- Jul 22 3:34 pm
#91446
Here's a simple 3D printed target tracker to aid in bird photography that I designed for my own use, which might be of interest to others.
The problem with following birds, aircraft, or whales is that if they move out of the frame on a long zoom, it takes too long to zoom wider, find them and recapture. Whales don't move quickly but they dive and you have to watch more of the ocean surface to spot where they resurface. It also helps in video mode since the mirror's up and viewfinder is closed (except on mirrorless).
https://www.shapeways.com …=259223644&li=marketplace (external link)
Red dot trackers work and are accurate but are more expensive, taller, and need batteries.
The tracker slides into the hotshoe and has a low height so it's easy to sight through. You sight through the central concentric rings, which are placed as far away from your eye as feasible so they're visible and not too out of focus themselves. You can still see most of the scene around the target such as where the bird has moved to, where it might be going, what else is around the scene, or the rest of the ocean surface. The outer rings protect the alignment of the sighting rings. It's a friction fit and therefore could get pushed out and become lost, so use the little tether rings if you do buy it.
Hopefully this will be useful to others too.
Andy
The problem with following birds, aircraft, or whales is that if they move out of the frame on a long zoom, it takes too long to zoom wider, find them and recapture. Whales don't move quickly but they dive and you have to watch more of the ocean surface to spot where they resurface. It also helps in video mode since the mirror's up and viewfinder is closed (except on mirrorless).
https://www.shapeways.com …=259223644&li=marketplace (external link)
Red dot trackers work and are accurate but are more expensive, taller, and need batteries.
The tracker slides into the hotshoe and has a low height so it's easy to sight through. You sight through the central concentric rings, which are placed as far away from your eye as feasible so they're visible and not too out of focus themselves. You can still see most of the scene around the target such as where the bird has moved to, where it might be going, what else is around the scene, or the rest of the ocean surface. The outer rings protect the alignment of the sighting rings. It's a friction fit and therefore could get pushed out and become lost, so use the little tether rings if you do buy it.
Hopefully this will be useful to others too.
Andy
- By jewill