BIG Owl on my Trail

[TheWaterbug]

My guess is that it's a Great Horned Owl, but I can't tell because it's too fast. I'm using external illuminators with my IP5M-T1179EW-28MM (downhill) and IP5M-B1186EW-28MM (uphill). Do you think I can get away with a faster shutter speed?

 

[djernie]

Sweet!

 

[TheWaterbug]

Here s/he is again. Still too blurry. I set the shutter speed to 1/60, but forgot to turn off the 3D Noise Reduction feature ‍. I've just turned off the 3D NR and set the shutter speed back to 1/30; we'll see what the next sighting looks like.

 

[IReallyLikePizza2]

Who?

 

[TheWaterbug]

S/he finally sat still for a few seconds! Ojai Raptor Center confirms it's a Barn Owl. Now s/he just needs to move into my super-deluxe Barn Owl Box and start eating my gophers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=accL9JdGwOo

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQDw6AOUZZA

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukGcH0V67B8

 

[TheWaterbug]

Hmmm. I set the shutter speed for 1/60, and my latest owl capture doesn't seem to look any sharper than the last one at 1/30.





Am I setting this in the correct place? I just set it to 1/120 to see if that helps, but the owl doesn't come by all the time. I hadn't seen him/her in about 2 weeks, so I don't know when I'll get another shot.

 

[sebastiantombs]

With the speed of the wings, esecially toward the wing tips, even 1/120 may have some blur but the rest should get much sharper.

 

[Mike A.]

Yeah, you'll have to go much higher to get moving wings stopped and clear. I've not tried with security cams but with a regular camera you're +1600 easy. Maybe you can get lucky and catch it in a glide at slower speeds.

 

[The Automation Guy]

Am I setting this in the correct place? I just set it to 1/120 to see if that helps, but the owl doesn't come by all the time. I hadn't seen him/her in about 2 weeks, so I don't know when I'll get another shot.

Yes.... BUT..........

A properly exposed image is the result of the proper combination of shutter speed and gain setting. If you set the shutter speed to a single number, then only thing the camera can change to get a good exposure is the gain setting. Most of us find we get better results if we use the "Manual" option instead of "Shutter Priority" and then set a range of numbers for both the shutter speed and gain setting instead of a single number. Something like "0-8ms" will allow the camera to set a shutter speed anywhere between 1/10000 (or whatever the camera's fastest shutter speed is) and 1/125. Setting it to 0-4ms assures your slowest shutter speed will be 1/250th/sec, etc. The ms setting doesn't have to be even numbers either, so "0-6.25" will work as an example. Set the range for the gain to something like 0-60 and see how that looks. You can always increase the gain range to ensure you images are bright enough. Currently with your "Shutter Priority" setting, the effective gain range is 0-100 right now.

Although the results should still give you a shutter speed of 1/125th or faster (or whatever speed you choose), the fact that you are allowing the camera more options when it comes to setting the exposure is going to give you better results over time.

 

[TheWaterbug]

^^
Thanks! No owl on the camera last night (just a coyote), but if the next capture is not satisfactory then I'll try fiddling with the gain settings as well. I don't want to turn too many dials at once!

 

[TheWaterbug]

Another owl capture. This one looks like a Great Horned Owl, although he parked himself right behind that weed , which I'm going to pull right now. I think he stopped to eat a bug.

He's not very large, so he might be a juvenile.

I'm still getting a lot of blurring on the wings, despite the Camera: Properties: Config Files: Night: Exposure: Shutter being set to 1/120. Is that the right place to set it? It doesn't look any less blurry from when I set it to 1/60. I'm going to try 1/250, but I want to be sure I'm setting it in the correct place.

 

[TheWaterbug]

Here's my latest owl, at 1/250. Can anyone tell whether it's any sharper than at 1/125 or 1/60? Or am I setting this in the wrong place?

 

[Mike A.]

Doesn't look like much if any to me. I don't think that you're going to be able to "get there from here." At least with any reasonable night settings. Day maybe.

As above, you'll need to be at much faster shutter speeds to get a clear shot of a fast moving bird like that especially with such a short time in the frame.

That's a tough one for sure. Even with a good low-light DSLR trying to get that shot might be a challenge.

 

[TheWaterbug]

No improvement in IQ, but great improvement in content today! This raccoon is lucky he packed on a few pounds over the winter. . . .

 

[Mike A.]

Great capture!

 

[TheWaterbug]

The owl and raccoon are at it again!!!I think this lends support to the theory that the owl isn't looking to eat the raccoon, but simply to warn it away. The raccoon doesn't seem to care:

 

[TheWaterbug]

No raccoon today, but I did get a beautiful 2-Up of the owl! Look at that wingspan:

 

[TheWaterbug]

This might be my best capture yet! You can actually hear her bonk him on the head!!

 

[Mike A.]

That is a great one. Owl owns that space huh? ; )

It's really moving when it hits that trail.

This has become one of my favorite cams. Thanks for posting it!

 

[TheWaterbug]

That is a great one. Owl owns that space huh? ; )

She wants to own it, but it's actually pretty crowded! Thus far I've captured:

• This GHO, with the big wingspan. I'm pretty sure this is a smaller one, as well, as the wingspan looks much, much smaller.
• A barn owl
• 4 coyotes, all traveling together
• 3 raccoons
• An opossum
• At least 2 feral cats that I don't bother posting video of

That's the carnivores. They're competing for a gazillion squirrels, gophers, peafowl, and lesser birds. Surprise!