn't easy. The density of seabirds in Florida is amazing compared to California. I'm loving my Nikon 200 to 500 mm, like you.
That shot of the Tri-Colored Egret holding it's wings above it's head. I've read they do this to reduce light reflection on the water surface as to see their pray better ... Bird polarizing!
Hi Mark, being a birding lover I really love to watch your videos. I have two questions to you 1) for birding is d500 with 200-500mm is good choice? And 2) whatever birds pictures you showed, is all post edited?
Thanks and no. My D500 and the 200-500 were perfectly together right out of the box. That was one of the key selling points for me with the 200-500. I didn't need to so anything other than put it on my D500 to get excellent results.
Just wondering. I've played around with the AF Fine Tune program on my D500/200-500 combo and got wildly erratic results from +5 to +18 corrections for front focus. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I've come to the conclusion that I really don't need to mess with the AF Fine tune, as I'm getting fantastic results without it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
Great video and beautiful images as always Mark. But the real bonus was the info regarding your hair! You just wouldn't believe how many sleepless nights I've had trying to figure out how you get it so perfect. Well now I know. Wont help me though, most of mine went South years ago. Best wishes from the U.K.
Great video, Mark. I have a question.. I do have your 200-300 lens, but when I'm home and shooting butterflies and hummingbirds, etc. I usually use my 70-300mm. The settings on my D500 are set up like yours (from your video) and I was getting great shots at first. Over the last couple of days most have been blurry, AF has trouble finding the subject (meaning missed shots). My lens looks good and we had a comfortable dew point here of about 62-66. I'm in AL so it's usually ridiculously humid here. When I take my images into Lr and look at the info on the shot itself I'm seeing ISO from around 250-1000 (set to auto ISO) with 1/500 on average. I'm not sure what changed, but my husband was looking at my camera one day (it was off) and said "Hey, what's this ring thing for?" and turned it. lol I've NO idea if that means anything at all or if that affects anything when using AF. This is a relatively new lens for me (as is the 200-500) so I'm still learning about it, and I'm a noob when it comes to a better camera and lens setup. Any thoughts? It's SO FRUSTRATING at the moment. ALSO.... in your video you're talking about settings... and like I mentioned I set things up the way you suggested in the video you made for shooting birds in flight. The numbers I'm seeing seem 'off' to me. Sorry for the long comment, but I'm really wanting to nail this. Thanks for all you do.
It might be easier to try and troubleshoot your problem if you email some sample images. My email is marksmithphotos@gmail.com If you have a raw file, it would be better.
Hi there Mark. Your videos are addictive hence decided to check the old one like the above. By the way thanks for your reply this morning. I wanted to seek a technical clarification from you. Nowadays you use the D850 and earlier you used D500. I see most of your pictures are - 0.3 exposure compensation. You also explained the reason for this which I understand. Is it a camera feature to blow out the highlights and do you also face the same difficulty in your D850 or is it your technique to dial down the compensation. Cant you do the same in your post production while keeping neutral exp comp. Thanks once again for your lovely video and narration.
I prefer to have the birds look the best in camera so I still dial in some compensation. In some instances the camera will really over expose the birds mostly due to darker backgrounds. In these situations it isn't unusual to dial in 2 stops negative.
I recently bought the D500 and I am now shopping for a super telephoto zoom. I know you shoot the Nikkor 200-500 but do you know how the Tamron 150-600 G2 stacks up against it? Any regrets with the lens you chose? Really enjoying your videos.
To make it short and simple, it doesn't. I tested both lenses and the Nikkor was better in every way imaginable. I do not regret my choice in the slightest.
No clearly I may be older because this guy goes nowhere without a hot shower and it is not about the hair it is about the joints, muscles and bones.....
Hey Mark, D500 has been ordered! Just waiting for delivery now. In this video where you showed video of the two Osprey eating fish, did you pull focus between them using Live View and touching screen for focus? Your hair looks fine BTW...
Awesome. The D500 is a great camera. You have a good eye. I did do a pull focus but unmarked. I was winging it (pun intended) I didn't think the final position was sharp enough and it wasn't so I then tapped the screen. You can see the focus shift and sputter for a second. I believe that is the common complaint with the Nikon focus system. Had I marked the two positions for the pull focus, I would have had better results. I was too eager to get the shot though and didn't want to miss it.
Cheers Mark, can't wait for the D500 to arrive. So many features, and due to some excellent rebates and Nikon 100th anniversary deals it was cheaper than when I bought a D300S back in 2009 - too good to pass up! I have been watching some UA-cam vids where people say the video AF on the D500 isn't great and hunts a lot, but in LV I believe they were saying click to focus works pretty well. I do want to get into some video shooting for birds in future, need to learn how to do this properly on the D500 as I haven't really tried video on any of my current DSLR of mirrorless bodies.
I'm sure you will enjoy it. Video can be tricky on any DSLR. If you spend enough time with them though it isn't all that tough. The real problem is finding birds that don't mind sitting still while you try to get your video just right! I have a video on how I setup and use the D500 for video. If you haven't seen it, here is a link: ua-cam.com/video/JbM6rNEXWOQ/v-deo.html
When I first bought my D500, I asked around and said that I was really excited to use it for 4K video. Everyone told me no way. Don't bother. I took that as a challenge and made The Sandhill Crane Story entirely on the D500. Took me over 3 months but was well worth it. If you haven't seen it and you have 30 minutes to spare, give it a look: ua-cam.com/video/Obc2-SmlZV8/v-deo.html
Mark bear in mind when the camera says you've lost highlights it is judging the image on it's in built jpeg preview. in reality I'm guessing you are using NEF raw files which have much greater exposure lattitude and the image may very likely not have any lost image data. cheers tony
Man I'm so jealous that you can get so close to herons and egrets there. I go to a wildlife/wetland reservation and if a heron or egret catches sight of you within a city block they're GONE. From my experience I thought they had to be the most wary bird/animal in existance!
Not here. You can actually get so close that you can be under the minimum focal distance! There are so many of them here, that they just don't seem to care too much.
The Viera Wetlands is one of my favorite areas to shoot. Normally I am there Sunday mornings. Another good area to go to is the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Feel free to check me out on Instagram: instagram.com/for_the_love_of_stitch or Facebook: facebook.com/sheinlyphoto.
Viera wetlands is one of my favorite places too! On my way there right now! I also love Merrit Island. Thanks for sharing the links. I followed you on Instagram.
Just got the lens this Monday. Here is a D7200 500mm shot at F8 1/1000 sec. I'm very happy so far. plus.google.com/u/0/photos/photo/104132660240917758724/6450082704221543794?icm=false&sqid=115143291170631980091&ssid=697f0127-2176-47d0-b94c-9a26f8f8b4d5
Thank you for your excellent video , Just to let you know you how inspiring it is watching your channel . Putting the exif information on your pictures is so helpful to an amateur who wants to improve, it makes me want to get out there and take some more pictures . Here in the UK the Winter Weather is holding me back a bit but i here you have Snow in Florida for the first time in 30 years . Good luck with your Photography
You are very welcome. Glad to be making videos that help inspire others. I haven't seen the snow but I heard about it. When it does snow here, it never sticks!
Fabulous! I always look forward to your videos with candid commentary and pictures! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
I just ordered your book from Amazon and we are looking forward to taking road trips to new places. Thanks!
Thank you very much!
Love your wildlife videos and the way you comment it !
Thanks!
Love your videos! Such a variety of wildlife
Another great video Mark, thanks and I am looking forward to the next one.
Thank you!
Amazing video mark!! Clearly becoming one of my favorite UA-cam channels
Thank you!
A really excellent video, enjoyed it very much. Many Thanks
Fantastic work as always. Thanks for sharing this experience.👏👏
Thanks for the compliments and thanks for watching.
Awesome Mark, I always enjoy watching your videos, keep it up please
Thanks!
Always impressed by your photos, great video thanks!
Thanks so much!
Great work as always.I love that you show camera settings. And that you use auto-iso, interesting, thanks.
Thanks! Auto-iso works well for me. I have learned to actually change the ISO when auto-iso is on by adjusting the aperture or shutter speed. Of course there is a trade off but it has helped me keep the iso really low in several situations.
Great video! I was on UA-cam searching for "birding in Florida" and came across this video. Awesome content! 👍🏽👍🏽
Thanks!
Thanks Mark.Another enjoyable video, your enthusiasm really comes through :)
Thanks for watching and I'm glad you are enjoying my enthusiasm!
Another fantastic outing! Good job!
Yes it was and thanks!
You always get great shots
Thank you!
Superb image captures towards the end of the video, epic work Mark.
Thank you!
Your shots are amazing Mark.
Thanks!
Really enjoyed this Mark. Your series of images of the herons are fantastic. Subscribed and are looking forward to more great vids. Cheers!
Awesome. Thanks for subscribing and for the great compliments. The herons were really performing for me that morning!
your hair is absolutely dazzling HAHA! awesome vid as always, very interesting watching the daily life of those Herons.
Lol. Thanks for the compliments on my hair. I try my best. The herons are very interesting to watch. I think they will eat anything that moves.
I love your approach. Keep up the good work. All the best - Fred from Scotland!
Thanks for watching. Glad you are enjoying the videos.
Hi Mark, hair does looks great, good wildlife video too.
Rick from downunder
Thank and thanks again!
Awesome pictures Mark, you have that lens dialled in to perfection. Only recently got the same setup myself.
Thanks. The 200-500 was perfect right out of the box! That is one of the reasons I like it so much!
I have a D500 and am thinking about getting a 200-500 lens, but just wondering if you are getting most of your still shots by hand holding the "boat anchor" for any length of time? Really appreciate your videos... Thanks!!
All shots are handheld unless I say otherwise. The 200-500 is a little heavy. I recently got a heavy duty strap for it that works quite well. Plus, it gives you a nice upper body workout.
Hey Mark, have seen or used the Olympus EE-1 Dot Sight? I purchased one a year or so ago with my EM5 MKii and Panasonic 100-400mm, and now use it on my D500 with the Sigma 150-600mm S lens. Its pretty cool, allows you to follow birds in flight accurately with both eyes open and camera away from your face.
Cheers Rick
No I have not. Is it similar to a red dot sight on a firearm? I'll have to look into it.
Awesome video Mark learning a lot here, thanks for all the info.
You are very welcome.
We used to live a few miles from Myakka State Park, moved a few years before the digital age, unfortunately, but I have your great videos to watch! Nice photos!
Thanks!
Walk that close on any of our reserves or in the wild in the UK and mostly they are off! Great tips about the manual with Auto ISO. Thanks.
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video.
Just got my Nikon 200-500 today stimulated to do so by seeing your results .
Go have fun with it. It is a great lens.
Great as always, have not tried my 200-500 for macro type photos
Thank you. I have been experimenting with the 200-500 and it is doing well for macro. Not quite as good as dedicated macro lens, but the results are looking impressive. I'm going to eventually make a video suggesting others give it try.
Wow awesome photography 👍keep it up
Thanks!
Most people are happy to get one or two good and maybe one great shot one an outing. You get so many fantastic shots it's amazing. You've got a great eye for composition and a fast trigger finger. Amazing!
I've got the 200-500 coming Friday. I have the D810 to test it with this week. I'm leasing the D500 for my Alaska trip that I leave for next Friday August 12th. I pick it up next Thursday, which isn't much time with it. I'm hoping it is as easy as put the 200-500 on there and shoot as it was for you. Are the controls fairly similar to the D810?
Thanks for all the great compliments. I really appreciate it. The controls are very similar with just a few slight differences. I prefer the control layout on the D500 over the D810. The 200-500 works great on the D810 but as you know the D810 is slower. The D810 also produces much cleaner images than the D500. If you do any amount of post processing, the work flow for D500 images is different than the D810.
Because of the smaller file size?
I think the sensor in the D810 is just superior. It is well known for creating great images. Don't get me wrong, the D500 is impressive too!
Mark Smith You did workflow so I thought you meant working in Lightroom was different. Thanks
Sorry, I misunderstood you. That is exactly what I meant. My D500 files require a completely different workflow in Lightroom and I think it is just the sensor again.
Nice job on the focus pull with the two Ospreys, that isn't easy. The density of seabirds in Florida is amazing compared to California. I'm loving my Nikon 200 to 500 mm, like you.
Thanks Mark for the reply...hope to see how that strap helps in your next action video if you are able? :)
So far, so good!
Great video Mark, what’s best time of year for bird photography in Florida?
That shot of the Tri-Colored Egret holding it's wings above it's head. I've read they do this to reduce light reflection on the water surface as to see their pray better ... Bird polarizing!
Smart birds!
Hi Mark, being a birding lover I really love to watch your videos. I have two questions to you 1) for birding is d500 with 200-500mm is good choice? And 2) whatever birds pictures you showed, is all post edited?
The d500 and the 200 500 is a great combo. All images from raw files have some post processing. It is part of the process.
Thanks for your suggestion
Love your hair...LOLOLOLOLOL....seriously, I enjoy your videos
What can I say, I have great hair, lol. Thanks
Another awesome video Mark. Quick question; Do you use the AF Fine Tune function with your D500 & 200-500 combo?
Thanks.
Thanks and no. My D500 and the 200-500 were perfectly together right out of the box. That was one of the key selling points for me with the 200-500. I didn't need to so anything other than put it on my D500 to get excellent results.
Just wondering. I've played around with the AF Fine Tune program on my D500/200-500 combo and got wildly erratic results from +5 to +18 corrections for front focus. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I've come to the conclusion that I really don't need to mess with the AF Fine tune, as I'm getting fantastic results without it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...
That sounds good to me. I think I may have seen your post on that on dpreview. It sounds familiar.
Great video and beautiful images as always Mark. But the real bonus was the info regarding your hair! You just wouldn't believe how many sleepless nights I've had trying to figure out how you get it so
perfect. Well now I know. Wont help me though, most of mine went South years ago. Best wishes from the U.K.
Thanks and I am so glad to share my hair secrets with the world. Now others can have hair that looks like a bird's nest. Cheers!
Great video, Mark. I have a question.. I do have your 200-300 lens, but when I'm home and shooting butterflies and hummingbirds, etc. I usually use my 70-300mm. The settings on my D500 are set up like yours (from your video) and I was getting great shots at first. Over the last couple of days most have been blurry, AF has trouble finding the subject (meaning missed shots). My lens looks good and we had a comfortable dew point here of about 62-66. I'm in AL so it's usually ridiculously humid here. When I take my images into Lr and look at the info on the shot itself I'm seeing ISO from around 250-1000 (set to auto ISO) with 1/500 on average. I'm not sure what changed, but my husband was looking at my camera one day (it was off) and said "Hey, what's this ring thing for?" and turned it. lol I've NO idea if that means anything at all or if that affects anything when using AF. This is a relatively new lens for me (as is the 200-500) so I'm still learning about it, and I'm a noob when it comes to a better camera and lens setup. Any thoughts? It's SO FRUSTRATING at the moment. ALSO.... in your video you're talking about settings... and like I mentioned I set things up the way you suggested in the video you made for shooting birds in flight. The numbers I'm seeing seem 'off' to me. Sorry for the long comment, but I'm really wanting to nail this. Thanks for all you do.
It might be easier to try and troubleshoot your problem if you email some sample images. My email is marksmithphotos@gmail.com
If you have a raw file, it would be better.
Hi there Mark. Your videos are addictive hence decided to check the old one like the above. By the way thanks for your reply this morning. I wanted to seek a technical clarification from you. Nowadays you use the D850 and earlier you used D500. I see most of your pictures are - 0.3 exposure compensation. You also explained the reason for this which I understand. Is it a camera feature to blow out the highlights and do you also face the same difficulty in your D850 or is it your technique to dial down the compensation. Cant you do the same in your post production while keeping neutral exp comp. Thanks once again for your lovely video and narration.
I prefer to have the birds look the best in camera so I still dial in some compensation. In some instances the camera will really over expose the birds mostly due to darker backgrounds. In these situations it isn't unusual to dial in 2 stops negative.
Thanks for the reply.
Another great video Mark.
+Alan Vincent Thanks!
Mark have tried using highlight weighted metering instead of exposure compensation to avoid blown out areas?
I have. I get consistent results with exposure compensation. I wish I could say the same with the different metering modes.
I recently bought the D500 and I am now shopping for a super telephoto zoom. I know you shoot the Nikkor 200-500 but do you know how the Tamron 150-600 G2 stacks up against it?
Any regrets with the lens you chose? Really enjoying your videos.
To make it short and simple, it doesn't. I tested both lenses and the Nikkor was better in every way imaginable. I do not regret my choice in the slightest.
Great vid ! I'll check some a few more when I have the time.
Thanks!
Cool video nice
Thanks!
What mode you usually shoot for bird photography? Aperture/shutter mode or manual?
Manual with auto iso
These all birds are also found in India. And bdw Nice video man. I like your videos, hope to see more. keep making.
I hear India is a great location for birds. Glad you like the videos. Thanks for the compliments.
Mark Smith Wellcome. yes it's a great location for migratory and residential birds and for mammals too.
Are there Bee eaters there? I will have to visit someday!
Mark Smith Yes, many species of bee Eater's found. And some critically endangered birds like Bengal folican, Great Indian bustard etc also.
Awesome. I need to visit for sure. Bee Eater's are fascinating and I'm sure all the others are as well.
A+ Video, Mark. Thank you :-)
+Donald. Kelley Thanks for watching.
Great video as always! :-)
Thanks!
PS... wish you'd gotten footage of the eagle... my favorite bird. :) Love the Osprey shots, though... they're gorgeous birds too.
Thank you! I do have a video coming up where I found some eagles!
Another great video. Viera is an awesome place with so many photo ops. Just curious what Video editing software do you use?
Thanks. I'm currently using Adobe Premiere.
Great stuff. Awesome hairdo:-0)
Thanks. I work really hard on my hair!
No clearly I may be older because this guy goes nowhere without a hot shower and it is not about the hair it is about the joints, muscles and bones.....
I fully understand. I have some old injuries that are starting to slowly make random appearances now.
Bird holding its feathers up is to block the reflection and be able to see clearer under water!! Great shots bro kudos.
Thanks for the compliments and the info on holding the wings up.
Hey Mark, D500 has been ordered! Just waiting for delivery now. In this video where you showed video of the two Osprey eating fish, did you pull focus between them using Live View and touching screen for focus?
Your hair looks fine BTW...
Awesome. The D500 is a great camera. You have a good eye. I did do a pull focus but unmarked. I was winging it (pun intended) I didn't think the final position was sharp enough and it wasn't so I then tapped the screen. You can see the focus shift and sputter for a second. I believe that is the common complaint with the Nikon focus system. Had I marked the two positions for the pull focus, I would have had better results. I was too eager to get the shot though and didn't want to miss it.
Cheers Mark, can't wait for the D500 to arrive. So many features, and due to some excellent rebates and Nikon 100th anniversary deals it was cheaper than when I bought a D300S back in 2009 - too good to pass up!
I have been watching some UA-cam vids where people say the video AF on the D500 isn't great and hunts a lot, but in LV I believe they were saying click to focus works pretty well. I do want to get into some video shooting for birds in future, need to learn how to do this properly on the D500 as I haven't really tried video on any of my current DSLR of mirrorless bodies.
I'm sure you will enjoy it. Video can be tricky on any DSLR. If you spend enough time with them though it isn't all that tough. The real problem is finding birds that don't mind sitting still while you try to get your video just right! I have a video on how I setup and use the D500 for video. If you haven't seen it, here is a link: ua-cam.com/video/JbM6rNEXWOQ/v-deo.html
Thanks Mark, not sure I've watched that one so will check it out now.
When I first bought my D500, I asked around and said that I was really excited to use it for 4K video. Everyone told me no way. Don't bother. I took that as a challenge and made The Sandhill Crane Story entirely on the D500. Took me over 3 months but was well worth it. If you haven't seen it and you have 30 minutes to spare, give it a look: ua-cam.com/video/Obc2-SmlZV8/v-deo.html
Love your video
Thanks!
Good !
Mark bear in mind when the camera says you've lost highlights it is judging the image on it's in built jpeg preview. in reality I'm guessing you are using NEF raw files which have much greater exposure lattitude and the image may very likely not have any lost image data. cheers
tony
Yes, NEF raw files for sure. They have more room!
Man I'm so jealous that you can get so close to herons and egrets there. I go to a wildlife/wetland reservation and if a heron or egret catches sight of you within a city block they're GONE. From my experience I thought they had to be the most wary bird/animal in existance!
Not here. You can actually get so close that you can be under the minimum focal distance! There are so many of them here, that they just don't seem to care too much.
Wow, that's awesome. I have relatives in Daytona...might be time for a visit!
Good vid!
Thanks!
Is the Viera wetlands open 24/7?
No. It is gated. Although I've never tried going at night.
;0) LOVE YOUR VIDEOS YOU ARE SO FUNI AND TALENTED
Thanks!
Similar, red crosshairs, theres a video review by "mirrorlessons" on youtube.
Cheers
That's interesting. Thanks for the info. I'll have to check it out.
cool
i use the same hair technicks, works great for me to !" :D
Great minds think alike.
The Viera Wetlands is one of my favorite areas to shoot. Normally I am there Sunday mornings. Another good area to go to is the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. Feel free to check me out on Instagram: instagram.com/for_the_love_of_stitch or Facebook: facebook.com/sheinlyphoto.
Viera wetlands is one of my favorite places too! On my way there right now! I also love Merrit Island. Thanks for sharing the links. I followed you on Instagram.
Mark Smith awesome! Thank you!
;) he uses the same hair strategy.
The hair strategy of real men!
Just got the lens this Monday. Here is a D7200 500mm shot at F8 1/1000 sec. I'm very happy so far. plus.google.com/u/0/photos/photo/104132660240917758724/6450082704221543794?icm=false&sqid=115143291170631980091&ssid=697f0127-2176-47d0-b94c-9a26f8f8b4d5
Cool shot. Animal Kingdom?
Hahaha very stilish..
Right, I should be on a magazine cover with that awesome hair.