This article discusses how I adjusted my 1680 mm efov handheld technique when using the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom lens with the M.Zuiko MC-14 teleconverter. While I wouldn’t normally use this set-up for birds in free flight, there are times when it comes in handy when photographing birds or insects taking flight from a distant perched position.

This posting shares a good selection of handheld images of perched birds taking flight captured with this set-up. All are displayed as 100% captures without any cropping, as I thought this would be more illustrative for readers.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge. To view this article in a range of other languages click on the Canadian flag in the upper right corner.

As noted in my hands-on review of the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom, this lens has outstanding reach… so I seldom have the need to use any teleconverters with it.

A few days ago I was preparing to go out to do some bird photography at Biggar Lagoon Wetlands. My ‘little voice’ told me to pack my MC-14… which I did. 🙂

The birds were not quite as plentiful at Biggar as I was expecting. So,  I focused my initial efforts on common targets like swallows and purple martins. As I was meandering around Biggar I noticed a few Eastern Kingbirds (my best guess) flying in a small area near one of the ponds.

There were two or three birds constantly flitting from one dried stem to another. They were roughly 25 metres (~82 feet) or so from a good, elevated shooting position adjacent to the pond. I smiled and thought, “Ah… so that’s why I have my MC-14 with me.”

After mounting my MC-14 with the M.Zuiko 150-600, I set my camera to custom mode C3 which is my Pro Capture H setting. This is my ‘go to’ setting for perched birds taking flight.

Eastern Kingbirds are approximately the same size as an American Robin. The Kingbirds were pretty skittish, and would only stay perched for a number of seconds before they’d move on to a different perch, as they appeared to be in fly-catching mode.

Adding to the challenge was the constantly changing light from a sun/cloud mix, and quite a stiff breeze of varying intensity. All of these factors (small birds at a distance, a long potential efov of 1680 mm, varying light, and a stiff breeze) combined to create great conditions for a test session.

I decided that I would only capture these Eastern Kingbird test images using my lens/teleconverter combination when fully extended to 840 mm (efov 1680 mm). Initially I allowed myself to retract my zoom lens to help locate the birds in my viewfinder, before zooming in to attempt my image run.

Even when using the smooth push/pull zoom motion on my M.Zuiko 150-600, I found that I my eye/hand coordination just wasn’t good enough to keep pace with the flitting movements of these birds. I missed most of my initial attempts.  I was unable to locate the birds fast enough… then zoom in… and capture an image run. Most of the time the Kingbird had flitted off before I could extend my lens fully.

Rather than become frustrated by my ongoing lack of success… I realized that my failed attempts were a sign that my basic approach was flawed. I needed to be able to find birds in my viewfinder much faster. Plus, I needed to be able to do that with my lens/teleconverter fully extended so I could eliminate the time spent adjusting the focal length of my zoom lens. Given the efov of 1680 mm, and the smaller size of the subject birds, this seemed like a tall order.

After some contemplation I made two, very simple changes to my 1680 efov handheld technique. The first was rotating the screw-down tightener on my lens hood so it was positioned straight up at 12 o’clock. This created a reference point that I could use as a targeting device. I feel pretty dumb not doing this a long time ago!

By looking down the barrel of my lens I could place the head of the tightening screw on a subject bird. Even when shooting with an efov of 1680 mm, this was reasonably quick and fairly easy to do. I had seen a couple of other photographers with their lens hood tightening screw in this position but never gave it much thought before.

I would then half-depress my shutter release to acquire approximate focus. Obviously my lens was actually focused somewhat below the target Kingbird. All I had to do was move my lens slightly upwards until the bird was in my viewfinder. I then re-acquired focus on the subject bird, and half-depressed my shutter release to start spooling photographs into temporary memory using Pro Capture H.

After the bird launched into flight I’d fully depress my shutter release to write the images that were spooling in temporary memory to my card.

These minor changes with my 1680 mm handheld technique had a significant impact on my ability to capture images of these Eastern Kingbirds taking flight. I went from missing almost all of my attempts, to being successful with the vast majority of my subsequent ones.

In about an hour I was able to capture over a thousand images that were potentially useable.  Many of these skittish birds were over 25 metres (~82 feet) away. This was a very instructive test session for me.

Looking at the size of the subject birds in some of these 100% captures confirms the incredible reach of the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS and M.Zuiko MC-20 teleconverter pairing. It allowed me to capture photographs that I wouldn’t have even attempted in the past.

To me, the fundamental reason to invest in a new lens is to expand my photographic potential. The M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS does this in spades.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera equipment  noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from RAW files using my standard process in post. All photographs were captured using Pro Capture H with my standard settings: Pre-shutter Frames and Frame Limiter were both set to 15. I shot at 60 frames-per-second using a single auto focus point. This is the 1,463 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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