House Wren - High ISO practice

[Bill Dix]

D90; 80-400 VR @ 280 mm. with 25mm Ext. tube. ISO 3200. f/8. 1/400s. -0.7 EV. Tripod.

This wren has occupied a wren house hanging from a tree in our front yard. She hops in and out of the shadows and it is impossible to get a shot with even lighting. Here I boosted the ISO as high as the D90 will go, and practiced with Topaz Denoise to remove noise while preserving detail (finally got around to reading the tutorial). Used separate settings for subject and bg. I think this one held the detail pretty well. I got another with a nice pose and better HA, but lost a bit of the detail in processing that one. Worked on contrast, dodging and burning to ease the shadow lines, and removing bright spots in the bg. C&C appreciated.

[Meesh Fink]

The wren looks GREAT. :)

You could desaturate the magenta tones so her leg looks a more consistent color. I do think it's a little odd in terms of comp to see the oak leaves in the BG on the RHS, and then none on the left. It feels a bit unbalanced with all the action on the right. :)

[Bill Dix]

The wren looks GREAT. :)

You could desaturate the magenta tones so her leg looks a more consistent color. I do think it's a little odd in terms of comp to see the oak leaves in the BG on the RHS, and then none on the left. It feels a bit unbalanced with all the action on the right. :)

Good point about the leg. The sun was hitting this leg, and I burned it but didn't think to desaturate. Good idea. I agree it's unbalanced; but that's what it was and I didn't want to clone in some (birch) leaves on the other side.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Bill I like how you are experimenting, best way to learn... try for yourself and see results ... results .. would not call the bird looking great :) Bird needs detail and bg has a strange look !! Would suggest trying the same experiment but a slightly lower working ISO maybe 1250?

[Lance Peters]

Hi Bill - pushing the D90 to its limits :)
Looks a little strange to my eyes - head of the bird looks OK - then the rest of the body seems to have a green cast - realize the lighting was mixed - body looks a little overworked.
I dont think I would apply any NR to the subject itself - IMHO!

I ve been using NIK define with some good results - I am starting to form a opinion that the results you get with Capture NX/ Nik software is SOMETIMES better than 3rd party options.

[Bill Dix]

Thanks Al and Lance. Over the last 3 days I've shot several hundred frames of this little wren, using lots of different settings: fill flash from full strength to 1/64th, ISO from 400 through 1250 and 2500 to 3200, shutter speeds from 1/40 to 1/400. My conclusion, at least for these difficult lighting conditions and this flighty subject, is that with the improvements in NR technology, maintaining a high shutter speed (even with tripod) is more important than keeping the ISO down. This is a very different result than I had expected to find. I know there is a green cast since the subject was in shadow with light filtered through leaves and reflected from grass beneath, and that the light is uneven. I'll keep experimenting with different subjects; maybe I'll get better results next time.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Bill,these guys don't stay still for long. Had a pair nesting in my backyard and the 2 young fledged yesterday.Was lucky to be watching their uncertainty about leaving the nest.
I agree about the green caste which could be from reflected foliage. The light is mixed but not overly harsh. I would prefer the HA to be more towards the viewer and if this were mine I would crop a bit off the left...

[Meesh Fink]

Good point about the leg. The sun was hitting this leg, and I burned it but didn't think to desaturate. Good idea. I agree it's unbalanced; but that's what it was and I didn't want to clone in some (birch) leaves on the other side.

Greens on the wren might be fixable in a layer w/ desaturation, too...

Haha, well, for high ISO practice I think she looks great. ;) I gotta try those kinds of ISOs. I've been shying away from anything above 1000. :)

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Meesh The trick to these images is making the ISO work but not just be acceptable as a high ISO but acceptable !!! Some cameras like the D3s can do some amazing things and others are not far behind !!

I like to take a camera and push it to the limits taking its best attributes. If you notice I tend to use the D7 more than the Mk4, like the reach and not having to use a 1.4 to slow down the AF. At times there is not substitute for the other.

ISO wise just keep experimenting with the D7 to see how much I can get away with and make a good acceptable image but I try not to fall into the "its good for this ISO" .. just make it good ? btw will be starting to post some from my new iPhone as soon as I can figure how to get them out of there :)

[Meesh Fink]

Points well taken, Alfred! ;)

Hi Meesh The trick to these images is making the ISO work but not just be acceptable as a high ISO but acceptable !!! Some cameras like the D3s can do some amazing things and others are not far behind !!