This article features some monarchs in flight test images captured handheld with the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom. All of the photographs were captured in my backyard at distances that varied from 3.7 to 8.4 metres (~12.1 to 27.6 feet).
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
In an earlier article we tested the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom lens photographing small critters, mainly bees and wasps. The 150-600 zoom has a comparatively short minimum focusing distance on the short end of the zoom. So, this lens can be used for some reasonably close-up subjects.
The objective of this monarchs in flight test was to photograph more distant subjects to help assess the suitability of the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS with subject matter like monarch butterflies taking flight.
It can sometimes be difficult to photograph butterflies in the wild as they can be quite skittish, leaving their perches while we are still a number of metres away.
As you review the EXIF data you’ll find that I often shot at a subject distance of approximately 8 metres (~26.2 feet), with my 150-600 lens fully extended to 600 mm (efov 1200).
Eye/hand coordination was important in terms of quickly finding the butterfly in my viewfinder, acquiring focus, and spooling Pro Capture H images into temporary memory.
Depending on the individual butterfly, at times I had to almost immediately fully depress my shutter release to capture my burst of images. While other butterflies necessitated me holding my focus on them for longer periods of time waiting for them to take flight. This is when adjusting my long lens handholding technique becomes important in terms of helping to avoid arm fatigue.
In the image above you can see a standard elbow position, with both arms tucked in against my body. While this technique works very well for many longer telephoto lenses, it doesn’t provide sufficient support when shooting with a heavier zoom lens like the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS. Especially when a photographer has to hold focus on a stationary subject for several minutes.
As you can see in the image above, if we slide our left elbow towards the right and across our body, we can prop it up against our rib cage for additional support. This slight adjustment in technique can go a long way to reduce arm fatigue when shooting with heavier telephoto lenses. It can feel a bit awkward at first, but one can become accustomed to it fairly quickly.
During this monarchs in flight test I selected subject butterflies in a range of different positions on my butterfly bushes. Some, like the one in the photograph above, were buried inside the bushes. These types of shots can add some additional challenge in terms of shooting through/past branches and foliage… while still capturing images of the monarch taking flight.
As is my standard practice when using Pro Capture H to photograph birds or insects taking flight, I set my Pre-Shutter Frames and Frame Limiter both to 15, and shot at 60 frames per second with a single, small AF point.
Because of the angle of the sun in my backyard, I didn’t get many opportunities to get frontal views of monarchs in flight. Like any test session… I just took what Mother Nature provided.
I did get a few decent profile photographs of monarchs taking flight. This monarchs in flight test was beneficial to help reinforce my eye/hand coordination, as well as my shutter release timing.
It also confirmed that the additional reach of the M.Zuiko 150-600 mm f/5-6.3 IS zoom lens can effectively expand my photographic potential with this type of subject matter.
As photographers we can sometimes pigeon-hole our camera gear… like considering the 150-600 to be a ‘birding’ lens. This can lead to us falling into habitual equipment use… and missing other image opportunities with that same gear.
Technical Note
Photographs were captured handheld with the camera equipment noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from RAW files using my standard process in post. This is the 1,407 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
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I have the Nikon 1 V2 with the 10-100 lens and the 70-300 lens and love it small and lightweight and great in good light. Bought that system after reading your articles and seeing your great photographs with that system. You have always been a Champion of small sensor cameras, if Nikon had not discontinued the Nikon 1 Cameras and Lenses would you still be using them or using the larger sensor of the 4/3rds System ?
Hi David,
Playing “what if” and trying to go back in time over 5 years ago is difficult to do. One of the fundamental reasons for my switch to Olympus/OM M4/3 gear was due to client requests for 4K video for their projects. Even if Nikon would not have discontinued the Nikon 1 system, none of the cameras was capable of shooting video in 4K. So, I needed to make a change.
If my memory serves the J5 could only shoot 4K at 15 fps which was no where near adequate. I suppose if Nikon would have introduced an updated body that was capable of 4K at appropriate frame rates there would have been an opportunity for me to stay with the Nikon 1 system for a few more years. As you know it is a wonderfully small and very capable system.
The reality is that Nikon did discontinue the system and I moved over to Olympus/OM back in June 2019. Not only did I get the 4K video that I needed for client work, but also a tremendous array of computational photography technology like Pro Capture L and H, Handheld Hi Res, Live ND, In-Camera Focus Stacking, In-Camera HDR, and Subject Tracking AI. I’d estimate that over 85% of all of my photography now uses these capabilities.
In addition, my Olympus/OM gear provides industry leading weather sealing and incredible IBIS performance that has allowed me to to shoot handheld at shutter speeds up to 4 seconds. I have no regrets about making the change as my Olympus/OM gear has expanded my photographic potential significantly. The size of the sensor used in my Olympus/OM equipment was never a factor in my decision at all, but rather the photographic capabilities that the system offers.
At the end of the day the thing that is critically important is that each of us find camera gear that meets our unique needs. For some folks that’s full frame or larger sensor cameras. For other folks, smaller sensor cameras are a much better fit for the work they do.
Tom