Photographing Buzzards (at 25,600 iso).

Photographing Buzzards at 25,600 and amazed at the results. As the bird flew towards me every frame was sharp despite the very poor light. The wonders of the Sony A1.
Mike Lane wildlife photography www.nature-photography.co.uk
Music credited to Bensound.com
www.buteophotogear.com/c-3439...
Equipment I use or are mentioned in the videos I produce for KZbin. These are affiliate links and this channel will receive a small commission at no charge to you.
Olympus Cameras
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1X Camera amzn.to/36ebMR7​
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Olympus Lenses
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Panasonic LUMIX 100-400 mm LEICA Lens amzn.to/3mYb8gD​
Tripods
Manfrotto 502 Fluid video Head with flat base amzn.to/30j6fFg​
Hides
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[@richardfulcher9314]

Just excellent in every respect. You should be on TV Mike!!

[@remusmoise8836]

Fantastic work, again and again. What a pleasure!!!!!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@joncothranphotography9375]

I love those birds! Thanks Mike!

[@przybylskipawel]

Marvelous! I am so glad you share all your knowledge with us.

[@malcolmriley6897]

One of your best films yet, in my opinion. Yes, you have an amazing camera, but your knowledge and skill allow you to get the most out of it. Wonderful work.

[@kevsandall6334]

Absolutely Stunning Mike !

[@andrewinpompey]

Awesome!

[@andrewsales2167]

Fantastic images, thank you for sharing

[@kiah9318]

Amazing photos and video.

[@lichtschaffen]

Very, very good video, Mike!!!! Thank You!!!!

[@JimNicholls]

Brilliant, Mike!

[@hawkforce3109]

absolutely beautiful footage and awesome understanding of raptor behavior! Cheers!

[@MartinJSmithPhotographyUK]

Very nice Mike, thanks for sharing.

[@wangchong39]

Amazingly sharp!

[@PhilT993]

Amazing job done by the camera and the man behind it!! Thank you for sharing.

[@michaelktori5178]

Super shots!

[@nicksoulby2204]

Great video Mike and incredible flight photos!

[@weld-deluxltd7635]

Fantastic shots!

[@alanfearn1101]

Amazing

[@laku4412]

Gorgeous shots of him taking off! Thanks for sharing! What an amazing time to live in in regards of cameras and lenses. Wonderful to see what that a1 can do. Using the new Canon gear, I'm equally as blown away by the autofocus. I'm nowhere near your experience, but even comparing to the tech from 10 years ago leaves me baffled. Great times ^^

[@mathiaskrause_blunkerbach]

Another great video, Mike ! Well prepared & captured.

[@ivorgottschalk6432]

Great in flight shots and tips on bird behaviour!

[@Glasgowurbanwildlife]

Fantastic Mike! what a camera! superb fieldcraft too!

[@seanmacgowan616]

Lovely video once again. Another great ten minutes of viewing.

[@derricksalisbury7631]

Absolutely brilliant Mike great skill and knowledge of your subject 👏 👍

[@volkerbosch9078]

Brilliant ! Thank you from Germany

[@paleozon]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing. I remember when we used film rolls with 25, 50 or 64 ISO. We used to dread the noise. What an advancement!

[@SkylarkFields]

Fantastic footage, images and commentary as always!

[@ianmcfegan4071]

Another fantastic and informative video, thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise Mike. Also amazing to see what the Sony A1 can do in a real life situation rather than look at charts and data.

[@iandavidbrown8852]

As always superb. Seasons Greeting Mike.

[@BHANGUVIDEOSUK]

Great video Mike.

[@captivatingnature]

Wonderful

[@evgenygorshkov9893]

Hi Mike ! GREAT !!!

[@davidosborn3356]

Fabulous

[@normanwatson9056]

cracking video again mike

[@neonbirding2680]

Awesome video captures. And great trick with the decoy lens in the blind.

[@Ferda1964]

This is spectacular Mike.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@johngunning2123]

I agree with most of the comments below. What a magnificent camera and a fantastic advertisement for both the lens and camera body. There is a lot of valuable knowledge in that head of yours. This is a quality video!

[@MrDennisk4]

Some great tips there Mike and thanks, have a good Christmas!

[@JoeHTX]

Wow, that's fantastic Mike! While that Sony A1 may be an amazing camera, it took your vast knowledge and skill to capture these amazing images!

[@psoon04286]

That’s right. Give the A1 to any other wannabe wildlife photographer and all you get are purring cats and frisky dogs….unless it’s Mark Smith or Steve Perry😄

[@GiuseppeGessa]

@Philip Soon If Sony gave me an A1 I wouldn't photograph cats&dogs!!! But Sony don't watch me unfortunately

[@TheGrmany69]

2 min in and I already subscribed, loving your channel and looking for more content on wildlife photography, sir.

[@hkknaturelover]

Excellent video..!! Keep it up👌

[@LFPG100]

Spectacular! I learn from you every time I watch one of your videos. Very inspiring. Thank you! LuisFernando.

[@PeteCroft1]

Incredible images and video Mike, the technology is wonderful, but you still have to have the knowledge and skill to use it! Modern cameras are taking wildlife photography to another level.

[@stevevickers2844]

Brilliant

[@TheGazzadj]

Great footage and that A1 is a force to be reckoned with, I have the A9ii but I think the A1 might be added to my Christmas list!!

[@michaelladd1162]

Great vid Mike really interesting !! You can’t beat experience 👍

[@angleseyisle]

first video I have watched, great stuff.

[@koolkutz7]

Insane detail and sharpness on that Buzzard taking flight Mike. I can't believe how clean the images look at 25K ISO! Great camera work :-)

[@CamillaI]

Great work Mike ! I was filming the Red kite this week from the car with my Sony A1, no luck with Buzzards, not in a hide. Awesome results with takeoff !

[@adilduredoran2477]

Wow

[@telkirton]

Excellent images Mike, stay safe mate...

[@b.2221]

Stunning photographs of a beautiful bird Sir.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Many thanks!

[@duncancookdrummond3273]

Hi Mike, Your film is absolutely fascinating and your depth of knowledge on your subject is clear. I'm sure this will help and inspire many people interested in wildlife photography - including myself. Thanks for sharing - new subscriber. Ps. Best wishes for 2022.

[@kevincarolan7146]

Fantastic flight shots I have the A9 which I love but the A1 is some thing special.

[@klackon1]

Another cracking video: I used to own a Sony 200 - 600mm and loved it. I used mine with an A9 and A7R4. The thing that makes this lens stand out from the crowd for me, is the internal zoom. In the past I have owned a Sony 100 - 400mm GSM, Canon 100 - 400mm II, and Nikon 200 - 500, but the Sony 200 - 600mm is my favourite.

[@mustafakasapoglu]

It was a masterfully captured footage and very informative great comparison between lenses and cameras. For sure Z9 is entering into the race with great options and advantages. But anyway, the buzzerd's poses were prefect and pre-flight check list was a great tip :).

[@francoclivio]

Great video

[@danielmulder9389]

Awesome content mate

[@carmelolarrabide9080]

Buen reportaje Mikel.

[@robinbarnes3050]

Great video Mike. Never imagined you could get such clear pictures with 25000 iso. The pro capture is amazing, I am using it on my Lumix G9. Thanks for sharing your wonderful work and great knowledge.

[@adyjones4188]

Hi Mike. Fantastic video, as always. Your knowledge on wildlife and the techniques you use to photograph/film it are so inspiring and easy to follow. I have a couple of Buzzards who return to nest and have offspring every year in a coppice at the back of my house. Luckily I live in open countryside about 5 miles from Stratford upon Avon, so lots of opportunity to see an abundance of wildlife. Next year I'm going to setup a small hide and have a go at photographing them close up. Just waiting for the Nikon Z9 to become readily available...:) Best wishes for 2022. Happy clicking....

[@simmymunchkin]

It may be an amazing camera but its also an amazing bird!! Fantastic images and film of such a beautiful bird

[@davidmcc6666]

Oh, mate. That a1 seriously kicks arse. Bloody great. I would love one to accompany my a9.

[@krzysztofgrasssnake]

Amaizing! My jaw dropped.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

thank you.

[@krzysztofgrasssnake]

@@MikeLaneFRPS hope you did not kill this piegon ;) all the best

[@user-rq7gy1xf3m]

Just found you by accident, glad I did. Beautiful shots indeed

[@peterkemp4372]

Great. Merry Christmas from the Bahamas👍👍🍾🥂🥂

[@paulmorton8304]

Cracking stills

[@me4jas]

Just simply awesome ! Only thing I hoped was no fence in frame when buzzard opened its wings. Most people focus on gear, technique, speed but you focus on subject.

[@Jonathantuba]

Fantastic pictures! You should be a Sony artist as I am sure you have generated a number of sales of the A1 and 200-600 lens. I have recently got both myself and absolutely love! That A1 AF is near perfect.

[@andreasmohrmann4896]

Great! 👍 Warm Regards Andreas

[@AlanHunt73]

New subscriber here. Wow that was amazing 👏

[@NailKaraaslan]

kamufle ,sutreler hepsi birer harika izlenmeside çok hoş . güzel çekimler tebrikler

[@jannikschou4138]

Mike Lane is the real deal.

[@nigelmartin4510]

Fantastic Mike 👏👏👏 that Sony A1 is the dogs you know what !! I got the Sony a7111 and thought that was good but the A1 is brilliant , I will defo get one ,one day 🤞🤞

[@wildcat1065]

Excellent video Mike. The Sony Af looks mighty impressive. I presume a Canon R5 plus 100-500 would match it but I have never seen an Af system able to keep up with a bird at take off like this.

[@craigbishop2529]

videos elsewhere would suggest the current canon systems are just as good

[@MyMultiforce]

Its not just the camera Mike most of it is your skill brilliant

[@Jonathantuba]

Fantastic! I don’t see any noise viewing this on my iPad screen :)

[@stephentaylor6328]

Great video as usual Mike, I think I have watched all of them to date, and look forward to the next one, but must admit the one thing I am most envious of more than any other aspect is having an 'estate' as you described in this instance to do this sort of wildlife photography relatively undisturbed and not worried for example as to whether the hide would be there at all the next time i visited, ...would probably spend half my life there photographing the wildlife

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Hi Stephen, Get the maps out, choose a likely area and walk around the footpaths. You might have to tresspass a little to view the land. Then start knocking on doors to find the owner. That is usually the hard part. Who owns what. Set yourself a target of asking one landowner each weekend and by the end of the month you will probably have several acres. I must have knocked on 200 farm doors in my time. Most say yes, a few no and the rude ones are very rare.

[@philbeighton6448]

@@MikeLaneFRPS hi Mike just got in from work and saw what looks like a sparrow hawk perched on the feeders, but it’s brown. Managed to get a couple of snaps of it, is there any way I could send them you so you could confirm for me if it is a sparrow hawk.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

@@philbeighton6448 Try [e-mail]

[@ashstubbings2603]

Made me laugh when you said "What do you to the noise levels at ISO 25,600?" because my immediate response was "What noise levels?" That camera you've got is something else! Thanks for sharing Mike.

[@kevins8575]

It wasn't long ago that getting such a series would have been impossible. I'm using the Canon 800mm f/11 on an R5, so high ISO has become routine. Above 6400, I use Topaz DeNoise, but below that Lightroom does fine. The R5 "only" gets 20 frames per second, but that plus animal eye AF has truly changed the game.

[@cerealkiller4248]

I’m hoping so, thinking of getting an R6 after Christmas to replace my 7D/500F4, should be a massive upgrade on all features. That said, an A92/200-600 is a possibility too 😎

[@wildcat1065]

Kevin, do you think the R5 would match what the Sony A1 did on the sequence that Mike shot of the buzzard taking off from the gate ?

[@NickRno77]

Yep the R6 and a 500mm F4 or 100-400 mm for me should be able to achieve something like this but only @ 20FPS… The Sony A1 and the 200-600 combo is wicked but out of my price range.

[@wildcat1065]

@@NickRno77 . The Sony 200-600 is a ridiculous bargain compared to the Canon but the A1 makes the R5 look cheap.

[@NickRno77]

@@wildcat1065 you get what you pay for…. the Sony is like a toy compared to the Canon…. bit small to handle for me.

[@jeroenvdw]

Really impressive at 25,600 ISO. Ofc KZbin compression probably removes some of the noise and we see cropped images at 4k resolution. But still very impressive. If I will ever be allowed to travel again I want to get the A1 with the 200-600 as well

[@brianbrooking496]

Sony I believe is an ISO invariant camera. The A7III & IV being adored by Astrophotographers for that reason. Great camera, in saying that most cameras these days are phenomenal

[@joet9451]

Fabulous images Mike. I wish I could get the same high iso images with my a1 and 200-600 . You clearly have the secret and I’d love to hear it. Do you have an iso video? I have not found it if you do. Love your work

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

I expect in one of my videos I mention DxO Pureraw which I recently started to use on all my files. Auto noise reduction with no need to make subjective choices.

[@paulmiller7624]

Hi Mike how are you keeping I manage to by my self a four man hide of market place only used once for £70 plus £7.82 postage I should receive it tomorrow it's coming from Sheffield to where I live in wales by hermes stay safe your videos are fantastic

[@SwanSycorax]

I am a Nikon man, so I am longing for the Z9 to start shipping - all I need then will be a suitable hide location!!!

[@cliffday1183]

great video, fantastic images at such high ISO, I have an A9ii, great camera but not sure I get such quality at high ISO, - do you still use the Olympus gear now, or is it mainly the A1

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Mainly the A1, but hoping the new Olympus body catches up.

[@cliffday1183]

@@MikeLaneFRPS me too actually, i use olympus for macro and general currently and the sony A9ii 200-600 for birding 😀👍

[@markfuller4506]

Enjoyed that Mike. What focus’s mode/setting were you using to take the flying buzzard please?

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Cf eye focua.

[@mattgoodlifephotography]

Good evening Mike. First off thank you for taking the time to produce such a wonderful channel full of brilliant tips and tricks, I often have photography plans for the future only to watch one of your videos and see you doing it in a similar way to what I was thinking! I was wondering if you could help me with birds of prey hide photography as I've recently set up a permanent wooden hide for mainly buzzards but also hopefully sparrowhawk and red kite. So far 3 dead squirrels have been place on an old gate post (one at a time, for a week at a time each) and all 3 have remained untouched, how long does it take buzzards to start using new sites? I've ofter used dead bait for other things and had buzzard interested nearly straight away so I've been surprised by a total lack of interest, any help or advice would be much appreciated. Matt.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Hello Matt, Not able to give positive advice. Squirrels are not my first choice of bait. Buzzards do not seem that keen, although if hungry enough they will. Sometimes they come down first day, other times not at all. Winter will improve the chances of success. Not many people succeed with Sparrowhawk.

[@mattgoodlifephotography]

Good morning Mike thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Well that is interesting as I would never have thought that buzzards would be a picky eater. I had one take a squirrel that was in front of a DSLR Camera Trap earlier in the year, I'll start using rabbits and pigeons from now on. All the best Matt.

[@tordandreasson]

Very nice. No way my Olympus gear would have delivered a full sequence of frames with the subject in focus, probably 1 or 2 only. May I ask what NR you have applied in post-processing? Topaz?

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

DxO Pureraw. I just run it on everything and do not have to think about settings.

[@psoon04286]

I need to work on your very first tip for successful bird photography and that is to sit patiently in a cramp, cold hide in the company of hungry mosquitoes for hours!😩 Have learnt a lot but have not been successful yet🤪 Thanks for the inspirations👍😄

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Good news Philip. The mosquitoes are only in the hot, sweaty hides!

[@psoon04286]

@@MikeLaneFRPS haha, so it’s either the frigid cold or the blood sucking mossies!🤪

[@deaneades-birdmad3389]

World like to see a high format print at them ISO

[@thegroove2000]

25,600 iso. THATS INSANE. WOW.

[@davedewdney]

Great video mate love it I’ve been trying to do this for a long time but not got round to do it as other things have been coming up you always i Inspired me to do wildlife photography I’ve a KZbin channel but not good behind the camera so only put up my pics please have a look and tell me what u think all the best merry Christmas and a happy new year 🥳

[@terrymack6673]

Hi Mike . Ive just subscribed to your channel. I love peregrine falcons but all raptors are my main interest, please can you tell me where you were when you shot those pictures on a cliff side of the youngster’s. Kind regards Terry

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Hi Terry, I have to decide before I release each film if it is okay to say where it is. Some films I do and some I don't. With the Peregrines I decided too many people turning up there would be a problem. Sorry.

[@skakdosmer]

Good thing YOU take these pictures, ‘cause there’s no way I’d spend four hours in a hide!

[@vergrachtr]

thanks for sharing this movie, what was your focussetting?

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

I was using the bird eye tracking.

[@vergrachtr]

@@MikeLaneFRPS wide spot or zone?

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

@@vergrachtr wide

[@wanneske1969]

Iso 25.600 is sick ! I shouldn't try this with my Canon 5DIII or my pics would be very grainy

[@jeffslade1892]

Yes, on an Olympus the PL100-400 will do that but on a Lumix is is much better behaved. I have noticed over some years that the two systems have diverged somewhat. Which is a shame. I didn't get the PL100-400 until after I got the G9. Naturally I have slapped it on the E-M5ii. The G9 will do the pre-burst and follow-focus (which is not full-on tracking), the Oly rather looses the plot with video. On the G9 the Dual2 lets the PL100-400 be swung around like a bat hand-held but there is an undocumented Oly function that if "Use Lens IS" is OFF in the menu but the Lumix lens' Power-OIS is switched ON, the camera uses part and part; not Synch-IS but better than just one; you can hear the motors. I have long found from the GH4 that to use that high ISO one needs a certain quality of light; it won't do it when it has got so dark the colours have faded out, but if you can see clearly, so can the camera. The local buzzards are very bold and don't mind humans mooching about near their roost, but they do react to sudden movement. If you are still in your movements they ignore you, but if you show your silhouette or flap your arms about they react. They prefer to hunt the many rabbits than take a dead pigeon. Leaning on the gate across the field you may chance one taking a rabbit up to about 30 feet and dropping it amongst the rooks, making them scatter. When they are feeding young this is a fairly regular occurrence.

[@thegroove2000]

Im a total novice but I prefer to take video and then take out the stills later captures in post on the computer instead of waiting for that perfect shot that I never get by taking a photo.

[@ricki-bobby]

I'd like to see your workflow for noise reduction in a video

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

I mention the software I use in a few videos, but go into it in a bit more detail in a film on Crested tits which is loaded, but not live yet. The software is DxO Pureraw.