wildlife in yellowstone

We are going to Yellowstone next week for 10 days. Can anyone tell me what is the best overall f-stop to use? I have a canon 7D camera and a canon 70-200 lens that I will primarily be using. Any help or advise is greatly appreciated.

That’s a tough question to answer. The f-stop will vary depending on the subject. A photo of a bear may require a large aperture to isolate the subject from the background and provide a faster shutter speed, or a landscape photo may require a smaller aperture in order to bring more of the frame into focus.
Yellowstone is a wonderful place with a wide variety of subjects. I don’t think that there is any one best f-stop to use. I think it best to experiment and practice with your equipment before going to this special place.

Nancy - Based on your question, I'm going to ask - do you really understand what the f-stop is and what effect it has on your photos? There really is no such thing as the best f-stop. Since f-stop controls depth of field and how much light enters the camera, it depends on what you want and need for a given shot.

-- Smaller f-stop number (i.e. f/2.8 or f/4) means a larger physical opening, shallower depth of field, and lets in more light (so generally higher shutter speed or lower ISO to compensate)
-- Larger f-stop number (i.e. f/16 or f/22) means a smaller physical opening, a deeper depth of field and lets in less light (so generally lower shutter speed or higher ISO to compensate)

If you're not familiar with what the f-stop really is and how it relates to ISO and shutter speed (the three components of exposure), I'd suggest checking out a few links...

Excellent introductory video from Light and Matter
Companion Light and Matter article
Cambridge In Colour Exposure Tutorial
Camera Simulator Explanation
Camera Simulator with sliders to see what the effects of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO are on a photo

I will say this: I start wide open since my primary subject matter (wildlife) is often moving and the conditions are often far from optimal. Even in June, you may get snow, rain and gray. Much of my May trip was like this. So I often find it best to start wide open and then adjust accordingly as the subject, environment and lighting conditions present themselves in order to achieve the results I'm looking for.

Heading back to the park on Friday, so I may see you there.

Max

Ah, but many lenses are not at their best using a wide open aperture, so one stop down from that may produce better quality images.

F-8 go from there

You're absolutely right, John... but if I'm not happy with the noise my 7D (for example) produces at higher ISOs and I have a moving subject, I'd rather squeeze out extra shutter speed by opening the aperture than bumping the ISO. Obviously the decision will also be based in part on the equipment you're using, but after ~35 trips to Yellowstone, I feel more comfortable starting wide and working from there. So many animal encounters are fleeting--"grab the lens and fire out the window" type stuff, most recently a couple of martens and a weasel on my last trip--and rarely in bright sunny conditions, that I prefer to be prepared for the wildlife that isn't going to slow down for me. As much as I love experimenting with motion blur, the extra bump to 1/250th of a second can mean a lot. Of course, I still only get a shot half the time anyway.

I've become more cognizant over the years of the limitations in certain lenses I own, so I will absolutely stop down to f/8-f/11 if the situation allows it, in order to maximize the sharpness of the lens (the 100-400mm is a good candidate for this). But those situations are often limited with Yellowstone wildlife.

Max

If you have time, my suggestion is to rent a 100-400mm lens from LensRentals.com. I've been to Yellowstone & it's tough to get close enough to wildlife to get good shots at 200mm. The exception might be the bison when they are crossing the road. From the car, you can get pretty close...

As for the f-stop, the advice above is good...

I have a sweet 100-400 i would be willing to part with. A much better lens for wildlife in Yellowstone!

Thanks Jack, but I decided to go with a canon 2X extender. I am told by BH that this would be great with my lens.

Yellowstone is a great place even if you only have a point and shoot. Enjoy and be sure to get in the backcountry.

Lots of good advice on the f-stop question. I use my 70-200 with a 2X all the time and love it. It is much easier to handle than the 400, but you do lose some light with the extender. That is not usually a problem for me as I will increase the ISO to compensate.

I just returned from 5 days photographing spring wildlife in yellowstone. My suggestion, if you have time to get set up, is to take several shots of the scene that the bear or other wildlife is heading towards and adjust your camera accordingly, checking your histogram and making any necessary adjustments. I know this is optimal conditions and that sometimes the only shot is from a moving vehicle as the ranger is telling you that no parking is allowed. I used a 100 - 400 and definitely needed a bigger lens. If anyone has a good, used canon 600 they're looking at selling, I'm buying! The 100 - 400 has to be set on manual focus as auto focus doesn't work with the extender and a quick shot is virtually impossible to get because of that.