NikonGear'23
Images => Nature, Flora, Fauna & Landscapes => Topic started by: Ron Scubadiver on November 20, 2015, 14:59:49
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(https://ronscubadiver.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/dsc_9285.jpg)
November, 2015, Houston, TX
This spot is a 10 minute walk from my home. It is also the body of water which caused the Memorial Day flood this year. I used 1/500 second, should the shutter speed be shorter?
From this set: https://ronscubadiver.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/birding-with-a-new-telephoto/ (https://ronscubadiver.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/birding-with-a-new-telephoto/)
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impressive
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Congrats - !!
You need more shutter speed to keep up with birds
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Very nice Ron,
were you shooting handheld ? or with a tripod/monopod ?
what af mode were you using ?
Recently i tried AF-C 3D-51 and it actually tracked the bird, in the past I tried AF-c Auto and results were not good
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Great pose and sharpness Ron!
1/500th is OK for big, slow birds like this, but for smaller ones you will need to go much faster.
For birds like the little kingfishers, you may need 1/4000 or better to get really sharp!
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Hope you're enjoying your new lens Ron.
My impressions, looking at the links you've provided, I'd that none of these are quite sharp enough. Can you share what zoom setting you were using?
I think you need a higher shutter speed, but it's possible the AF didn't quite lock in either.
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Thank you everyone. Comments on sharpness are well taken. Next time I will use a shorter duration shutter opening. However, for someone who has never done this sort of thing before, I am pleased. The lens is heavy and handling it is going to take some getting used to.
Armando, I was shooting handheld. 51point af Not sure what mode, vr was on. This is so different from shooting street with a 28 or 50.
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Ron - I am with you - both of us will get there :)
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Ron, I saw you mentioned us prices are $1396, here they go for €1599, 21% vat included.
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Ron, I saw you mentioned us prices are $1396, here they go for €1599, 21% vat included.
The US doesn't have VAT which means it's a lot cheaper there ;)
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if you are a self employed professional you may deduct the vat
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The VAT yes, but not the Import-rates.
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Ron, I saw you mentioned us prices are $1396, here they go for €1599, 21% vat included.
We have sales tax in the US. It is recoverable by most businesses. Local rates vary, but most are around 8%. It is possible to avoid sales tax by ordering over the internet from a vendor who has no presence in your state. Living here in Texas I can buy from B&H or Adorama without tax being added to the order, but Amazon will add tax. The purchaser is obligated to file a use tax, but in practice this not enforced except for very large ticket items like aircraft.
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Price in SA (converting at current exchange rate) $1750
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I'm not sure if this is my eyes but on all pictures there seems to be problem with proper focus. That is not shutter speed issue in my opinion, look at the third photo in linked set - the grass is a bit sharper than the bird itself. Can you upload 100% crop of the bird? Then we can analyze it more precisely. Have you microadjusted AF ? It would help.
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I'm not sure if this is my eyes but on all pictures there seems to be problem with proper focus. That is not shutter speed issue in my opinion, look at the third photo in linked set - the grass is a bit sharper than the bird itself. Can you upload 100% crop of the bird? Then we can analyze it more precisely. Have you microadjusted AF ? It would help.
I did not have 3D enabled, so it is possible AF locked onto the wrong thing. Micro AF adjustment has not been attempted yet.
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for us (non long lens) users - how about some tips from you (long lens) users about settings please?
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I am certainly not the best here, but this is what works best for me (using D750):
For action/BIF:
Manual mode, auto-ISO enabled. base setting is 1/2000 and f5.6, but I will often change those.
Back-button-focusing enabled, AF-C with 9 points normally on (will change this often too). Video button is set to change sensor area mode, Preview is set to change white balance and Fn is set to DOF Preview but seldom used.
In this mode I will tend to use the central focus points and crop later, as even with a 500mm lens I am not often close enough to the birds.
For more static subjects:
Aperture Priority with Show ISO/Easy ISO enabled, back-button focussing enabled (actually this is enabled across all camera modes), AF-C with single-point on. Base setting is f5.6 and ISO400, but will change these often.
In this mode I will often move the active focus point for composition, unless the subject is small or far away, as I believe the centre focus point is probably the most accurate (it is the only one on which my AF is fine-tuned.
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I did not have 3D enabled, so it is possible AF locked onto the wrong thing. Micro AF adjustment has not been attempted yet.
Ron
mi bird in flight shots got blurry when I got the D800, this persisted untl I checked the AF fine tuning
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thanks Peter!
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For perfect micro AF adjustements you have two options:
1. Your own eyes = using self prepared target (eg. flat surface that AF can easily be set) and then you have to play with the settings (+20, 0, - 20). This is rather complex but easy when you get the idea.
2. Using Reikan Focal software, connecting the camera to the computer = highly reccomended.
I'm using both methods. As for now almost every body that I was using had some level of micro AF adjustements necessary. When using fixed lenses this is easy and repeatable. With zoom lenses this is more tricky as you need to perform the testing on many focal lenghts to confirm your setting.
Boys and girls, now it's time for experimenting!
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For perfect micro AF adjustements you have two options:
1. Your own eyes = using self prepared target (eg. flat surface that AF can easily be set) and then you have to play with the settings (+20, 0, - 20). This is rather complex but easy when you get the idea.
Boys and girls, now it's time for experimenting!
Improvement noted with a +1 adjustment. +3 is too much. May experiment with +2. There is definitely a shutter speed issue in the shot above.