OM System Bird and Wildlife Photography: Tips for Better Photos

One of the most frustrating parts of bird and wildlife photography is returning home with photographs that looked sharp in the viewfinder but appear soft when viewed on a computer when you get home.

It is easy to blame the camera, lens, teleconverter, or autofocus system when a photograph does not meet expectations. While equipment limitations can sometimes play a role, the photographer’s decisions in the field are often just as important. Understanding how to configure an OM System camera, how autofocus behaves in real wildlife situations, and how to diagnose soft images can make a significant difference.

I have photographed birds and wildlife with Olympus and OM System equipment for many years, using cameras ranging from earlier Olympus OM-D bodies to the OM-1 and OM-1 Mark II. My wildlife lenses have included the Olympus 40–150mm f/2.8 PRO, Olympus 300mm f/4 IS PRO, and OM System 150–400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO, along with the MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters.

The following tips are the techniques and settings that have helped me consistently capture sharper bird and wildlife images and understand what went wrong when a photograph was soft.

1. Configure Custom Modes for Different Wildlife Situations

Wildlife photography can change from a perched bird to flight or sudden action in seconds. Instead of changing several settings individually, I configure consecutive Custom Modes for the situations I encounter most often. Keeping them next to each other on the Mode Dial makes them easier to remember and switch between quickly.

For example, one Custom Mode can be set up for still birds with S-AF and a Small AF Target, another for birds in flight with C-AF, Bird Detection, and a larger AF Target, and a third for fast action using Pro Capture. The exact settings can be adjusted for your shooting style, but the goal is to move between very different wildlife situations with a single turn of the Mode Dial.

The OM-1 also lets you choose whether changes made while using a Custom Mode are retained with the Hold setting, which can be useful as light and conditions change during a wildlife session.

For the complete setup, including my Custom Modes, autofocus settings, and button assignments, see How I Set Up the OM System OM-1 for Nature Photography.

A sharp image often comes from reducing the time between seeing the opportunity and capturing the photograph.

2. Build Muscle Memory So You Can React Faster

Wildlife opportunities often disappear in seconds, so knowing where important controls are located can be just as important as choosing the right settings.

On my OM System cameras, I want to be able to change the AF Target size, move the AF Target with the Multi Selector, adjust ISO, switch Custom Modes, and access other frequently used functions without taking my eye away from the viewfinder. I also configure the controls as consistently as possible across my different OM System cameras and Custom Modes.

The goal is not to memorize every OM System menu. It is to practice the handful of controls you use constantly until operating them becomes automatic. That lets you concentrate on the bird or animal instead of the camera when something suddenly changes.

For more detail on the controls and settings I use to react quickly in the field, see OM System Bird & Wildlife Photography Settings: How to React Faster in the Field.

3. Understand How OM System Autofocus and Subject Detection Work Together

Subject Detection is one of the most useful autofocus features on newer OM System cameras, but the AF Target still plays an important role.

For a bird flying against a clean sky or an animal moving through an open area, a larger AF Target gives the camera a broader area in which to initially find the subject. In cluttered situations—such as a bird among branches or an animal partly hidden by grass—a smaller AF Target can help tell the camera which part of the scene you want it to concentrate on.

You can use the Multi Selector (joystick) to move the AF Target Area, and you can keep it pressed while rotating the front or rear dial to quickly cycle through AF Target Modes.

You can also streamline this further in AF Menu → 6. AF Target Settings & Operations → AF Target Mode Settings by selecting only the AF Target Modes you actually use. That reduces the number of target areas you have to scroll through when the action changes quickly.  

Subject Detection is not foolproof. I have had mixed results when subjects are small, partially hidden, or surrounded by competing detail. When changing the AF Target does not solve the problem, I can quickly switch to my S-AF Custom Mode and place a Small AF Target directly on a stationary bird or animal.

4. Use Focus Limiters to Control Autofocus Behavior

Focus limiters narrow the distance range the autofocus system searches, which can make it faster and more reliable in difficult situations.

Many Olympus and OM System telephoto lenses include a physical Focus Limiter switch, but compatible cameras also have an internal AF Limiter that is much more precise. On the OM-1, you can save three different distance ranges and quickly switch between them. I also like assigning the AF Limiter to a button so I can turn it on or off without going into the menu.

Focus limiters are especially useful when:

• Photographing from a predictable distance
• Shooting through foreground vegetation
• Tracking birds or wildlife beyond nearby obstacles
• Photographing birds returning to a perch
• Working from a blind where the subject distance is fairly consistent

For situations where I know roughly where the subject will be, the internal limiter can make autofocus more efficient. When I do not have time to set a precise distance range, I use the physical limiter switch on the lens instead.

For a detailed setup guide, including how to configure the three distance ranges, assign the AF Limiter to a button, and use PreMF to estimate subject distance, see How to Use the Olympus / OM System Internal AF Limiter to Improve Your Bird Photography.

5. Protect Shutter Speed Before Protecting ISO

OM System’s excellent image stabilization can make it easy to handhold long lenses at surprisingly slow shutter speeds, but wildlife movement still determines how fast the shutter really needs to be.

For birds in flight, I generally want at least around 1/1600 second, and faster for small or erratic birds. For slower wildlife action or predictable bird behavior, I have captured sharp images at 1/800 second and sometimes even slower. The key is matching the shutter speed to what the subject is actually doing rather than automatically using the same setting for every situation.

I normally shoot Aperture Priority, keep the lens wide open or close to it, and adjust ISO as the light changes to maintain the shutter speed I need. If you prefer Auto ISO, OM System cameras also provide an ISO-A Lowest S/S setting that lets you control when the camera begins raising ISO instead of allowing the shutter speed to fall too far.

One OM-1-specific caution is SH2. In Aperture Priority, if the light drops below what the selected SH2 settings can support, the camera can hold its minimum permitted shutter speed and produce an underexposed image while the shutter-speed display blinks. That is easy to miss when you are concentrating on a moving subject.

With today’s noise-reduction software, I am also more willing to raise ISO than I was with older Olympus bodies. A sharp high-ISO file can often be cleaned up very well with software such as DxO PureRAW, while subject motion blur is much harder to repair.

6. Use Pro Capture for Action You Can’t Reliably Time

Pro Capture is one of the most useful OM System features for bird and wildlife action because it begins buffering images when you half-press the shutter. When the action happens and you fully press the shutter, the camera saves images in the buffer along with the frames that follow.

It is especially useful for:

• Birds taking off from or landing on a perch
• Short bursts of wildlife behavior that are difficult to anticipate
• Actions such as the Prairie Dog Jump-Yip that happen faster than you can reliably react

I captured a Prairie Dog Jump-Yip using Pro Capture, which is a good example of why the feature is useful beyond bird photography. The behavior happens quickly, and waiting until you see the jump before fully pressing the shutter can mean missing the beginning of the action.

Pro Capture capabilities vary by OM System camera, so check the options available on your model. On the OM-1 and OM-1 Mark II, I mainly use ProCap and switch to ProCap SH2 when I think the higher frame rate will help capture very fast action. ProCap can shoot up to 20 fps, while ProCap SH2 can shoot up to 50 fps with compatible lenses. ProCap SH1 is faster, but focus is effectively locked for the sequence, making it less useful when subject distance is changing quickly.

I save my Pro Capture setup in a Custom Mode so I can switch to it quickly when I anticipate action. Pay particular attention to Max fps, Pre-shutter Frames, and Frame Count Limiter. Setting these higher than you actually need can quickly create hundreds of nearly identical images and significantly increase the amount of culling afterward.

A fast UHS-II SD card is also worthwhile for Pro Capture. These cards have a second row of contacts and provide faster write speeds, which can help clear large bursts from the camera’s buffer more quickly.

For more detail on configuring and using Pro Capture for wildlife action, see How to Use Bird Detection AF with Pro Capture on the OM System OM-1.

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Use Teleconverters for Extra Reach

Teleconverters sometimes have a reputation for producing softer photographs, but my experience with Olympus and OM System teleconverters has generally been much more positive, particularly with the PRO telephoto lenses.

The biggest advantage over cropping is that a teleconverter increases the effective focal length, projecting a larger image of the bird or animal onto the sensor and putting more pixels on the subject. Cropping uses only the pixels captured in a smaller portion of the frame. When the lens and teleconverter combination performs well, the teleconverter can preserve more usable detail than shooting with the bare lens and cropping heavily afterward.

Combinations I have used successfully include:

• MC-14 with the Olympus 300mm f/4 IS PRO
• The built-in 1.25x teleconverter on the 150–400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO
• MC-20 with the Olympus 40–150mm f/2.8 PRO

The tradeoff is light. A teleconverter reduces the effective maximum aperture, which may require a higher ISO to maintain the shutter speed needed for wildlife. With today’s noise-reduction software, I am more willing to make that tradeoff than I was with older Olympus cameras.

A teleconverter also cannot solve problems caused by extreme distance or poor atmospheric conditions. If heat shimmer or haze is already destroying fine detail, adding more magnification may simply make the problem easier to see.

When I need the reach, I would rather use a teleconverter combination that I know performs well than automatically assume I will get a better result by shooting without it and heavily cropping later.

8. Use Good Handholding Technique Even with OM System Stabilization

One of the advantages of OM System for bird and wildlife photography is its excellent image stabilization. With lenses that support Sync IS, such as the 300mm f/4 IS PRO and 150–400mm f/4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO, the stabilization in the lens and camera work together, making long telephoto lenses very practical to use handheld.

Good technique still matters, particularly in low light or when holding a large lens in the shooting position for an extended period. Techniques I use include:

• Support the lens from underneath with your left hand near its balance point rather than carrying most of the weight with the camera grip.
• Keep your elbows closer to your body to create a more stable platform.
• Use a stable stance, or sit or kneel when the situation allows.
• Lean against a tree, wall, vehicle, railing, or other solid object when one is available.
• Press the shutter gently rather than jabbing it, which can introduce unnecessary movement.
• Control your breathing. Take a breath, slowly exhale, and release the shutter during the brief respiratory pause at the end of the exhale.
• When photographing a relatively stationary subject, shoot a short burst. Small differences in your movement can make one frame noticeably sharper than the others.

These techniques become especially useful with a lens such as the 150–400mm. I find the lens well balanced for handheld shooting, but fatigue becomes more noticeable when holding it in shooting position for a long period. A relaxed, balanced stance helps both stability and endurance.

OM System stabilization gives you a significant advantage, but combining it with good long-lens technique improves the odds of getting the most from it.

9. Determine Whether Softness Is Focus or Shutter Speed

When I see a soft bird or wildlife photograph in the field, the first two things I check are autofocus and shutter speed. In my experience, one of these is usually the cause.

If something in front of or behind the subject is sharp, autofocus probably missed the intended subject. With OM System cameras, that may mean Subject Detection selected the wrong subject or the AF Target was too large for a cluttered scene. Try repositioning or reducing the AF Target, or switch to your S-AF Custom Mode for a stationary subject.

If autofocus appears to have been on the subject but part or all of the bird or animal is blurred, shutter speed may be the problem. A head turn, wing movement, or moving feet may blur only part of the subject, while faster movement can make the entire subject look soft even when autofocus was correct. Increase ISO if necessary rather than allowing the shutter speed to fall too far.

Checking these two things first gives you a quick correction you can make while the bird or animal is still there instead of discovering the problem later on your computer.

Final Thoughts

Getting better bird and wildlife photographs with OM System equipment is not about finding one perfect autofocus setting or relying on Subject Detection to solve every situation.

The biggest improvements have come from configuring the camera so you can react quickly, understanding how AF Targets and Subject Detection work together, protecting shutter speed as conditions change, and knowing when features such as the AF Limiter, Pro Capture, Sync IS, and teleconverters can help.

OM System cameras provide an impressive set of tools for bird and wildlife photography. Learning when and how to use those tools can help you react faster, make better decisions in the field, and come home with more successful photographs.