Mike Eddinger
11-06-2009, 11:09 AM
Hello all. I am NOT new to photography, but I am new to trying to capture good bird photos. I currently am working with a Canon 7D and a Canon 100-400mm IS tele.
I did do some work this year set up near my bird feeders. Captured some good shots (for me), but I am always amazed by some of the stunning shots I see on this forum. I have a few technique questions, but I'd like to start with one on focus.
My shots (mainly with Canon 50D) this summer/fall were often not in sharp focus. They were good, but pixel peeping at 100%, they were not as sharp as some I have seen (albeit, I often realize I am looking at a much reduced shot on this forum and think "wow, that is incredibly sharp", then I look at mine zoomed to 100% on a 23" LCD and think "yuch, my focus is not that good).
So I have a question on focus technique. Which best describes what you do
1. I rely on autofocus, and my shots are usual very sharp
2. I rely on autofucus, and I get some critically shart pictures, but certainly not nearly all
3. I do NOT rely on autofocus, I manually focus when I can
4. My shots are sharp enough, you will drive yourself nuts pixel peeping at 100%
And
What shutter speed do you think is required to get a really crisp shot of a "stationary" bird (i.e. ya, its moving some while sitting, not flying) while camera is on a tripod, NOT using mirror lockup or timer.... i.e. immediate shutter release when I push the button.
I really am probably like a crack addict... I have spent too much time on some of the more technical forums where everybody just does focus tests and shoots brick walls and focus targets. What a refreshing site this is, people actually take pictures. I really need to get over pixel peeping I think, and enjoy the photos at a reasonable size. To help me make this transistion, does somebody have full size photos that I could look at to see what 100% zooms look like for people who know what they are doing? I have to figure out whether I am taking shots that are as reasonable as one should expect, or, I really do have issues figuring out how to focus.
I could also use sharpening tips via Lightroom and Photoshop for typical bird shots.... i.e. for best feather detail without the dreaded over sharpened look...
Oh ya, most of my shots were with tripod and had shutter speeds of at least 1/250, so I am not making the newbie mistake of shooting a bird, handheld, at 400mm with 1/30th of a second shutter speed. I know 1/250 is often not fast enough, but I use fill flash often, as feeder is in a bit of a shady area. I will post some pics moving forward.
Thanks you all, I look forward to finally beating my pixel peeping crack addiction and getting back to enjoying taking pictures like I used to with my film camera!!
I did do some work this year set up near my bird feeders. Captured some good shots (for me), but I am always amazed by some of the stunning shots I see on this forum. I have a few technique questions, but I'd like to start with one on focus.
My shots (mainly with Canon 50D) this summer/fall were often not in sharp focus. They were good, but pixel peeping at 100%, they were not as sharp as some I have seen (albeit, I often realize I am looking at a much reduced shot on this forum and think "wow, that is incredibly sharp", then I look at mine zoomed to 100% on a 23" LCD and think "yuch, my focus is not that good).
So I have a question on focus technique. Which best describes what you do
1. I rely on autofocus, and my shots are usual very sharp
2. I rely on autofucus, and I get some critically shart pictures, but certainly not nearly all
3. I do NOT rely on autofocus, I manually focus when I can
4. My shots are sharp enough, you will drive yourself nuts pixel peeping at 100%
And
What shutter speed do you think is required to get a really crisp shot of a "stationary" bird (i.e. ya, its moving some while sitting, not flying) while camera is on a tripod, NOT using mirror lockup or timer.... i.e. immediate shutter release when I push the button.
I really am probably like a crack addict... I have spent too much time on some of the more technical forums where everybody just does focus tests and shoots brick walls and focus targets. What a refreshing site this is, people actually take pictures. I really need to get over pixel peeping I think, and enjoy the photos at a reasonable size. To help me make this transistion, does somebody have full size photos that I could look at to see what 100% zooms look like for people who know what they are doing? I have to figure out whether I am taking shots that are as reasonable as one should expect, or, I really do have issues figuring out how to focus.
I could also use sharpening tips via Lightroom and Photoshop for typical bird shots.... i.e. for best feather detail without the dreaded over sharpened look...
Oh ya, most of my shots were with tripod and had shutter speeds of at least 1/250, so I am not making the newbie mistake of shooting a bird, handheld, at 400mm with 1/30th of a second shutter speed. I know 1/250 is often not fast enough, but I use fill flash often, as feeder is in a bit of a shady area. I will post some pics moving forward.
Thanks you all, I look forward to finally beating my pixel peeping crack addiction and getting back to enjoying taking pictures like I used to with my film camera!!