Cat Bird 2

[mikedelaney]

canon 40D with sigma 50-500mm lens.
f 7.1
1/60 sec.
ISO 800
i think this is better than the last cat bird i got. i'm beginning to think maybe i am at the best this lens can do.
i'm still looking for hairs on the feathers like i see in some of the others shots. at any rate, this was the best i could do on this date. i hope i have done most of what you have instructed me to do.

[Alfred Forns]

Does look much better Mike !!! I'm seeing a good composition and also like the bg Would clone the one large branch behind his head Here is one instance fill flash would have helped.

I selected the bird and lighten some with shadow/highlight then curves. For selecting just used the magic wand with a 40 setting since the bird was so much different than it surroundings, worked well. Remember to obtain the detail you are looking for a subject with good lighting is needed !!!!

[Doug Brown]

The 50-500 is a pretty good lens Mike. It's not in the same league as the 500 f/4, but it's plenty good. I have a couple of suggestions and one question for you. First the suggestions. Use a flash and a better beamer. Use a smaller aperture; I suspect you won't get the sharpest stuff this lens can produce at f/7.1. Push your ISO higher if you need to; it's easier to reduce noise in PP than it is to sharpen an OOF picture due to a slow shutter speed. Try to look for perches with more ambient light than one like this. Now the question. What kind of camera support are you using? At 1/60 and 500mm (without IS) on a 1.6 crop camera, you need a tripod to get sharp results. Don't give up hope, and keep working with your lens! I took some pretty mediocre pictures with my 500 f/4 when I first got it, but over time figured out how to get the most out of the lens. Thanks for posting!

[Brian Wong]

Hi Mike!

I think Doug might have the answer you are looking for ... 1/60 is pretty slow for any long lens to be sharp without outstanding technique and some luck.

Please try again to prove it yourself ... but please try with a much higher shutter speed, and on a subject in much brighter light (try for one not in the shade).

Also, curious if these are full frame ... as cropping tend to start losing detail. Keep it up!

[mikedelaney]

hi you guys,

i found out something that is helping with the images. for the ones i have put up so far i used a program called imagenomic for noise control. i worked on tomorrow's picture of a juvenile cardinal using ps noise control controlling blue channel noise only. from what i see it seems much better. the imagenomic seems to blur the details too much..
Brian, i have been using full frame 100% images and then sharpening that. the one i will use tomorrow looks real promising. i have a slow shutter on this also with f 6.3 and ISO 800, but the details are great compared to this one.
Al, the image the way you worked it does seem a lot better. you know i got so used to curves that i had almost forgotten that great standby 'shadow and highlight' tool.
Doug, i guess it is a poor craftsman who blames his tools. pardon me for that one.
i think i might have to live with the shade because of my circumstances. but i am going to try to get better light by setting up in a different direction than i currently am at. i might get different birds there too.
thanks to all of you for putting up with my bad work.

[Kent Wilson]

Hi MIke --

You don't need to apologize for your work. While it may not yet measure up to the standards you have set for yourself, it is still acceptable. Just keep working and learning. Bird photography has a steep learning curve, and even the experts continue to learn. I have found this group is the best bargain in photography; don't get discouraged and just keep submitting and learning from the best group I've come across.

Do you ever get over to Hawk Mountain? I've only been there twice, and never at the best times, but I sure do like that place.

[Harold Davis]

hey mike!! i use the bigma too!! it can be challenging at times, but it does a pretty good job!! there's no doubt it does better in some situations. it takes some pretty sweet pics in good light and i have found that it really thrives around f/8-f/10. unforunately, you would not be using those stops in a situation with a busier bg, but if you find yourself with a clean bg and good light and can keep your ss in an acceptable range, give it a shot!! i was going to say exactly what doug did. awesome info there!!! flash and better beamer are a must!! good luck and cant wait to see some more from you!!

[Brian Wong]

hi you guys,

i found out something that is helping with the images. for the ones i have put up so far i used a program called imagenomic for noise control. i worked on tomorrow's picture of a juvenile cardinal using ps noise control controlling blue channel noise only. from what i see it seems much better. the imagenomic seems to blur the details too much..
Brian, i have been using full frame 100% images and then sharpening that. the one i will use tomorrow looks real promising. i have a slow shutter on this also with f 6.3 and ISO 800, but the details are great compared to this one.
Al, the image the way you worked it does seem a lot better. you know i got so used to curves that i had almost forgotten that great standby 'shadow and highlight' tool.
Doug, i guess it is a poor craftsman who blames his tools. pardon me for that one.
i think i might have to live with the shade because of my circumstances. but i am going to try to get better light by setting up in a different direction than i currently am at. i might get different birds there too.
thanks to all of you for putting up with my bad work.

Hi Mike!

Sounds promising and will be looking for the new post. Can you also please describe your complete processing workflow? I believe there are some issues that may be hindering your efforts.