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Tobie, I think this is wonderful! Giraffes are perfect for portraits. Nice light, great detail and sharpness and a very pleasing pose.
When you say you missed the correct settings, did you meant the f/20? You got a sharp shot, and more impressive handheld at that SS with a nicely low ISO. It looks like you got enough DOF to get the nose and horns both in focus. That's not a normal choice for an aperture, but maybe in a closeup shot like this, the diffraction softening is a good tradeoff for the DOF gained.
Was the f/20 left over from your landscape shot? An aperture like that is giving you softening from diffraction that can be a price that may not be worth it for the added depth of field, and more so with an APS-C sensor size than a full-frame. I'd do some careful tests but I think you'll find that you start getting diffraction softening at f/13 or below, maybe even f/11. It may be more obvious in some shots than others, of course.
For a landscape, careful focus at the hyperfocal distance will usually give a pleasing image -- you may want some features sharper than others. A BG falling off to slightly ofter can enhance a FG subject subtly and nicely. Or sometimes, even the reverse.
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Thanks for your comments Diane. Yes, by 'incorrect' I meant that I'd never consider taking any wildlife pics at f20 and 1/100s (unless they're really still for some reason). In this case it worked out well because at 630mm the shallow DOF deceives me quite often (still trying to get used to this combo) - not here! I must admit 99.9% of the time I'd take my landscapes with my FF Nikon on 24mm, cutting out most of the issues you've mentioned.
Thanks for commenting Peter. In general my animal shots are at f8 or wider, unless otherwise needed. I have already cooled down the shot a little and I love this temp - thanks for the suggestion.
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Lifetime Member
This is really one heck of an image!
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Wow, you've had me there for a moment Marina - could not remember at all which shot your comment was referring to! Thanks regardless!