01 April 2021

Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D

Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D Full Frame DSLR

Capturing Birds in Flight with a basic Autofocus (AF) System and the reasonably slow frame rate of the Canon EOS 6D Full Frame body and EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM zoom lens.

Generally,  when I capture Birds in Flight at Woodbridge Island Cape Town, I prefer the extra fps and reach of a faster APS-C (crop) body paired with a 400mm prime lens.


This morning I took the Canon EOS 6D (4,5 fps) and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens while everybody around me captured birds in flight with the Canon EOS-1D X / Canon EOS 7D Mark II and the Canon EOS 70D - all of which have superior frames per second (fps) continuous shooting rate and superior AF systems compared to the humble Canon EOS 6D with its basic 11-Point AF system.

Location: Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

FPS (Frames Per Second Rate in continuous shooting mode) of the EOS bodies mentioned:

  • Canon EOS-1D X  14 fps
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II 10 fps
  • Canon EOS 70D 7 fps
  • Canon EOS 6D 4.5 fps

Autofocus
(AF) Points of EOS bodies mentioned

  • Canon EOS-1D X 61 AF Points
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II 65 AF Points
  • Canon EOS 70D 19 AF Points
  • Canon EOS 6D 11 AF Points

These 4 consecutive images of the Pied Kingfisher are substantial crops, but the point is that Birds in Flight photography is possible without the most advanced fps / AF systems and / or fast(er) prime lenses.

Canon Equipment Used
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
  • Manual Mode:  Auto ISO @ 300mm focal length

(Click to Enlarge)
Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens 

Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens 

Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens 

Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D /  EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens

Birds in Flight Photography with Canon EOS 6D / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens - View

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - Birds in Flight Photo Gallery 
View

Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town View