Yeah, AF sucks It's OK for family shooting, predictable action scenes (sports), and large stuff (elephant). But for non-frame-filling stuff or small in-flight stuff, I think manual is the only way to go.

To be fair, when I shot those northern rough-winged swallows, I did try the AF with the 300mm. Not even close! The camera/lens had no idea why I was shaking it so violently as it tried to pick out a piece of pond scum or a cattail.


...back to basics.......