hi i have the 120mm-400mm sigma os hsm dg lense and a nikon d90 body .the problem is that whenever i fully extend the lense all my pics come out blurry is there anything i can do to improve this?.this happens on hand held and on a tripod ,any feed back would be great. thanks for reading this post.
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sigma 120-400mm (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ibuck
- Start date
Not the best choice for birding...
:C Unfortunately, if my experience with this lens is anything to go by, you haven't chosen the best lens for your money if you want to photograph birds. Have a look at the "Equipment Review" section to see what others think of it:http://www.birdforum.net/reviews/showproduct.php/product/283/cat/14/limit/recent/date/1067115672 .
Very few zoom lenses (except professional-grade ones) maintain sharpness up to anything approaching maximum focal length. Your lens is no exception.
If you want to persevere with this lens, might I suggest you try shooting at 300 mm and see whether you can get some keepers. Remember, with the multiplication factor (1.5 for the Nikon?), this is still equivalent to a 450 mm lens, so it will take you time and effort to learn good technique.
Make sure you are shooting at a high enough ISO setting (I would suggest 400) to keep the shutter speed up. More importantly, stop the lens down to f/8, or in good light even f/11. This is to give you an adequate depth of field (distance front to back within which the subject remains in focus).
Once you start getting satisfactory results, you can then increase the focal length gradually (try 20 mm at a time) until you reach the point where the sharpness starts to fall off to an unacceptable degree.
:C Unfortunately, if my experience with this lens is anything to go by, you haven't chosen the best lens for your money if you want to photograph birds. Have a look at the "Equipment Review" section to see what others think of it:http://www.birdforum.net/reviews/showproduct.php/product/283/cat/14/limit/recent/date/1067115672 .
Very few zoom lenses (except professional-grade ones) maintain sharpness up to anything approaching maximum focal length. Your lens is no exception.
If you want to persevere with this lens, might I suggest you try shooting at 300 mm and see whether you can get some keepers. Remember, with the multiplication factor (1.5 for the Nikon?), this is still equivalent to a 450 mm lens, so it will take you time and effort to learn good technique.
Make sure you are shooting at a high enough ISO setting (I would suggest 400) to keep the shutter speed up. More importantly, stop the lens down to f/8, or in good light even f/11. This is to give you an adequate depth of field (distance front to back within which the subject remains in focus).
Once you start getting satisfactory results, you can then increase the focal length gradually (try 20 mm at a time) until you reach the point where the sharpness starts to fall off to an unacceptable degree.
Experience is a brutal teacher...
Ouch. I too learned the hard way (and still am where money is concerned!). All I can say from experience is do not compound the mistake by borrowing money to buy another lens.
Learn to perfect your fieldcraft and technique with what you've got while you save up for the lens you should have kept your money for in the first place. Be clear in your mind exactly what you want to achieve with the combination (e.g., do you want to photograph birds in flight, or perched birds?). There are plenty of articles on the 'net - if you wish to photograph birds in flight, I can probably dig out what I found.
Do your research thoroughly. Then when you do get the chance to buy a really decent lens, take along s/o else and test the lens before buying (I got my younger son to hold a colour test card about 30 metres away from the shop entrance while I took some test shots).
Ouch. I too learned the hard way (and still am where money is concerned!). All I can say from experience is do not compound the mistake by borrowing money to buy another lens.
Learn to perfect your fieldcraft and technique with what you've got while you save up for the lens you should have kept your money for in the first place. Be clear in your mind exactly what you want to achieve with the combination (e.g., do you want to photograph birds in flight, or perched birds?). There are plenty of articles on the 'net - if you wish to photograph birds in flight, I can probably dig out what I found.
Do your research thoroughly. Then when you do get the chance to buy a really decent lens, take along s/o else and test the lens before buying (I got my younger son to hold a colour test card about 30 metres away from the shop entrance while I took some test shots).
JonnyK
Member
I've just bought this lens to go with my Nikon D5000 and it works a treat at 400mm at f7.1 to f9. I was aware of this particular problem before i went shopping, but went and tried it anyway, and i'm glad i did. It does start to lose its edge a bit when used above f11 or with a 1.4x tc from about 490mm onwards. But for £600 i aint complaining.
