Northern Cardinal

[Joel Eade]

It's been heavy overcast here the last couple of days so i have been working with higher than normal ISO settings just to see how well I might be able to do....this is decent I think, at least for web use.

Topaz Denoise used on the whole image at a very low setting and then a more aggressive setting on the BG only.

1D MKIV
500mm + 1.4 TC
Tripod
AV mode
Evaluative metering +1/3 stop
ISO 4000
1/200
f/5.6

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Joel, another sweet capture from the setup. ISO noise seems to be very good on the 1D4, I'm very happy with mine. I do think the image could be a tad sharper (did I say that?). I would tone down the bright area in the ULC and take a closer look at the color balance. The perch really shows a color shift, mostly toward blue. You can see blue highlights on the bird also. I took the liberty of making a color balance adjustment, which I think works for the bird and perch but if I had the separate layers I would only make the adjustment on them and not the bg. I think the bg went way too bright and green with my adjustments, but you get the idea I'm sure. Really sweet bird, I miss the cardinals and bluejays from my Indiana home.

[John Chardine]

Hi Joel- Nice portrait of what I find a difficult bird in these parts. They just don't seem to want to come out in the open. Yours obviously did. Are you sure he wasn't nailed to the perch?!!!!! You've capture the subtle red tones of the male well and Kerry's repost is an improvement. I too have been very happy with the high-ISO performance of the 1DIV.

[Joel Eade]

Hi Joel, another sweet capture from the setup. ISO noise seems to be very good on the 1D4, I'm very happy with mine. I do think the image could be a tad sharper (did I say that?). I would tone down the bright area in the ULC and take a closer look at the color balance. The perch really shows a color shift, mostly toward blue. You can see blue highlights on the bird also. I took the liberty of making a color balance adjustment, which I think works for the bird and perch but if I had the separate layers I would only make the adjustment on them and not the bg. I think the bg went way too bright and green with my adjustments, but you get the idea I'm sure. Really sweet bird, I miss the cardinals and bluejays from my Indiana home.

Thanks Kerry, the repost does look more red to me. How did you correct it?

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Joel,

Beautiful bird buL it could be sharper, maybe the NR and slow shutter caused the slight softness especially the head area. Bright area in ULHC is a bit distracting IMO too. Where was sensor located and did you desaturate the reds. Thank for sharing very regal subject position.

[Joel Eade]

Joel,

Beautiful bird buL it could be sharper, maybe the NR and slow shutter caused the slight softness especially the head area. Bright area in ULHC is a bit distracting IMO too. Where was sensor located and did you desaturate the reds. Thank for sharing very regal subject position.

Sensor (the center AF point) was on the eye, I did de-saturate the reds slightly and added a little cyan as well. The bright spot is a empty space in the tree foilage letting some sky peek through. The sharpness thing is mystifying to me....I seem to either get comments that it's too sharp or not sharp enough...I believe it to be very dpendent on the viewer's personal taste and perhaps what equipment they are viewing the image with....I am continuing to try to get it right

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Joel, I use the color balance adjustment in PS CS5. I pulled the blue down in all three zones - highlights, midtones, and shadows. I also moved the red/cyan slider a bit toward red. I think your addition of cyan was not necessary.

As for sharpening, it is a matter of taste to some extent, but there is a middle ground between too much and not enough. Not enough results in loss of feather detail, and too much causes artifacts like the "zipper" effect along edges and the white halo around the subject. If you check out the posts in avian and the associated comments about sharpness it might give more perspective.