Digital photography

[david charles]

I am a keen wildllife and bird photographer. I use a Nikon D70 with a 80-400mm VR lens mostly hand-held.I have been disappointed in that the images are not consistently tack-sharp. I have experimented in the backyard with different settings to see how to to get the best results,but to no avail.Is it time to make the switch to Canon?

[IanF]

Hi David,

On behalf of Admin and the Moderators welcome to Bird Forum :t:

I haven't ventured into DSLR photography yet but having been considering it for a while. I keep swinging between Nikon and Canon as to which way to go. I think lens wise Canon have the better selection by far but I often find myself drawn to the results from the Nikon for the same reason you quote - photos seem to be more consistently sharp with greater clarity.

Even amongst the Canon lenses the fixed lenses seem to produce the sharper results over the zooms. The zooms have the versatility to help with framing but general practice for bird photos is to use them at their longest extension which may not the their best performance range. Maybe a fixed lens for the Nikon is an alternative.

I've copied your post into the cameras and photography forum where it may attract more replies.

See you around.

[postcardcv]

I am a keen wildllife and bird photographer. I use a Nikon D70 with a 80-400mm VR lens mostly hand-held.I have been disappointed in that the images are not consistently tack-sharp. I have experimented in the backyard with different settings to see how to to get the best results,but to no avail.Is it time to make the switch to Canon?

I wouldn't rush to start switching systems, you've got a good set up and shoudl be able to get good results. There could be a number of reasons that your images are not as sharp as you'd like them to be.

Firstly there is the issue of the lens, image quality will always be limited by the lens you use, that said the 80-400 is supposed to be a good lens and should deliver good results.
Next issue might be shutter speed, if you are taking shots of birds and the shutter speed is not fast enough then the bird moving becomes and issue. You probably want to be shooting at 1/500th or faster, if the light is poor try uping the iso, this will increase the shutter speed.
Many poeple will struggle to handhold a long lens and get good results, so using a tripod may well help too. I have found that my best results have all come when using a tripod and a cable release (it all helps to reduce camera shake). If the idea (or cost) of a tripod doesn't appeal try using a monopod, they are relatively cheap (even for a good one) and will certainly help keep your set up stable.

[madmike]

You can't pick up a golf club and become a great golfer! The same with a camera!
One problem with the new longer lenses is that you need to develope a good tecnique as they are difficult to use well.
The depth of field for example can become VERY small and as already noted, camera shake is a real problem.
In addition, you MUST understand LIGHT and it qualities. This aspect can have a massive affect on a photo.

If possible always shoot in RAW and use a tri-pod!

Good luck.

madmike

[robski]

David a warm welcome to Bird forum

I agree with postcard - too many people switching systems and costing themselves a fortune before exhausting all the possibilities. As Mike says it takes time to learn when you will get good shots with long telephotos. None of us get perfect shots everytime.

What is worth doing is posting some typical examples of your bad shots and the forum maybe able to give you tips on how to improve.

The key to good shots is high shutter speed, good DOF and low noise which all requires good light. The rest is down to a good subject well framed which is more down to you.

Using of a good tripod where possible should not be sneered at it, it can make the difference you are after.

Robert

[RAH]

I think the fact that you are getting inconsistant results is a dead giveaway that it is because of camera shake, not lens or camera quality. For such extreme magnification, you cannot get by hand-holding, especially when you consider 400mm x the small sensor digital factor (x1.5 or 1.6 with the D70, I think). Use a tripod, for sure!

[Tyler Vargo]

1.5x with the D70... 1.6x with a Canon 20D, 10D, 350D, etc.

[david charles]

I think the fact that you are getting inconsistant results is a dead giveaway that it is because of camera shake, not lens or camera quality. For such extreme magnification, you cannot get by hand-holding, especially when you consider 400mm x the small sensor digital factor (x1.5 or 1.6 with the D70, I think). Use a tripod, for sure!


My thanks to IanF,postcardcv,madmike,robski and RAH for taking the time to respond to my email.I am sure that DOF and shake are the culprits to fuzzy images. I guess that I was hoping that the IS and VR lenses would cut out much of the problems.Some of my images that I was concerned about were shot from a kayak at sea in BC of a red-necked grebe that was in good sunlight with good DOF but still lacked the sharpness that I was expecting. Once again, thanks for the advice and I will be more diligent in carrying my tripod with me.
Best wishes,David.

[citrinella]

I am a keen wildllife and bird photographer. I use a Nikon D70 with a 80-400mm VR lens mostly hand-held.I have been disappointed in that the images are not consistently tack-sharp. I have experimented in the backyard with different settings to see how to to get the best results,but to no avail.Is it time to make the switch to Canon?

There is one other factor which madmike touched upon which you should consider. Light quality - or air quality. The further you are from your subject, the more air there is between you and your subject. Lots of factors in that air can cause distortion. A long lens magnifies that distortion, as well as enabling you to be further from your subject, giving more air between you and your subject. Think of astronomers putting their telescopes on the top of mountains or in space - to minimize atmospheric effects.

Clear, cold, dry, and still air give the best results. Sitting in your kayak, not only is it difficult to be still, but you are low to the water where there wil be high humidity and probably small suspended droplets. Ironically, using a longer lens _increases_ the importance of getting as close to your subject as possible !

Another serious problem in such circumstances is keeping your optics clean. You may wipe water off dry, but you can too easily leave a film of smeared salt and pollutants which will take the edge off you photos.

I agree with everything else the other contributors say, especially about _not_ changing your equipment. You are working in an extremely difficult area - especially in that kayak - and will need to be extremely patient and persistent to get that one truly magical image.

Incidentally, you said you had plenty light, so decent shutter speeds. Beware the rule of thumb given repeatedly in this forum and elsewhere that shutter speeds should be 1/lens focal length (1/400 for you). If that was a good guide to shutter speed for 35mm SLR (I think it was), when working with a DSLR you must remember to multiply the focal length by the crop factor of the camera before doing the calculation. If the D70 crop factor is 1.5, I suggest you start from a base of 1/600th of a second for hand-holding. VR may give you two stops, 1/200th to be on the safe side. However, in your kayak you are in an extreme situation. VR won't cope with larger base movements - the mechanism can only move so far in the lens. Keep your shutter speed as high as you can. 1/1000th or more may be to slow in these circumstances (but you may get lucky).

A tripod would help in most circumstances. In your kayak, as well as being impractical, it might make holding steady more difficult as every movement from the boat will be transmitted straight to the camera. Hand holding, your body will provide some suspension - but also introduce the effects of shaky hands etc.

Keep at it :-)

Mike.

[jay1964]

Some of my images that I was concerned about were shot from a kayak at sea in BC

I have been in the same situation whilst taking pictures from a kayak in Greenland when all you can do is point and shoot snap shots. You could try changing the iso to make the picture sharper or zooming out a bit and cropping the image on your PC.

[John Jackson]

David

Your camera and lens are both superb bits of kit, so your technique when taking or processing images should bring you the solution.

My softness checklist is:

1. Is the whole frame soft? Camera shake.
2. Is just the bird/animal soft? Subject movement/shutter speed.
3. Is any of the background/foreground sharper than the bird/animal when you've used a high enough shutter speed? Focus.
4. Is some of the subject soft and some sharp? Aperture.

If none of the above apply, look at your processing... Straight out of the camera, digital SLR pics look a little soft but a bit of unsharp mask in an imaging software brings out detail that you may not realise is there.

John

[jourdaj]

David

Your camera and lens are both superb bits of kit, so your technique when taking or processing images should bring you the solution.

My softness checklist is:

1. Is the whole frame soft? Camera shake.
2. Is just the bird/animal soft? Subject movement/shutter speed.
3. Is any of the background/foreground sharper than the bird/animal when you've used a high enough shutter speed? Focus.
4. Is some of the subject soft and some sharp? Aperture.

If none of the above apply, look at your processing... Straight out of the camera, digital SLR pics look a little soft but a bit of unsharp mask in an imaging software brings out detail that you may not realise is there.

John


I'll add another tidbit. There are several forums that have listed complaints from users of D70's (and other cameras for that matter) about 'back-focusing' problems. The camera in autofocus is not focusing directly on the subject but a few mm to cm behind. You may wish to try to check your focusing by setting up your system on a tripod (VR off) and focus on a grid to verify that your system is tack on.

Good luck!

Jerry