I encouter a little of problem when shooting in low light. I use a canon 40D with a canon 500 4.0 IS + 1.4 TC. I shoot AV mode with Auto ISO. shutter speed 1/500 s fstop 5.6 ISO 800. Everytime I use a higher ISO I get so much noise in hte picture it's worthless. Any advice is welcome.
Judging from the IQ I'd say this is also a large crop? If so, this is your main IQ issue here. This will magnify the noise that you will get with high ISOs and will also degrade the fine details. I don't hesitate to use ISO 800 on my 40D, but I never need to crop so much. My first suggestion would be to photograph birds that are physically closer to you. With such an ugly perch (sorry gotta be honest man!) and the heron facing away I would not have bothered taking any images of it...even with the cool prey. In time you will learn when, what, and where (and all the hows that go with it) to photograph your subjects.
Keep practising, and don't forget to check out the Educational Resources forum...tons of great info there. I would also suggest getting Artie's ABP I & II.
IQ = Image Quality. In the Eager to Learn area of the forum there is a category labeled Acronym where you can find many definitions for acronyms/abbreviations used here at BPN.
Nice you caught this greeny with a nice mud puppy dinner. Good timing! Besides getting closer, less crop and using a lower ISO, you might bump you exposure by a third or more.
I can feel the excitement of you witnessing and photographing this, but Daniel made a very good point about crop and perch and your position relative to your subject.
Noise is also an enormous issue when you underexpose with your DSLR. Check this link as there is useful information about how to read your histogram and use it to your advantage. Don't be afraid man, get out there and get your hands dirty with practice. Looking forward to more of your images. Thanks for sharing. :)
Sorry I directed you to the wrong list. This list is posted twice. The one posted here http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=12681 Has additonal replies which adds more definitions including one for IQ. My favorite is SPU = Spousal Permission Unit, as in I have enough SPUs to buy that 500 f/4.
Hi Vermenton
I use the same setup as you.
Green Herons are a great little bird to photograph and what a nice dinner this one has caught.
The iron perch could be cropped a lot to bring out the heron.
Your right, it's low light, but you need a little stronger light to bring out the colors. But this is the colors that were present when you took the shot. The camera doesn't lie, but you eye remembers the colors as to what you generally see under brighter light.
You didn't say if you used a tripod or handheld? There is either camera movement or the focus is slightly off. I can't even tell by looking at the iron pipe which is the case.
Later you will find better poses, colors and light--keep at it. You have some excellent equipment for bird photograph and you'll only get better.
Green Heron
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