I have been shooting now for many years. As I have gotten better I still find way too many pictures like this one. Even shooting out of a blind in my yard with the nice perch and close targets, I seem to only get about a 10% success rate. I am shooting a 40D, 100-400L IS. This was shot using a tripod. Here is a straight out the camera photo.
This photo is just not that sharp. I have considered getting a 400 f5.6 or a 7D (and micro adjust focus)?
I thought this was shot with my 100-400, but I took this with a borrowed 300f4. It's an old lens and does not have IS. I was trying it out to see if I got better results than the 100-400. It is worse! I think this may need calibration, not sure.
Bruce,
I am far from an expert, but I think with some levels work on the head and selective sharpening of the entire bird you would have a keeper. I like the soft light and pose. The perch is nice other than blocking most of the tail. I am not at all familiar with your camera and lens but I had this same issue and found that with small birds my effective range of super sharp focus was substantially reduced. With small to medium size birds, I have a 98% succes rate from 30' and a 50% success rate from 50'. For my backyard setup, I improved my hide and moved my perches closer.
Peter
I'm learning just like you and I've found that a tripod/monopod is absolutely essential if I want to get a tack sharp image. I prefer a tripod but hesitate to carry that much weight around. I've practiced with a monopod with surprisingly good results. You might give it a try.
Short of a tripod/monopod, you might just find something to rest the lens on in your blind. I think it would make a world of difference for you.
Help with soft focus
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