BIG Owl on my Trail

TheWaterbug

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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?

 
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TheWaterbug

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TheWaterbug

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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.


1618873881513.png

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.

1618872996718.png
 

Mike A.

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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

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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

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^^
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

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Another owl capture. This one looks like a Great Horned Owl, although he parked himself right behind that weed :mad: :mad: , 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.

 

Mike A.

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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

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