brockgs
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- Apr 11, 2021
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- Name
- Brock Gunter-Smith
- Country
- Canada
- City/State
- Manitoba
Question: Has anyone else noticed the Bird’s Eye AF tracking box moving to the tips of feathers on some birds even when the eye is very visible and in the centre of the AF tracking box when engaging AF?
My friend sent me a great article relating somewhat to this that I just finished reading. It seems to indicate the FW update on my friend’s lens could improve this behaviour. But nothing regarding my lenses. Has anyone else experienced anything like this when shooting with an a1 (FW 2.0.2) + ƒ4/600 and ƒ2.8/400?
It could very well be just an odd situation with the lighting, the bright white feathers on the pelicans with some black tips showing at times, but I’ve also been having it happen when shooting in other similarly lighted conditions but with birds that are much darker or with wildly varying patterns. I’ll be honest it may just be a problem with how I’m shooting, but wanted to raise the question in case it was something others have observed.
I’ve attached a few photos that I haven’t obviously cleaned up or colour corrected to show a few of the scenes where the Bird’s eye AF was constantly trying to lock onto feathers on the body far away from the actual eye despite the eyes having great contrast against the body and me engaging AF with the the Pelicans’ eyes in the centre of the Large Tracked AF hit box. Go easy on me, I may be spoiled with equipment, but I’m not a professional in any way shape or form.
- I was shooting with a1 (FW 2.0.2) + ƒ4/600 and ƒ2.8/400 while my friend was shooting with his a1 (FW 2.0.2) + ƒ5.6-6.3/200-600.
- We were shooting Pelicans along a river preening on the rocks, flying in, and fishing in the turbulent waters near a spillway.
- Light was behind us in the early evening, and was still quite strong.
- Both of us kept having the Bird’s Eye AF jumping to the tips of feathers on the lower body and wings of the Pelicans instead of locking on immediately to the actual eye and staying there as has been the norm prior to the 2.0.1 and 2.0.2 FW updates (and maybe the initial 2.0.0 as well).
- My friend’s FW on his ƒ5.6-6.3/200-600 is a couple versions behind, so he’s updating that today and will test in the coming days.
- There are no FW updates available for my ƒ4/600 and ƒ2.8/400
My friend sent me a great article relating somewhat to this that I just finished reading. It seems to indicate the FW update on my friend’s lens could improve this behaviour. But nothing regarding my lenses. Has anyone else experienced anything like this when shooting with an a1 (FW 2.0.2) + ƒ4/600 and ƒ2.8/400?
It could very well be just an odd situation with the lighting, the bright white feathers on the pelicans with some black tips showing at times, but I’ve also been having it happen when shooting in other similarly lighted conditions but with birds that are much darker or with wildly varying patterns. I’ll be honest it may just be a problem with how I’m shooting, but wanted to raise the question in case it was something others have observed.
I’ve attached a few photos that I haven’t obviously cleaned up or colour corrected to show a few of the scenes where the Bird’s eye AF was constantly trying to lock onto feathers on the body far away from the actual eye despite the eyes having great contrast against the body and me engaging AF with the the Pelicans’ eyes in the centre of the Large Tracked AF hit box. Go easy on me, I may be spoiled with equipment, but I’m not a professional in any way shape or form.
- ILCE-1
- FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS
- 400.0 mm
- ƒ/6.3
- 1/1250 sec
- ISO 640
- ILCE-1
- FE 400mm F2.8 GM OSS
- 400.0 mm
- ƒ/6.3
- 1/3200 sec
- ISO 1600
- ILCE-1
- FE 600mm F4 GM OSS
- 600.0 mm
- ƒ/8
- 1/1250 sec
- ISO 640
