As part of the field work for my review of the Nikon 1 V3 I took some images of birds in flight under rather harsh winter conditions earlier this year. While I did have some success with the Nikon 1 CX 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens I wasn’t satisfied that I had given the lens a good test with this subject matter as my goal for the article was more to demonstrate the capability of the V3. I really wanted to try photographing some cormorants but by the time I purchased my copy of the Nikon 1 CX 70-300 in late 2014 most of the cormorants had already migrated south so I missed a good testing opportunity last year.
So, I charged up a few spare batteries, stuffed some SD cards in my jacket pocket, grabbed one of my Nikon 1 V2’s, mounted the CX 70-300, and headed off to Hamilton harbour to see what I could find.
There is a large nesting colony of cormorants adjacent to Eastport Drive and I knew from previous visits that early morning is the best time to try to capture some images as the sun would be at my back.
It was a very windy morning and I felt these conditions would add to my testing as there was some chop on the surface of the water which I thought may confuse the auto-focus on my V2. Birds flying downwind were so fast it was almost like they had been shot out of a cannon making tracking subjects and acquiring focus more than challenging. Cormorants flying upwind did so much closer to the surface of the water to try to avoid the brisk winds. This put them closer to the wave chop and made them much more difficult to spot as they were approaching. The wind was so strong that very few of the cormorants were accessing their nests from the eastern part of the bay which is their normal path. Most were doing fly-bys then executing 180-degree turns and returning to their nests by flying into the wind. That’s the main reason why all of the birds in flight in the images in this article are facing to the left.
It also occurred to me that this old dog needed to adjust his shooting approach. Previously I had always shot my Nikon 1 v2’s in aperture priority and usually used f/5.6. I had also manually set the ISO no higher than 800 to limit noise from the small CX sensor, and let my shutter speed fall where it may. Given the excellent noise reduction of the PRIME function in OpticsPro 10 that I’ve been experiencing I decided there was no need to be afraid to shoot at higher ISOs (I now regularly shoot my Nikon 1 V2’s at ISO-1600 and ISO-3200).
This time out I set my camera to manual and used auto-ISO instead of setting it manually. I used a shutter speed of either 1/1600 or 1/2000 and an aperture of either f/5.6 or f/6.3. It was a bright morning so I never bothered to check my resulting ISOs until I returned home.
The birds are in nest-building mode right now so there are many opportunities to capture images of cormorants flying with nesting material in their beaks. Some, like the individual in the image above, seem to be eternal optimists carrying branches much longer than their bodies.
I usually shoot birds-in-flight in single frames only, but decided to shoot primarily in AF-C at 15 fps using subject tracking as I thought the majority of Nikon 1 owners would likely shoot in this manner.
I found that it was very easy to burn through a lot of memory cards shooting like this…which reminded me why I hate shooting in AF-C at 15 fps…culling through thousands of images from one morning of shooting was a real pain!
All kidding aside, the AF-C on my Nikon 1 V2 worked very well, even with the cormorants flying low to the water and close to the wave chop.
It can be a challenge to find your subject when shooting with the Nikon 1 CX 70-300 as the equivalent field-of-view on the long end of the zoom is 810mm.
I found it was much easier to locate my subject by setting the zoom at about 125mm, then zooming in tighter with a quick roll of my wrist.
I tried to shoot in short bursts of 8-10 images but it was very easy to rip off 30 images or more then be forced to wait until the buffer cleared.
I did miss a few AF-C runs but that was likely due more to ‘operator error’ than the fault of the lens or the V2. Many of them were trying to capture birds zipping by when flying downwind.
The runs that the V2 nailed worked out well, giving me more than enough selection, tired eyes, and special ‘high user’ status with the makers of Visine.
Given that my Nikon 1 V2 has a 14MP sensor it did take some discipline to not fire off my AF-C bursts too early which would have resulted in more aggressive crops with my final images.
I hope you haven’t been bored with the number of bird-in-flight cormorant images in this article. In general, mirror-less cameras are not known for their bird-in-flight image capturing capability so I wanted to include a decent selection to give you a good idea of what the Nikon 1 CX 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VR can do with this subject matter.
Here are a few additional images I captured during the same morning shoot.
The strength of the wind was such that all a gull had to do was spread its wings in order to hover motionless in the air, like the one in the image above. This one obviously thought I was much too close to its hatchlings as it screeched incessantly at me while it hovered above my head.
Regardless of our objective when we’re out shooting, nature has a way of presenting other opportunities to us like the gull fishing in the above image.
Or these two goslings forming a mirror image and acting like poster children for DoubleMint gum.
And finally taking to the water to allow for this image.
The cormorant colony at Hamilton harbour has a lot of potential to capture a range of perched bird, and bird-in-nest images.
While the bird-in-flight shooting capability of the Nikon 1 system may not be as good as a DSLR in terms of shooting in a wider range of lighting conditions, I think that very respectable results can be achieved with the Nikon 1 system, especially when the Nikon 1 CX 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VR zoom lens is used. The more I use it, the more I love it!
Technical Note:
All images were captured hand-held using a Nikon 1 V2 and 1 Nikon CX 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 VR lens. Images in this article were created from RAW files processed through DxO OpticsPro 10 including PRIME noise reduction. A DNG file was then exported and additional adjustments were made in CS6 and Nik Suite as required.
Article and images Copyright Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication of any kind, or adaptation is allowed without written consent.
Fabulous photos. I have been trying to get a cormorant in flight all summer. It’s difficult where I live, as the normal flightpath is over the sea and sometimes they are on top of you before you have a chance to get set. They rarely get any higher than the waves. I have a d300 and a 70-200 nikon 2.8 VR. I just can’t seem to get it right for this bird. Any tips?
Hi Steve,
Typically lenses of at least 300mm are suggested for birding. Since you have a relatively shoot telephoto zoom, i.e Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 you have the option of adding a tele-converter to extend its reach. The downside of course is a potential loss of image quality and light.
I think part of your comment may hold the key for you, i.e. “Sometimes they are on top of you before you have a chance to get set”.
I’ve found that cormorants tend to have a number of common flight paths. If you study the birds you will likely be able to become aware of these various flight paths…this is especially true of nesting birds.
You may find that a relatively small number of birds may be approaching you from the same angle but all of them may end up being “on top of you before you have a chance to get set”.
If you find this to be the case then watch those birds coming in at that approximate angle, picking them up from a longer distance away from you to learn which path they are using that brings them closest to you. Then you’ll be able to target subject birds much faster and easier…and from a greater distance giving you time to prepare for your shot.
It can also be very helpful to pre-focus your lens on another object that is roughly the same distance away from you as the cormorant will be when using the specific flight path mentioned earlier. With your lens pre-focussed and you selectively watching for birds approaching you at a specific angle you may be able to get some useable images.
Tom
Hi Thomas, beautiful photographs. I photograph birds primarily but haven’t tried using my V2 yet for birds. I don’t have the 70-300 lens at this point. I just bought the V2 for a lighter setup for hiking and travel and I’m learning to use it. I’m getting old and just can’t carry my FX body and lenses around like I used to. After shooting with a D750 it’s quite an adjustment with the V2 regarding the image quality. It’s a sharp little camera/lens set up but the contrast and color aren’t nearly as good, a lot of noise in low light, and even in good light a big loss in detail in the shadows. The increase in noise in low light was a big disappointment because I was hoping to use this camera indoors more. Any suggestions on how to shoot differently and/or process differently? Also, for VR do you set it at normal or active most of the time?
Thanks!
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for the positive comment on the images – glad you enjoyed them!
As far as shooting with Nikon 1 cameras, and the V2 specifically, you will notice quite a difference in the dynamic range and colour depth with this system. Due to the small sensor the Nikon 1 cannot compete with full frame cameras like a D750 in this regard…it is one of the trade-offs to get a smaller, lighter set-up.
To get the most out of my Nikon 1 files (and D800 for that matter) I use DxO OpticsPro 10 as my RAW processor. I then export a DNG file into CS6/Nik Suite for additional adjustments as required. OpticsPro 10 does a very nice job dealing with noise with its PRIME noise reduction function and I apply this to all of my Nikon 1 files regardless of the ISO at which they were taken. Unless I’m moving about I don’t use ‘active’ VR and choose ‘normal’ instead. For birds-in-flight like the cormorants in this article I often turn the VR off and now shoot in Manual mode with aperture set at f/5.6 and shutter usually at 1/1600. I use auto-ISO for proper exposure.
I will often play around with metering and typically start with matrix. Depending on subject and lighting conditions I often switch to centre-weighted or spot metering. The most challenging thing with Nikon 1 images is to try to not blow out the highlights. For this reason I sometimes use spot metering even with landscape images. The out-of-camera jpegs often look a bit strange as they are often under-exposed…but I know what I’ll do in post to compensate. I always shoot in RAW + jpeg fine as having the OOC jpeg is useful for reference for me when doing work in post.
In terms of shooting indoors the best thing to do is get the Nikon 1 primes…10mm f/2.8, 18.5mm f/1.8, and the 32mm f/1.2. I don’t use mine that often but when I do I have no hesitation to shoot them wide open if needed. The VR on the zoom lenses is actually quite good and for static subjects I find that I can keep the ISO fairly low by shooting at quite slow shutter speeds…1/15 is quite common for me when using the 10-30mm non-PD zoom.
The new Nikon 1 J5 has a new BSI sensor which I am hoping will provide much better dynamic range and colour depth than the current CX sensors have done. I’m waiting to see what DxO testing reveals in this regard.
If you don’t have OpticsPro 10 I would strongly recommend downloading a trial version and trying it out. I think it makes a big difference…but that’s just my opinion.
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your helpful suggestions! I never expected the V2 to compare with the D750 in image quality, but I guess I miss the dynamic range, color and contrast in the V2. I was able to get decent images in post using Lightroom, just with a lot more adjustments than I need with images from my D750. The noise levels have been my biggest challenge so I appreciate your suggestions above. I’ll check out OpticsPro 10 and other software, and the prime lenses you mention. I bought the kit with the 10-30 and 30-110 lenses, which are pretty good, but I usually prefer the results with prime lenses over zooms. I’ve seen the many beautiful images you’ve produced with this system so I know it’s possible, and I need to learn what it does best. It’s just the ticket in terms of weight and size for hiking and travel, so I’ll keep working with it.
You mention the Nikon 1 J5–is it compatible with the Nikon 1 lenses I have for the V2 and the primes you mention above?
Many thanks,
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
The J5 is the ‘mid-range’ camera in the Nikon 1 line-up. It doesn’t have an EVF nor as many external controls as the V series of cameras.
As far as the images in my various Nikon 1 articles, the vast majority of them were shot with Nikon 1 zoom lenses. I very, very rarely use my prime lenses for still photography. I use them mainly for video work.
Tom
Thanks, Thomas. One last question–I’d like to get a flash for the V2. Is the Nikon SB-N7 OK, or do you use something else? In reading the description for the SB-N7 it at least adjusts upwards and backwards, but I wonder how useful it really is. Many thanks for all of your help!
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
Since the Nikon 1 cameras don’t have a standard hot shoe I believe you are limited in terms of flashes to the Nikon 1 proprietary models. The only time I need additional light when I’m using my V2’s is when I’m shooting video. I have a small LED light that I can mount on the camera by way of a camera bracket…or I use my full size studio lights on floor stands. I’ve never used the Nikon 1 flashes…sorry I could not be more helpful.
Tom
I don’t know if you have a professional (as in a paid spokesman relationship with Nikon), I don’t think you do, but man, they need to hire you to promote the 1 system. You have an amazing collection of critter (I’m still in awe of your bugs photos!) shots. I don’t know how they’d look at 8×10+ printed size, but they’re fantastic on my computer screen.
I like the cranky gull shot. “Get away from my babies!” I didn’t know Cormorants have those brilliant green eyes. Neat!
Hi Sean,
Thank you for your kind words about my images – I’m glad that you have been enjoying them! As a matter of clarification – I do not have any kind of paid, or official spokesman role, with Nikon.
Tom
Hi Sean,
As luck would have it I just had the opportunity to print one of my Nikon 1 butterfly images for a local art gallery….12″ x 18″ image size and it came out wonderfully.
Tom
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Great work as always Thomas.
You seem to be having pretty good luck with the DxO/DNG combo. I recently picked up a J4 with it’s underwater housing for $350 from BuyDig that I plan to dive with, and so far I’m not too impressed with the RAW files in DxO, LR, and especially Capture One from my land-based testing. The in-camera JPEGs look better! That’s problematic at higher ISOs however. Only Nikon’s Capture NX-D does anything good with the RAW files (not surprisingly, I suppose), but that program is agonizingly slow, and of course, there’s no PRIME. I noticed you’re staying with fairly low ISOs, which of course is good. Hopefully I can sort the RAW issues out by the time I start diving with the camera.
Hi Spy Black,
Thanks for the positive comment – much appreciated! The low ISO settings on the images in this article were a function of bright, sunny shooting conditions as I was shooting in manual with auto-ISO. In the past I used to consciously shoot my V2’s at a maximum of ISO-800 to try to limit noise, and obviously shooting at lower ISO’s is always a good decision in terms of resulting image quality. Sometimes we face conditions that don’t allow low ISO settings and with the PRIME noise reduction in OpticsPro 10 I now regularly shoot at V2’s up to ISO-3200 without hesitation. I apply PRIME noise reduction to all of my Nikon 1 files regardless of the ISO at which they were taken.
I guess we all have different experiences when it comes to image processing software. My experience has been different than the one you have had with OpticsPro 10. I love this program as a RAW processor and it is the first step for all of my RAW image processing. Having said that I must also point out that it can be rather unforgiving if adjustments are done too aggressively. I’m likely outside of the norm with how I process files and I use a combination of OpticsPro 10, CS6 and Nik Suite on my images where many folks would do all of their adjustments in one program. While most software does essentially the same types of things I don’t think they do various adjustments equally well, so I’d rather use what I think are the best adjustments from different programs.
Tom
Yes, well, I primarily use DxO for it’s PRIME engine. I prefer LR and Capture ONe because I can do selective processing, which unfortunately you can’t do in DxO, or else it could possibly be my go-to RAW processor. At this time Phase One doesn’t support the newer CX cameras like the J4, V3, and if course the brand new J5. But other than NX-D, I get less than ideal color and luminosity compared to out-of-camera and NX-D, as you can see below. Capture is what’s really weird.
Hi Spy Black,
I agree that the inability to do spot adjustments in OpticsPro 10 is a significant shortcoming. Strange differences in your samples – thanks for sharing them. I’ve never used CaptureOne or Lightroom so I don’t have any experience with which to compare.
Tom
I appreciate your article and the photos you shared. I am looking to purchase a Nikon D7200 and am looking for a lens to shoot wildlife, especially birds. I will do some sitting but I also go hiking with the hubby so weight is somewhat important. I need distance to shoot at a reservoir. I like the photos but they seem a little washed out to me. I am not an expert so please don’t be offended. What lens would you recommend for me?
Hello WingsofFaith,
Depending on how much weight is comfortable for you, as well as your budget, you would have a number of options to consider. Some that come to mind are the Nikkor 80-400 VR, the Sigma Sport and Contemporary 150-600, the Tamron 150-600, and the new Nikkor 300mm f/4.
Tom
Thanks for your suggestions. Again, I am not an expert. I have read comments where people advise to be careful what lens is purchased because they might not perform on newer Nikon bodies that are released. Are these lenses always compatible with Nikon bodies? Thanks again for your helps.
The new Sigma lenses allow you to update the lens via usb. So, theatrically the lens will be good to go with new bodies.
I had a Sigma 50-500 for many years and currently have a Sigma 24-70. I have never had any problems with the lens and new bodies. I currently have a D4 and a D810. The Sigma 24-70 works well on both bodies.
Thanks John. I appreciate your input
Generally speaking newer bodies will operate better with these newer lenses. Since you are planning to purchase a D7200 you likely would not have any issues. As John Miguez points out the newer Sigma lenses have a docking station so firmware can be updated. He makes a good point that the docking station should ‘theoretically’ help with future compatibility. Since Sigma just lost a copyright infringement lawsuit that Nikon launched against them in Japan I’m not sure how ‘cooperative’ Nikon will be with Sigma moving forward, so how this all plays out in the future is anyone’s guess. If you are absolutely certain that you will be purchasing a D7200 then one option would be to rent that body and try in out with some of the lens options available to you to see how it actually works for the type of photography you are planning.
While John hasn’t had any issues with performance with the bodies he is using with Sigma lenses other folks have had issues with third party lenses. I haven’t personally had any issues with my Tamron 150-600 with my D800 but other folks have had some issues with that lens when using older bodies.
Tom
Thank you very much Mr. Stirr. Can I ask another question? What about the nikon D750 for landscape? Is it good? If it is, what lens would you use?
I am also researching the D750 for landscape photos. What is your opinion on this body. I am torn between the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 (dont like the no VR), and Nikon 16-35 mm d/4VR. What is your opinion, or is there a better choice?
Choice of lenses is a very personal decision. It would be prudent for you to examine past landscape images you’ve taken to see what focal length ranges that you have typically used in the past. You’ll also need to determine how often you plan on using a tripod. If you’re going to be shooting most of the time with a tripod the lack of VR on the 14-24 f/2.8 and the 24-70 f/2.8 is likely not a huge issue at all. You’ll also need to determine how important using filters will be for your landscape photography. Budget may also play a significant part in your decision.
You mentioned earlier your intention to buy a D7200. This camera also has very good dynamic range and colour depth and would certainly be capable of taking very good landscape images.
Tom
Wow, these are wonderful pictures. You seem to imply that the setting made it “easy” to capture great pics, but don’t sell yourself short. I am a beginning bird photographer and the art of capturing moving birds is tricky and elusive one. I also never appreciated the beautiful color of the eyes of the cormorants. Thank you for sharing your experiences!
Hi J. Ross,
Thanks for the positive comment – I’m glad you enjoyed the article!
You’re right that capturing birds in flight can be ‘tricky and elusive’…and the camera settings used is only one part of the equation.
Tom
Thank you for another practical and useful article. I am a neighbour in Ancaster and have been using my Nikon D7100 with AFS 80-400(2). I often hike in the area and find this set up too bulky. I have a Nikon V1 and am debating using the FT-1 adapter with a Nikon 70-300 vs the Cx 70-300 Nikon 1 lens. I have been wrestling with this decision and whether the additional cost is justified. In your opinion, do you think there would be a difference in image quality between these 2 set ups? The FT1 adapter set up would be a bit more bulky.
Thanks for your input.
Serge
Hi Serge,
Thanks for the positive comment – I’m glad you found the article useful!
In terms of using the FX 70-300 with the FT-1 adapter vs. the Nikon 1 CX 70-300 I think you will see quite a difference in performance. I used to own the FX 70-300 and found it rather soft on the long end of the zoom. The CX 70-300 will be much sharper and will also render better colours. The functionality of the CX 70-300 will also be greater than with the FX 70-300 since you will be limited to one focus point in the centre of the frame with the FX lens. The CX 70-300 will enable you to use all of the AF options with your Nikon 1 V1.
If you can afford the investment in the CX 70-300 I don’t think you will be disappointed at all. I had a look at the Nikon Canada website and the CX 70-300 is showing at $1100 compared to $690 for the FX 70-300 and another $300 for the FT-1 adapter. In my mind the difference of a little over $100 is tiny compared to the difference in performance and image quality.
Tom
Thank you Thomas, for a very beautiful series of one of my favorite birds. They look primitive but are incredibly capable and very successful. I’ve photographed them from the Thames River near London, Toronto, to my home turf in San Diego. In Toronto, migrating flocks of hundreds in long staggered lines just feet above Lake Ontario were magical. A scuba diving friend saw one in La Jolla Cove catching fish at about 60 feet deep. All appear to be the same species of Double-Crested Cormorant.
You’ve inspired me.
Hi Wings_42,
Thank you for your kind words – they are very much appreciated!
Tom
Thomas, just one word: BEAUTIFUL.
Thank you XiangKhu!
Tom