[flossiepip]

A few weeks ago I replaced my old Kodak easyshare with a new Canon SX30 for my ID record shots. However I believe that the SX30 has more capability than just ordinary ID shots and my early efforts would seem to confirm that belief.
The main problem that I seem to be getting is a lack of sharpness in my shots.
I think that my general settings are ISO100, 1/250, F5.6, handheld and try and get as close as I can. I'm no photographer but I do feel that I should be able to get more out of the camera!
Any advice would be gratefully acepted, thanks.

[Geoff Brown]

Well for starters handheld is a bit of a no no. Always use tripod where possible for maximum sharpness as well as an high shutter speed.

[knotsbirder]

Handheld is fine - I always manage sharp handheld pics provided the shutter speed is high enough. That is what is wrong in this case. Try upping your ISO to 400/800 so that you get a higher shutter speed. Something around 1/800 or 1/1000 should be fine.

Hope this helps, Sam

[normjackson]

The photo posted seems to have these settings :

1/640 second f5.8 ISO 100 840mm equivalent

The image stabilisation on the camera should be able to do a decent job at these settings but a faster shutter speed may well help. To achieve that you could up the camera ISO a bit. Also you might consider setting the EV compensation on the camera so you deliberately underexpose your photos a bit. (This is common practice since it reduces the risk of completely white (blown out) highlights which are much harder to fix than parts of photo being a bit darker than you'd like).

Maybe with a bit of practice you'll find a means to hold the camera consistently more steady at the moment you take the photo. Also you could look at the camera's "burst mode" which may enable you to take a sequence of photos and later pick the sharpest.

Maybe you could do some test photos to establish just what is the best your camera is capable at these distances in "clean" air. Heat haze, limitations of the lens, sub par filter or some deposit on lens, minor focusing error (and no doubt other factors) can all have a part to play in reducing sharpness.

[flossiepip]

Geoff Brown, Knotsbirder and normjackson, thank-you for your advice. I hope to put it to use soon. Tom

[Robin Edwards]

flossiepip,

As well as getting a good balance between fast shutter and low ISO, there is a further requirement to ensure that auto-focus is optimised. With a wider aperature as you have here, you have a narrower depth of field than if you tried say F7.1 or even F8, light permitting of course. This means that AF might give you effect of forward or back focusing if not locked on exactly within the centre depth of field available for the subject.

The "default" camera settings I normally have set are aperature priority set to F7.1, centre point AF and ISO somewhere between 100 and 400 depending on light and how good your camera is with noise or grain as ISO increases. I rarely use a tripod if out birding and try to keep shutter speed value greater than focal length of my lens. If the bird is moving (as with this Godwit's leg) then higher shutter speeds will be necssary to freeze.

Your Godwit image is pretty good to be honest although my advice would be to experiment taking images on a range of different aperature, ISO and shutter settings and see how you get on.

[Brian2]

Try editing in Photoshop too as that can add a little sharpness if your original shot lacks it.

[Musoman]

I'm with Brian - the shot is pretty good, just needs a bit of tweaking in Photoshop. Crop is bit tight in the direction the bird is looking so he or she looks ' cramped ' in the photo but otherwise, a pretty good effort.

I did some very quick tweaks in Adobe CS4 to see if I could make improvements.

A little more care and time may give more, but i didnt spend too much time... maybe 30 seconds :)

Any good for you ?

[flossiepip]

Thank-you for your input Brian, Robin. That gives me more to work with. And thank-you Musoman I will take on board your advice on the crop and I can see the improvement on the Godwit, certainly around the head and eye.

[Musoman]

Floss - the tweaks i did were quite minor. Small shadows and light adjustment, slight tweak of gamma in levels adjustment, plus small amount of local sharpening to the bird only, not the foreground / background

[flossiepip]

I've been trying to put the advice that I've been given to good use as far as work and weather will allow. Also reading through a good many posts on here. To that end I have been using the Manual mode, going first into Av for information and then using that in the Manual mode. I have up-loaded a few shots, all in Manual mode with shutter speeds from 1/640 to 1/200, all at f5.8 and ISO mostly 400 but one at 100.

It would be wonderful for me if members could run the rule over these images and give critical criticism. Tell me if I need to wipe the slate clean and start again or is there something there to build on?

[normjackson]

Those look pretty impressive to me. Are they the full frame?

The first one probably needs a bit of denoising on background and sharpening of foreground to look its best while the second probably could do with a bit of sharpening of the bird. That's all pretty normal as Brian2 and Musoman suggests. In some ways the third is the most impressive (despite the uncooperative bird); obviously lots of detail and a really hard situation to get focus. Chapeau!

[flossiepip]

Thanks for that. I will carry on along this road I think. None cropped, the third one I put in because of the twigs. The light was changing all the time. I do think that you still have to get as close as you can, even with the zoom you havewith this canon sx30!

[Robin Edwards]

well done indeed flossiepip, I don't see that you have any issues getting the sharpness of image you were looking for.

[arthursc]

Originally Posted by flossiepip

Attachment 392434

Attachment 392435

Attachment 392436I've been trying to put the advice that I've been given to good use as far as work and weather will allow. Also reading through a good many posts on here. To that end I have been using the Manual mode, going first into Av for information and then using that in the Manual mode. I have up-loaded a few shots, all in Manual mode with shutter speeds from 1/640 to 1/200, all at f5.8 and ISO mostly 400 but one at 100.

It would be wonderful for me if members could run the rule over these images and give critical criticism. Tell me if I need to wipe the slate clean and start again or is there something there to build on?

I have to agree, these are excellent images.

What lense were you using and also where were your focus points.

Regards
Colin

[flossiepip]

Do you know arthursc I'm not at all sure that I have the knowledge to answer your questions, as I'm using a super-zoom camera and I try to lock on to the bird and hope for the best. The shot of the bird with lots of twigs and its back to me, the camera took a while before it would lock.

I will put a few more shots up that I did like! And give the info. Also I would say that you can find some great advice to be had here on birdforum, even for no hopers like me! What I have found for what it is worth, is to get just as close as you can and shoot in good sun-light. I've also found the words of RoyC to help me alot. Still a long way to go though.

1. Flower-Av mode, S/S 1/40, Av 4.0, ISO 200, Focal Length 4.3mm. 2. Sparrow- Av mode, S/S 1/400, Av 5.8, ISO 100(Auto), F/L 150.5mm. 3. Sparrow- manual, S/S 1/320, Av 5.8, ISO 400, F/L 150.5.

[stevo]

These are excellent images,one little piece of advice always try & keep your shutter speed the same or better than the lens focal length.Meaning a 500mm focal lens=1/500 of a sec shutter speed.

Steve.