Photographing Flying Birds with a Dot Sight

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View the Updated (2023) Video Here:
• Photograph Flying Bird...
Jay Pierstorff shows you how to photograph flying birds with a dot sight finder. These devices are slotted in to the flash shoe of any camera that has one, and then you can easily track fast moving objects by looking through the dot sight with both eyes, and keeping the red dot on the subject. Three models are compared. The Olympus EE-1, The Dot Sighter, and a generic one you can assemble yourself. Then learn how to use and calibrate them.
► Timestamps:
00:00 Quick Summary
00:54 Introduction
01:13 What is a Dot Sight and why do I need one ?
02:11 Holding the Camera
02:44 Eye Field of View
03:45 Dot Sight Origin
04:08 Tracking
04:39 Definition of Dot Sight
05:00 Types of Dot Sights
05:19 Flash Shoe Mount
05:30 Olympus EE-1
06:32 Movement in Shoe
07:21 Picatinny/Weaver Rail
07:40 Brightness/Color Controls
08:00 Generic Dot Sight and Adapter
08:30 Calibration
10:23 Continuous Focus Tracking
11:28 Exposure Settings
12:14 The Dot Sighter
13:51 Conclusion
JayPierstorff.com - www.jaypierstorff.com/
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute - desertmuseumarts.com
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.org - desertmuseum.org
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► As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
✅ I have designed a new Dot Sight "Connector" that attaches a dot sight to a camera flash/accessory shoe. It can be quickly removed and replaced without re-calibrating. It is made of a carbon fiber/plastic composite with steel thumbscrew, brass thread insert and an expanding base that can fit any size accessory shoe.
The Connectors are available separately so you can add your own dot sight (dozens of different styles on Amazon.com) or you can buy a complete sight from me, fully assembled, tested and calibrated. There are three different sizes depending on the dot sight you choose, including a new compact size with a flip-up screen.
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✅ Amazon Dot Sights - amzn.to/3thbtT1
✅ Higoo Universal Camera Flash Hot Shoe - amzn.to/3wNmL0I
Red Dot Sight - amzn.to/38k4Y7W
✅Olympus Dot Sight EE-1 - amzn.to/3LR46pd

Опубликовано:

6 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 79

@gregsyverson 4 месяца назад

I absolutely love using a dot sight. It helps me lock on to fast flying bird and get really nice footage

@MikeQuintero_ Год назад

I appreciate the info Jay. I can definitely see this as being helpful in my sports photography. Ordered mine with your discount code. Thank you!

@frankfountain7680 Год назад

I just got the PGD Tracker. Thank you for the great video and for the discount.

@guillermolopez1356 11 месяцев назад

Thanks a lot for sharing! Very nice information to apply. I appreciate it.

@prabhakarrao4922 Год назад

Greetings from New Zealand. Excellent review. Just placed an order for 2 (1 for me and the other for my son). Can't wait for them to turn up. Have a great day.

@ScottRitchie-bw9ls Год назад

I've had the dot sight for a year now, and it has opened up the world of BIF for me. A couple of tips (I use Canon R5, 100-500 RF + 1.4X). After the initial calibration, I just aim the dot sight at an object ca. 20 m away, take a quick burst, then check images in viewfinder. Most should be "in the center". You can adjust if need be, but it seems to hold its setting very well. Big issue is the camera AF. Try and get distance right before shooting. And shoot, shoot and shoot again. 2ble pump the AF helps too.

@tc6912 9 месяцев назад

Love the images.

@blackmamba3427 10 месяцев назад

Awesome video ❤

@royprasad 2 года назад

This is THE best review of using dot sights for BIF photography. I had previously used an Olympus device, but it didn't work well on my Sony cameras. I finally got the PGD a couple of years ago. It is by far the best. I had actually not used it as much as I could and should have, because I was under the wrong impression that it had to be calibrated to every lens or focal length I use. I recently discovered that the calibration is to a camera, not a lens - that is huge. In hindsight, that makes a lot of sense, too. Picking a distance of about 60-70 feet seems to be optimal to avoid parallax besides calibration to the body dimensions of the camera. My compliments on your BIF photos too - they are lovely images. I am amazed that this excellent video has got only 42 views (including me) and 5 Likes (including mine). That is a shame. Maybe the article needs some keywords to be mentioned, so people find it more often! I'll mention a few below - no idea if it might help. Thank you for this useful video tutorial. #BIF #birdsinflight #sony #canon #nikon #dotsight #autofocus

@JayPierstorff 2 года назад

Hi Roy, thanks for the kind words. Yes, RU-vid videos seem to take a long time to get traction (at least mine). I will give the keywords a try.

@johannestan6878 Год назад

You had said everything that I want to say (except you said it better).

@LarryFasnacht 11 месяцев назад

I bought the PDG unit on Etsy. I love it! Only one problem is I hate having to have a 3mm Allen wrench to adjust the calibration. Having said that, as you point out in your video, once I dialed it in, I haven’t had to change it since. Still, I’d rather have another method to align the sight. It has helped me get more keepers with my OM-1 and the 300mm f/4, which is an effective 600mm full frame.

@elfenbeinturm-media 11 месяцев назад

Thank you for the review, I wasn't even aware of these useful tools. But I think it doesn't prevent all birds from suddenly disappearing as soon as you take your camera out. 😀...happens every time I'm on bird watch...

@kbruff2010 10 месяцев назад

Thank you!!!!!

@KarenBlocher Год назад

Someone gave me the fall ASDM Art & Photography Classes brochure. When I saw the class about using a dot sight to photograph birds, I said, "What's that?" Google led me here. Very interesting! I look forward to learning to do this! (I do a lot of bird photography at Sweetwater Wetlands, Madera Canyon, etc. but I have a lot to learn in doing it well.)

@JayPierstorff Год назад

DesertMuseumArts.com

@KarenBlocher Год назад

@@JayPierstorff that's great! I will definitely sign up for your October class.

@marcystarnes5511 Год назад

great info - saw one of these but did not know how to align it and you were very good - thanks

@YevgeniyBobyr 10 месяцев назад

echt cool!

@jostv.2726 10 месяцев назад

Great video :) I always wanted to try wildlife photography (still need a lense with higher focal length for this). Greetings from Germany :D

@jimzielinski946 11 месяцев назад

I'm glad your video popped up (and you had a few left in stock). This is exactly what I need on my teles. Fast moving targets can be real frustrating!

@ป้างคอมสารคดี 11 месяцев назад

ขอบคุณครับ

@scottritchie6187 Год назад

Hi Jay: I enjoyed the video, and have recently bought the PGD Tracker. It is great for rapidly locating flying birds, and putting them "into play" for the autofocus. It is also good for action shots, even for birds on the ground. Because you get the whole field of view, it is easier to anticipate action, and catch that magic moment. That said, my issue is that I am at the mercy of the AF system. Many times it did not focus and lock on what I wanted. All in all a great tool.

@JayPierstorff Год назад

Hi Scott, Yes I have experienced the same thing. I have better luck setting the camera to "continuous auto focus" , but still not every shot works. Newer cameras seem to be better than older ones for autofocus speed.

@scottritchie6187 Год назад

@@JayPierstorff Canon lens Mode 2 for panning works best.

@ScottRitchie-bw9ls Год назад

@@scottritchie6187 agreed!

@josgeusens4637 9 месяцев назад

This reminds me why I switched to a Single Lens Reflex camera in the first place: parallax. I know that the triangle made by the centre of the lens, the dot-sight and the bird is very small, but still. Not looking through the viewfinder is not done for me. It takes away a part of the control I need over my photographs and it's never fast enough. Instead of this, I look with both eyes open and exercise on static objects about the distance flying birds will be and centre that object in the viewfinder (right eye). While looking with both eyes open, I can imagine the object (seen with my left eye) in the viewfinder. It's there about just a little to the right and down of the centre focus point. My (Nikon D750) viewfinder also has some markers that I can use to find the bird's approximate location. Once I have it in the right place in my viewfinder, I can eventually close my left eye to shoot, but when more than one bird is flying, I often keep both my eyes open. It takes practice, but that's what it takes to learn a skill. I'm not sure if what I described here, is clear, but it's the best method I could find without taking away the camera from my eye. That's what this is all about: never take away the camera while you spot birds. They are very much faster than a Jet-fighter. I know because when I first got to photograph those air-planes with my 150-600 mm, I have practised hours on birds flying over my house. That was not effortless and I also found that smaller birds are way more unpredictable than big birds who do not abruptly change direction (especially Swallows are acrobats).

@paulcantrell01451 10 месяцев назад

I got the olympus a couple weeks ago... Works well not only for birds but for butterflies, anything that flies erratically.

@JayPierstorff 10 месяцев назад

Butterflies! That's a great idea. 😀

@janvangastel6763 Год назад

I bought the EE-1 for using on my OM-systems OM-1 camera. Setup was easy, because I used to do that with my telescopes. Problem is, that the camera will not auto focus (I use back button focus with the AF-ON button) without me looking through the viewfinder or without the viewing screen opened. Is there a camera setting where that's not the case? I couln't find one in the manual. Thanks for your very informative video.

@JayPierstorff Год назад

If you are using back button focus, you will need to hold the AF-ON button while pressing the shutter. That should give you continuous auto focus.

@janvangastel6763 Год назад

@@JayPierstorff Yes, I do that, but it didn't work. I have disabled the eye sensor and now it workes as I want.

@wellingtoncrescent2480 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for the nice review, especially as I was unfamiliar with the idea. But with modern mirrorless cameras, doesn't the rear LCD screen reduce the utility of the dot sight? Or do you find tracking easier than the TTL view?

@JayPierstorff 10 месяцев назад

It doesn't really matter which camera you are using. The difficulty is viewing the screen with a greatly reduced field of view because of the zoom or telephoto lens. So the dot sight allows you to keep both eyes open and track the bird using just the reticle (crosshairs). This way you don't look through the camera viewfinder or the LCD screen at all, except to check your zoom range. It takes some practice, but the technique can yield some excellent results.😀

@wellingtoncrescent2480 10 месяцев назад

@@JayPierstorff Thanks. I had never heard of a dot sight before, but I'm intrigued, and I am thinking seriously about picking one up. Thanks again.

@pampurrs88 10 месяцев назад

I just saw this video and it got me interested in the PGD sight. Unfortunately, it is nowhere to be found as apparently the company has gone belly up. Is there another that is comparable in quality and features that you can recommend?

@JayPierstorff 10 месяцев назад

I have a few left for sale www.etsy.com/shop/BusinessCardDisplays

@synthgal1090 9 месяцев назад

I have a bit of interest in both firearms and photography. Something you might be interested in are pistol red dot sights. They're much smaller and are becoming more popular especially since both pistols and red dots are ideal for shorter ranges. Might be good for a lighter, more compact camera setup, and the reduced weight may be easier on the hot shoe.

@JayPierstorff 9 месяцев назад

That's a great suggestion. I will check them out.😀

@synthgal1090 9 месяцев назад

@@JayPierstorff Also, I have no experience purchasing red dots, but if you find a review of one where the main complaint is that recoil knocks it out of zero but the rest of it is good, that's not going to be nearly as much of a problem on a camera. So what a shooter might consider cheap amazon shit might be fine for photos.

@walters720 Месяц назад

Hi. Where can you get the camera mount for the red dot scope.

@JayPierstorff Месяц назад

www.jaypierstorff.com/dotsight

@fromia1 Год назад

Is the tracker from PGD still available? I wonder how long the shipping will take.

@JayPierstorff Год назад

Yes it is. They ship promptly to customers all over the world.

@frankfountain7680 Год назад

I just got my PGD Tracker. It took only three days to arrive.

@Chris_Wolfgram 10 месяцев назад

@8:28, yes ! There is a considerable amount of movement, even when tightened down ? And that's no good. How can this be rectified ? I have the SVbony, and I can't seem to lock it down tight enough, to adjust it, and then keep it there :(

@JayPierstorff 10 месяцев назад

That is the problem the PGD Tracker solves. That being said, the simple Higoo bracket (Or the Olympus Sight) can still work, but you do need to re-calibrate it each time you remove it and re-install it to the flash shoe. Once calibrated, you need to take care to not bump it and move it out of position while taking photos.

@Chris_Wolfgram 10 месяцев назад

@@JayPierstorff when you say, "to not bump it" that would be an understatement. With mine, you want to make sure you don't even breath on it.... or maybe look at it to intensely :) lol I swear it could shift just by shaking the camera "without" touching it. Still trying to figure out how to lock that sucker into one solid position ?

@paulmcwilliams8641 Год назад

I looked at this kind of thing some time ago because I found it difficult to acquire my subject using long lenses and I thought the Olympus and Nikon devices too expensive for what they were. My first attempt using a red dot sight worked, but I found it unsatisfactory because you were just using the dot sight and unable to see the framing in the lens and was unacquainted with the difficulties of parallax error.. Through experiment I decided to attach the red dot sight to the tripod foot of the lens and set it to the same position as the left lens of a binocular and my viewfinder acting as the right. To aquire the subject I leave the camera off, find the subject in the gun sight, switch the camera on and as soon as the viewfinder appears, my brain automatically merges the two images and the red dot appears overlaid in the viewfinder. I have used it to photograph dragonflies in flight, as well as birds. One has to calibrate the system depending on what the subject of the day is and mentally adjust the difference in the calibration by aiming a little above or below of the dot to allow for different distances from the calibration set up. I only use the system rarely now, as I have found I can do nearly do as well, with a pair of tie wraps fixed to my lens hood and attached to form a V on its side to the left of the lens hood. I calibrate the viewpoint assistance on site, shift the tie wraps up and down to my satisfaction. I acquire the subject in the v and switch on the camera and the subject generally appear somewhere in the viewfinder. I have to allow a bit.because things which are further away are at the tip of the V, things close are near the lens hood. I normally reduce the zoom a bit to give some leeway and adjust as necessary. The other advantage is tie wraps do not require a battery. If you would like to see the set up search "halgiver" "ephotozine" and go to page 2.

@lindakrugman6534 Год назад

If a camera has bird subject detection, is a dot sight still advantageous?

@paulmcwilliams8641 Год назад

@@lindakrugman6534 When using long lenses with small circles of viewpoint I find it can be difficult to get the subject into the viewfinder in the first place. Often one only has, often less than a second to align everything up. The red dot sight or other pointing aids give a rough guide then you use the viewfinder. When birds are in flight it is easy to lose the subject so a coarser guide will improve your hit rate. When I am photographing dragonflies I don't even use the viewfinder I just listen for the in focus prompting sound and press the shutter release.

@lindakrugman6534 Год назад

@@paulmcwilliams8641 Thanks for your reply. I'll give it some serious consideration.

@pedzsan 10 месяцев назад

I plan to buy one and test. My problem is not with flying birds. I can usually locate them in the view finder quickly enough. My problem is finding the birds nestled in foliage. I can spot them with my naked eyes but when I bring the camera to my eye, it takes an unreasonable amount of time to locate the bird in the view finder. I’m wondering if the dot sight will help me with this.

@JayPierstorff 10 месяцев назад

Yes, because you can have both eyes open and are not limited to the smaller angle of view through your viewfinder. They can still be hard to see in some lighting conditons, but at least once you know where they are you can more easily aim the camera. 😀

@davestokes3446 10 месяцев назад

Thanks for this, Jay. However, you don't think need to recalibrate every time; if you push the sight to the side of the hot shoe mount before clamping it up, it should return to the same alignment each time. I always push it to the left, but don't think it will make much difference.

@michaelmikelson2946 10 месяцев назад

I wonder if this might work for filming airplanes at airshows.....my camera is capable of video at 180 FPS.....

@JayPierstorff 10 месяцев назад

Yep, any fast moving subject is easier to track!

@michaelmikelson2946 9 месяцев назад

@@JayPierstorff thanks for the reply. I wonder if anyone out there has tried, and done a product review for fast moving subjects. I'd imagine race cars would be another great use for this. Thanks for putting out your video!

@TVSNOWOWL 10 месяцев назад

What about Nikon P1000?

@JayPierstorff 10 месяцев назад

Should work fine. Really, any camera with a zoom/telephoto lens and a flash/accessory shoe will work with any of these.

@dmystify1381 10 месяцев назад

Frame-rate might be a little bit down,but I will try this with my leica standard....🤣😂

@JayPierstorff 10 месяцев назад

Hey, at least you will have a shot with the bird in frame. 😄

@GamingGioPlays Год назад

if this was a actual firearm that would be some james bond type of gear they'd carry lol

@hha9232 Месяц назад

Do you need to calibrate the red dot for Every distance? I mean a bird can be 50 meters far and a second bird can be 300meters away…

@JayPierstorff Месяц назад

No, you calibrate once and you are good to go. Also, you are calibrating the camera body, so you can change lenses and you are still calibrated. Note, the dot sights do not work with close up objects (hence not useful for wide angles, macros, etc).

@hha9232 Месяц назад

@@JayPierstorff🙏🙏

@mostlymessingabout 9 месяцев назад

Accidentally switched camera for a shot gun... shot the birds though

@popcornparam 11 месяцев назад

guy talked for 15mins but didnt show even a single clip of the real red dot

@WalterReichelt 11 месяцев назад

that is not true, after 4min. he show it

@lordandythegreat 10 месяцев назад

@@WalterReicheltyou gotta fix your eyes to see what that really is😮

@alvinmorris5404 9 месяцев назад

It was shown at the beginning and then later in the video

@VagoniusThicket 9 месяцев назад

🫵🏼🐂💩🤡 He showed a whole page of dot sights . CornPop Scrote .

@RTReview. Год назад

this is the most american thing ive seen in a while :D just get a stacked sensor...

@frankfountain7680 Год назад

What do you mean by "just get a stacked sensor"?

@richardfink7666 Год назад

What you write doesn`t make any sense.

@RTReview. Год назад

@@richardfink7666 no Blackouts = easier to track.

@richardfink7666 Год назад

@@RTReview. That`s right.👍

@simonhooper2458 11 месяцев назад

You are totally missing the point. This isn't about blackouts, it is about being able to follow and keep the bird in frame, especially small fast moving birds that constantly change direction. This should work on everything from a canon m50 to a Sony A1. The only massive advantage between cameras will be if they have bird eye autofocus.