Costa Rica is a paradise for bird photographers, offering a stunning array of hummingbirds that challenge even the most experienced shooters. One such gem is the Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii), a vibrant and agile species known for its dazzling iridescence and rapid flight. Photographing this magnificent bird at a feeder at the Cabañas Colibrí Tayutic requires not only patience but also the right gear. Enter the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM and Canon Speedlite 580EX, a combination that promises speed, clarity, and precision.
Canon’s RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM is a flagship telephoto zoom which is explained with all its advantages in this blog.
Important key features for the photography not only of Green-breasted Mango are a fast f/2.8 aperture, an Optical Image Stabilization (IS) and a Dual Nano USM Autofocus. The wide aperture allows for fast shutter speeds, the IS help compensate for hand movements, which is especially useful when tracking erratic flight patterns and last not least a quick and silent focusing ensures sharp captures even when the subject moves unpredictably.
This all was combined with the Canon flash Speedlite 580EX. The Canon Speedlite 580EX is a powerful flash that helps illuminate the subject without overpowering the natural ambiance. This is necessary, as the hummingbirds are often found in shaded areas, where natural light might not be sufficient to bring out their shimmering feathers.
Shooting the Green-breasted Mango at a Feeder required not so much careful planning. The background with it soft greens and light browns enhanced the bird’s iridescence. The flight in front of a feeder ensured a quite predictable position to make the RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM – lens focus on.
For the flash images I set the camera settings on a shutter speed of 1/160s with an aperture of f/2.8 to freeze in combination with the ultra-short flash-light motion and to make for a shallow depth of field, ensuring subject separation. The ISO set automatically on ISO 200, which helped to keep noise minimal.
The Speedlite was used in HSS mode with diffused light to balance natural and artificial light. The Autofocus Tracking was based on Canon’s eye-tracking feature which ensures sharp focus even as the bird darts around the feeder.
Costa Rica’s biodiversity offers endless photographic opportunities. The Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM paired with the Speedlite 580EX on a Canon EOS R5 is a formidable trio for capturing fast-flying subjects like the Green-breasted Mango. The lens’s sharpness, quick autofocus, and lightweight design, combined with the Speedlite’s ability to freeze motion and enhance lighting, make for breathtaking images at least on close distances like flying hummingbirds around feeders. The Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM was rented as almost new equipment with voundr.com (https://voundr.com/ ) for three weeks for roughly € 600. For this duty to capture these stunning avian moments the equipment was excellent, maybe even a game-changer. But besides that, I did almost all other photos with the combination of the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM and the Canon EOS R5.
To cope with the growing demand for top shots of the rarer species of the Palearctic Bird-Lens is keen to enrich the range of pictures of birds you can find in the western palearctic. Trips to remote places like this one to capture images of rare birds of western palearctic were very successful. The nice images of the blog is only a first impression, what you will find in the gallery in the “Picture Shop“. Just give a notice if you need a picture of a bird which is not online.