Among many photography subjects, ecological photography has one of the highest requirements for equipment. After all, photographers are facing nature and living in an environment that cannot be controlled by humans. They want to solve the problem of shooting wild animals in such a complex environment. The issue of animals, in addition to requiring the photographer to have a wealth of experience, naturally has higher requirements for the equipment in hand.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F5.6 , 1/2000 S, ISO 3200
I have been shooting in the field of ecological photography for more than ten years, and I have changed a lot of equipment. It is an exaggeration to say that if you want to shoot wild animals, you will always need a longer focal length, better image quality, and a faster camera. Continuous shooting, a more accurate focusing system, and a more delicate high-sensitivity performance, even a little improvement in new equipment can help me shoot better works. The camera I use most often is the flagship SLR of the Canon EOS-1D X series. They have the best focusing system in the world and unparalleled ultra-high-speed continuous shooting. They perform impeccably in all aspects. This year I finally waited for it. The latest model of this series is EOS-1D X Mark III, and I have used it for some shooting, and then I will share some of my experience with you.
I started shooting with the EOS-1D X series in 2013, and it has been 8 years now. During this period, most of my works were shot with this series of bodies. Although the machine I used before can meet some of my shooting needs to a certain extent, and it is handy to use, but after all, the demand is endless. So since the announcement of the EOS-1D X Mark III, I have been concerned about the relevant information of this machine. Its parameters and progress can be said to be quite large. Everyone knows that there is no such high-speed continuous shooting for shooting wild animals. There is no such High sensitivity, without such a focus mode, it is difficult to shoot the best picture. If the EOS-1D X Mark II meets my shooting needs, then the EOS-1D X Mark III should allow me to shoot An excellent weapon that is even more powerful.
Elk EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM F4.5 , 1/2000 S, ISO 640
When I got it for the first time, I felt that the EOS-1D X Mark III has not changed much in appearance, and even feels that the body is lighter, and the simple and efficient control logic allows me to get started quickly. Its hand feel is as smooth as ever when shooting. It is solid in all aspects, and its configuration indicators have been greatly improved, whether it is continuous shooting at 20 frames per second or a brand new memory card or The focusing speed and high-sensitivity performance are both worthy of the progress of the flagship machine level, which gave me an amazing feeling.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F6.3 , 1/1000 S, ISO 2500
This time I used this camera to shoot two-horned hornbills in Yingjiang, Yunnan Province on the China-Myanmar border, and I also went to Dafeng Elk Reserve in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province to shoot elk. The multi-point focusing mode of EOS-1D X Mark III, This has given me great convenience. For example, this feeding photo taken in the tropical rainforest, because there will be a lot of tree branches to cover it during the follow-up shooting process, and there was a lot of fog that day. Off track.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F5.6 , 1/1000 S, ISO 20000
The focus system of EOS-1D X Mark III will intelligently judge whether the foreground object is an obstacle during the shooting process, so when it flies out of the blocked tree branch, the focus can still be firmly locked on the hornbill This kind of focusing ability can be described as "like a god's help" for ecological shooting in the forest.
Elk EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM F4.5 , 1/3200 S, ISO 1250
Including the elk fight this time, several herds of elk are running around in front of you, the scene is quite "chaotic", and it is very easy to block the elk you originally wanted to shoot. And the 191-point focusing system of EOS-1D X Mark III once again left a deep impression on me. Whether I want to capture a group or a single shot, it can firmly "bite" the shooting target and let my shooting Even more handy.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F5.6 , 1/2000 S, ISO 2000
As I said earlier, there is never an upper limit to the equipment requirements for ecological photography. A faster continuous shooting speed can bring more reliable shooting performance and help me to shoot better works. The 14 frames per second continuous shooting speed of the EOS-1D X Mark II was impressive at the beginning. There is no doubt that the most shocking thing for me this time is the 20 frames per second continuous shooting speed of the EOS-1D X Mark III up. I can say that almost all the wonderful moments and details encountered in the shooting can be perfectly recorded by this camera. In the face of the instantaneous behavior of these wild animals, almost no one can guarantee that there will be no omissions in the shooting records, but the continuous shooting speed is fast enough to make up for human errors, which is why I have more confidence in this camera. .
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F5.6 , 1/2000 S, ISO 2000
In the past, when the camera only had a maximum of 10 frames per second for continuous shooting, some photographers who took sports subjects told me that even if there is continuous shooting, it needs to be stuck in the same way as single-frame shooting. Only by considering this point can we Capture the instant you want. The same is true of ecological photography at that time. In fact, there are many similarities between wildlife and sports photography, especially in continuous shooting. We all need to use high-speed continuous shooting to freeze the moment and capture the most beautiful The best and most exciting momentary picture. Then the more the number of continuous shots, it means that we can solidify more wonderful pictures without missing anything.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F5.6 , 1/3200 S, ISO 5000
Especially in the process of shooting in the wild, the uncertainty and competition of animals are very strong. At this time, you must use high-speed continuous shooting to freeze the best picture of wild animals, otherwise you may lose the most perfect moment. So 16 frames/second continuous shooting is already very reliable for me, and the maximum continuous shooting speed of EOS-1D X Mark III has reached 20 frames/second, which is a very scary number, and the effect is extremely amazing. More importantly, it adopts dual CFexpress card slots. The reading and writing speed of this card is very fast and very stable, so when I use high-speed continuous shooting to freeze such a wonderful moment of wild animals in the wild, it will not cause lag , this is actually very important.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F5.6 , 1/2000 S, ISO 3200
Many new features of the EOS-1D X Mark III have brought epoch-making changes, such as the touch screen focus mode I used for the first time, in the process of pressing the shutter, the position of the focus point can be changed in circles. It is very convenient for me. Because when shooting in the wild, it is often necessary to adjust each button to continuously move the focus, even if it is adjusted with a multi-function joystick, it is a waste of time, and the shutter can only be pressed to shoot after that, and this work cannot be completed at the same time. And this mode of quickly adjusting the focus point provides me with too much convenience when shooting in the wild. Although the control still takes some time to get familiar with, it is still very easy to use.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F7.1 , 1/2000 S, ISO 16000
On the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III, the function of selecting the focus point through the touch of the AF-ON button is also very convenient. When shooting through the viewfinder, I can press the shutter with one hand while the other hand directly adjusts the focus on it. Position, according to the animal's head swing and dynamic transfer, I change the focus position at any time. As a new thing, you also need to be familiar with it. When you master this control method, you can control the focus position very quickly , making shooting faster and more efficient.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F6.3 , 1/1000 S, ISO 3200
Through my actual shooting experience of wild animals in the two places, I feel that EOS-1D X Mark III has also made great progress in image quality, especially in terms of sharpness performance. The distance is far away, although Zhang Zhang is in focus, after all, the distance is here, according to the usual experience, the sharpness should be compromised. I didn’t expect to zoom in, and the bird in the picture is as clear as a knife’s edge. This makes me feel Surprisingly, such sharpness can fully meet my shooting needs, so that I don't even need to render it too much in post-production.
Elk EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM F4.5 , 1/1600 S, ISO 500
Of course, the color reproduction ability of EOS-1D X Mark III is also good, after all, this is Canon's strong point. Just like when I shot the elk this time, the shooting time was either in the morning or at dusk. It is actually difficult to control the color in this low-light and complex light environment. It is even more difficult to show the original dark brown color of the elk. up. As for the two-horned hornbill shot in Yinjiang, because its feathers are very bright, the picture is often overexposed and the colors are easy to overflow when shooting, but the overall performance of EOS-1D X Mark III is bright without distortion.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III F5 , 1/2000 S, ISO 1000
My shooting environment in the two places is almost under low-light conditions. Like the elk or wild animals mentioned above, the main shooting time is early morning and dusk, and a certain shutter speed must be guaranteed when shooting. If the high-sensitivity performance is not good enough, or the low-light focus is not fast enough, all preparations will be in vain. Especially during the early morning and dusk shooting of the tropical rainforest, the movement of the hornbill can still be accurately captured in the foggy environment, the overall picture is relatively delicate, and the exposure is also very accurate. It is a place that makes me more satisfied.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F5.6 , 1/1250 S, ISO 10000
To say that the challenge of ecological photography for photographers is to face the harsh environment of nature and the challenges of uncontrolled wild animals. Therefore, for a real wildlife photographer, a handy machine that can meet various conditions It is very important for us to have a reliable camera for shooting under the sun. The conditions for my shooting this time are also very difficult. On the one hand, there is heavy rain, on the other hand, the misty stream is filled, hot and humid, all kinds of difficult mosquito bites, all kinds of difficult environments are coming, and they are invisible to my equipment. , it is a severe test for EOS-1D X Mark III.
Hornbill EOS-1D X Mark III, EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM F5.6 , 1/1000 S, ISO 5000
As a camera for shooting wild animals, EOS-1D X Mark III brings better picture quality, faster continuous shooting speed, and more accurate focusing system. The arduous task of shooting made my shooting even more powerful. So if you want to take the best picture of wildlife, then it must be your best choice.