Green Heron Profile

[Daniel Grossi]

I wanted this photo to be so much more, but it almost seems flat and boring to me. Angle is a little high also. Am I over-thinking this one, or am I on to something? Third trip using the TC-14E III and I have to say it's really disappointing me. Images seem to be softer than without it, feather detail isn't as sharp and with a string of shots I'm seeing more with missed focus. I've AF fine tuned it a few times now. I'll redo the fine tune and give it another shot this evening at sunset, but if this keeps up, I may just return it. Any tips? Am I doing something wrong perhaps?

Nikon D500 (Handheld)
Nikkor 600mm f/4E FL ED VR -w- TC 14E III
1/2000
f/8
ISO-400
Center Weighted Average

Cleveland, Ohio USA
July 2017
Warm and sunny 3 1/2 hours after sunrise.

[Joseph Przybyla]

I like greenies, one of my favorite birds but so elusive. Your critique I think is correct. Try turning the autofocus fine tuning off. Most times it is not needed. If it is needed it must done with great precision, if not the adjustment will make things worse. Also remember that with a 600 and teleconverter there is a lot of atmosphere you are shooting through. Heat shimmer and refraction, especially on a hot day, can make an image soft. Another thing to keep in mind is that phase detect autofocus while being fast is not perfect. Capture several images and pick the best.

[Daniel Grossi]

I like greenies, one of my favorite birds but so elusive. Your critique I think is correct. Try turning the autofocus fine tuning off. Most times it is not needed. If it is needed it must done with great precision, if not the adjustment will make things worse. Also remember that with a 600 and teleconverter there is a lot of atmosphere you are shooting through. Heat shimmer and refraction, especially on a hot day, can make an image soft. Another thing to keep in mind is that phase detect autofocus while being fast is not perfect. Capture several images and pick the best.

Same Joseph, I love Green Herons. Like you said, they are really elusive - you can only imagine how I felt when I saw him land on this tree. I got to watch him eat a frog he caught also! Took a few shots, but they're too busy to be worth anything. Great experience though.

Thanks for your input regarding the teleconverter. I'll disable the AF fine tune when I'm out shooting later and see if I get better results.

[Daniel Cadieux]

You got a nice head turn, and a good perch. It's the solid background that is having you question the "flatness" of the image. Strong light too, did you need to lessen the contrast? Not familiar with Nikon gear and their quirks, so can't help you there...but Joe has a point about heat haze/shimmer and atmospheric distortions from longer distances. It happens more than people realize...

[Arthur Morris]

What are you using to micro-adjust? The windblown ruffled feathers hurt because of the off sun-angle shadows. While I have seen many nice images with this lens none have been made with a TC ... Sometimes a given lens model just does not do well with TCs, especially those at bargain prices, i.e., this lens is super cheap by Nikon standards ...

with love, artie

ps: not to mention the historic problems with the various versions of the Nikon TCE 20s ...

[Glenn Conlan]

What are you using to micro-adjust? The windblown ruffled feathers hurt because of the off sun-angle shadows. While I have seen many nice images with this lens none have been made with a TC ... Sometimes a given lens model just does not do well with TCs, especially those at bargain prices, i.e., this lens is super cheap by Nikon standards ...

with love, artie
Artie, that is not a cheap lens, that is the new 600mm F4 lens similar to the Canon Series 2. It is the lens I use extensively.

Glenn
ps: not to mention the historic problems with the various versions of the Nikon TCE 20s ...

The Nikon TCE 2 is junk but the new 1.4III is great

[Glenn Conlan]

Daniel, I have the same lens and teleconverter, using it with a D5 and occasionally with a D500. I have not experienced a problem with either. Have never had a reason to fine tune the setup so I have not. The atmospheric conditions referred to by others can be a problem with any camera and lens.

Glenn

[Daniel Grossi]

You got a nice head turn, and a good perch. It's the solid background that is having you question the "flatness" of the image. Strong light too, did you need to lessen the contrast? Not familiar with Nikon gear and their quirks, so can't help you there...but Joe has a point about heat haze/shimmer and atmospheric distortions from longer distances. It happens more than people realize...

Good eye Daniel, I did reduce the contrast actually (-15). I think it's the second time I've ever done it. Light was high and strong. I'll keep fooling around with this combo - perhaps it's shooting technique or settings...

[Daniel Grossi]

What are you using to micro-adjust? The windblown ruffled feathers hurt because of the off sun-angle shadows. While I have seen many nice images with this lens none have been made with a TC ... Sometimes a given lens model just does not do well with TCs, especially those at bargain prices, i.e., this lens is super cheap by Nikon standards ...

with love, artie

ps: not to mention the historic problems with the various versions of the Nikon TCE 20s ...

Thanks for the input Arthur! I'm not using any software or specialized equipment for the micro adjust. Just focusing on a high-contrast object in my backyard and saving values. I've had great results in the past doing it that way, I'm thinking it's time to look into software, LensAlign etc. The 600mm f/4E + TC-14E III combo is pretty popular and plenty of people are getting great results with the two. Unlike many of you in here, I'm far from professional and have much less experience. Perhaps I need to look into a mirror to find the problem. If this lens is super-cheap by Nikon's standards by the way... I was thoroughly ripped off ha ha.

[Daniel Grossi]

Daniel, I have the same lens and teleconverter, using it with a D5 and occasionally with a D500. I have not experienced a problem with either. Have never had a reason to fine tune the setup so I have not. The atmospheric conditions referred to by others can be a problem with any camera and lens.

Glenn

I'm going to keep working with this combo, perhaps it's simply technique or settings. I'm going to look through your posts for this combo and the results you're getting.

[Daniel Grossi]

Daniel, I have the same lens and teleconverter, using it with a D5 and occasionally with a D500. I have not experienced a problem with either. Have never had a reason to fine tune the setup so I have not. The atmospheric conditions referred to by others can be a problem with any camera and lens.

Glenn

Any particular D500 + TC-14E III + 600 f/4E photos on your page I should look for?

[Daniel Grossi]

What are you using to micro-adjust? The windblown ruffled feathers hurt because of the off sun-angle shadows. While I have seen many nice images with this lens none have been made with a TC ... Sometimes a given lens model just does not do well with TCs, especially those at bargain prices, i.e., this lens is super cheap by Nikon standards ...

with love, artie

ps: not to mention the historic problems with the various versions of the Nikon TCE 20s ...

Weird timing on this - I'm on break at work watching one of your B&H videos from a few years back. More than a handful of times you said "you need to learn how to effectively use a teleconverter." Perhaps a lot of this is technique...

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks for the input Arthur! I'm not using any software or specialized equipment for the micro adjust. Just focusing on a high-contrast object in my backyard and saving values. I've had great results in the past doing it that way, I'm thinking it's time to look into software, LensAlign etc. The 600mm f/4E + TC-14E III combo is pretty popular and plenty of people are getting great results with the two. Unlike many of you in here, I'm far from professional and have much less experience. Perhaps I need to look into a mirror to find the problem. If this lens is super-cheap by Nikon's standards by the way... I was thoroughly ripped off ha ha.

YAW. My LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjusting Tutorial e-Guide should be available by mid-August the latest. See the blog or here to purchase LensAlign/FocusTune.

with love, artie