The number of Pro Capture choices that can be created with almost every attempted image run is both incredible and addicting. After using Pro Capture H and L for a number of years now, I cannot imagine owning a camera that did not have this technology.
This article shares 15 consecutive handheld photographs of two dragonflies briefly meeting. These 15 frames were captured in a total of 1/4 of a second.
In an earlier article the general approach and technique used to capture these dragonfly images was discussed. This posting goes into some detail about the selection process that is applied when I have Pro Capture choices to make in terms of post processing and file retention.
As we go through the 15 consecutive photographs in this image run I’ll make some brief comments, then give the frame a smiling face 😊 if it is a likely keeper, or a sad face 😒 if it will likely be discarded.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.
As I was waiting for the perched dragonfly to take flight, a second one briefly entered my composition, then flitted away. When this type of unexpected action happens I instinctively fully depress my shutter to capture what just happened.
The dragonfly in flight in this first photograph has decent body and wing positions with minimal rolling shutter effects visible 😊
I really like the wing positions of the dragonfly as well as the amount of detail captured in the second photograph 😊😊. Since all the wings are in good focus I do not find the fact that the dragonfly’s tail is obscured to be an issue.
The third photograph in the image run rates 😒 as the wing positions of the dragonfly in flight are confusing and there is too much motion blur.
The fourth photograph in the run rates 😊😊. I like the positions of the wings, the amount of detail, and the angle of flight being slightly more level.
Our Pro Capture choices continue with frame number 5. This one rates 😒😒 as there is too much motion blur and visible rolling shutter effect. If it wasn’t for this article I wouldn’t have bothered to process this one in post.
Frame 6 would not make the keeper cut and rates 😒 as I find the wing positions lacking in drama.
Another image in the run that would not make the cut with a 😒 rating. One of the dragonfly’s wings is obscuring its tail which confuses the photograph. The out-of-focus wing is not visually appealing.
Our Pro Capture choice in frame 8 may make the cut with a 😊 rating. This is an ‘OK’ capture. It would depend on the total number of images that I ended up keeping from this run whether I’d keep this one. If I had a good number of better images from this run I would likely delete this one to save hard drive space.
I like the wing positions, detail and overall feeling in this photograph, giving it a 😊😊 rating.
Our 10th Pro Capture choice would not make the cut 😒😒. I don’t like the confusing wing positions or the lack of wing detail.
Our 11th Pro Capture choice is 😊 rated as a potential keeper. It is an ‘OK’ capture with nice separation of the wings on the dragonfly’s left hand side.
The proximity of the in-flight dragonfly to its perched counterpart is interesting. Unfortunately its wing positions are unappealing giving this photo a 😒😒 rating.
Another decent capture with some promise with a 😊 rating. Not one of my favourite images from the run, but a possible keeper.
Other than illustrating rolling shutter effect quite a poor image with a 😒😒 rating.
To my eye what makes this photo is the proximity of the two dragonflies. The wing positions of the dragonfly in flight are acceptable, although there is a bit of confusion with the right hand wings. A 😊 rating on this one.
Assessing photographs is a subjective exercise to some extent. When I use Pro Capture H I never expect that I will get 15 keepers out of a run. If I end up with one or two 😊😊 images I’m a happy camper.
One of the challenges when using Pro Capture H is the potential to create a large number of photographs to review. Over the years I’ve found its important to make judgements on images very quickly and to trust my initial impressions.
Technical Note
Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. I used my standard Pro Capture H settings with both Pre-Shutter Frames and Frame Limiter set to 15. I shot at 60 frames per second with the first frame locking focus and exposure. I used a single, small AF point. Images were produced from RAW files using my standard process. This is the 1,300 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
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Hi Thomas,
Firstly, what an amazing website – stunning images and a wealth of information. Your butterflies inspired me to try Pro Capture.
I have been using the OM1 with Pro Capture in an attempt to capture butterflies in flight. I have mainly used the Olympus 40-150 2..8 Pro lens. The camera is set to SH2. My success rate is not great. I have set the shutter speed for about 2000/2500 which seems to work with large butterflies but very unsuccessful for smaller butterflies e.g. small tortoiseshell. I have lots lots of blurred images. I have been using bird detect to see if this would work with variable success. I am wondering whether to use a small focus point and SH1 to try and improve my success rate. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Colin
Hi Colin,
Welcome to the website and our community of readers! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the content here.
I’ve never used the OM-1 so I can’t really comment on how the Pro Capture settings and auto-focusing performs with that particular camera. So, all I can do is tell you what I would do with an OM-1 if I happened to own one in terms of photographing butterflies in flight.
1. Study the flight behaviours of butterflies that are frequenting a specific group of flowers or bush… then position myself to try and have the flight path at 90-degrees to my sensor’s focal plane.
2. Use Pro Capture without continuous auto-focus… and where the first frame locks focus and exposure for the rest of the run.
3. Use the fastest frame rate available, i.e. 120 fps
4. Use a single AF point or a very small cluster (I understand the OM-1 has a completely different AF system so I’m unsure how it works in terms of focusing on a very small spot on a subject butterfly. I would not use Bird AI to photograph butterflies.
5. Depending on the lens used, stop it down to f/8 or so to get good depth-of-field.
6. Use a shutter speed of 1/2500.
7. Determine your response time and set your Pre-Shutter and Frame Limiter accordingly. With my E-M1X I shoot at 60 fps with my Pre-Shutter Frames and Frame Limiter both set to 15. This means that when I fully depress the shutter I will only get the latest 15 images that have been spooling in temporary memory. This gives me a response time window of 1/4 second to time my shutter release with a butterfly launching into flight. If I owned an OM-1 I would shoot at 120 fps and have my Pre-Shutter and Frame Limiter both set to 30. This would give me a response time window of 1/4 second. If you need more time than increase your Pre-Shutter Frames or reduce your frame rate to 60 fps
8. Wait for a butterfly to land, then quickly acquire focus on its head or body. Half depress your shutter to start recording images into temporary memory. After the butterfly launches into flight… but before it totally leaves your composition… fully depress your shutter release.
This shooting approach may, or may not, work for you. Whenever I am photographing a butterfly, bird or another subject taking flight I always use Pro Capture H at 60 fps, Pre-Shutter Frames and Frame Limiter both set to 15, a single, small AF point.
Hope this has helped…
Tom
Thanks for posting detailed commentaries and metadata with your pictures. I am very impressed to see what the relatively affordable non-PRO 100-400mm is capable of, especially as I am considering a switch from Canon DSLRs to Olympus. I have to disagree about motion blur in the wings though. The insects are beating their wings at a gazillion beats per minute. Sub-optimal wing positions notwithstanding, if a picture shows everything frozen, how is that different from a wax model suspended on a fine fishing line? I personally find a combination of sharp eyeballs and furiously flapping wingtips much more dramatic. Keep up the good work. I am very close to pressing the shutter on the big switch! 🙂
Hi Au,
I’m glad that you are finding the content on the website useful. As noted in the article, what constitutes a ‘keeper’ image will vary from photographer to photographer and a degree of subjectivity does enter into the equation. The amount of wing blur that a photographer finds acceptable one of those subjective factors.
It is probable that I’ve become more critical of my own work over time with far fewer images are making the cut in post. I suppose there is also a practical consideration in terms of hard drive space. My office system has over 50 TB of storage and even at that level I don’t have that much open space.
When making a significant decision in terms of switching systems/formats it is always good to take one’s time and assess a wide range of factors.
Tom
Stunning images Thomas – still not ventured into Procapture H territory, as editing is so time-consuming. My one concern is if using this extensively ‘wears out’ the shutter prematurely? I recall the estimate for shutter life is around 400k activations but my 2nd hand EM1X is already well used! Great to see high ISO images lookk so good – I also use DXO PL6 for post process and amazed at what can be recovered at the higher ISO settings using Deep Prime.
Hi Richard,
When using Pro Capture H or L the electronic shutter is used… so I don’t worry about the mechanical shutter. I use a combination of DxO PhotoLab 4 with Deep Prime with Topaz Denoise AI or Sharpen AI. I find this double barrelled approach is quite effective as long as I have not underexposed an image.
Tom