I have continued, during the seemingly endless COVID-19 pandemic, to photograph birds that frequent our bird feeders. I’m now shooting with a Sony Alpha 1 (a1) mirrorless digital camera. One of the compelling features of this camera is Eye AF which enables the camera to detect and focus on the subject’s eye(s). In addition, the subject of Eye AF can be selected between Human, Animal or Bird. Obviously for these photos, I’ve selected Bird. Once the bird lands on the perch or feeder, I can half-press the shutter release, enable AF, and then shoot frames at a fast frame rate with the bird’s eye perfectly in focus. It’s almost too easy.
Photos framed using the FrameShop script.
Equipment
Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera
Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens
Sirui L-10 Aluminium Tilt Monopod Head
AmazonBasics Carbon Fiber Monopod
General Brand 77mm Collapsible Rubber Lens Hood
Kirk LP-65 Replacement Lens Foot
SanDisk 128GB Extreme Pro SD Card
Setup
All photos were taken from indoors, shooting through a double-pane window, using a black cloth to conceal my location. The rubber lens hood allows the front of the lens to be close to the window and helps reduce/eliminate reflections.
Settings
P-S-A-M mode: Manual
Aperture: f/8-11
Shutter speed: Typically 1/250-1/500 sec.
ISO: Auto ISO (Maximum 6400)
White balance: Auto: White
Focus mode: AF-C
Focus area: Wide
Face/Eye Priority in AF: On
Face/Eye Subject: Bird
Shutter type: Electronic Shutter
Metering mode: Multi
Drive mode: Continuous: Mid (10 images/sec.)
SteadyShot: On
Processing
Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop
Topaz DeNoise AI
FrameShop script
