Camera Kit Heading for the Bin - Please Help!!!

No problem at all :D

I wouldn't be overly worried about getting an external noise filter immediately, as long as you manage to take your shots on a low'ish ISO then you shouldn't need one as a priority. The main thing to remember here is that you will need to use sharpening filters when using RAW. In my mind you were doing everything else correctly and just not processing properly.

At this stage I wouldn't even be too worried about the cable release. Listen to the advice of people like CT :)notworthy:) firm tripod and holding your lens steady. In my mind you need to be holding the body so you can focus on the eye of the subject and recompose before taking the shot. Others may disagree with this but it works for me as the eye is the important part of the subject in wildlife shots.
 
Noise is not too much of a thing to be worried about, a noisey image on screen will print great and you wont see the noise. Were all to obsessed with a clean image at 100% on screen its not needed.
 
Wota g8 thread hammer :clap: im writting down all these tips (y) it should sink in by end of the year :thinking: Keep these tips going u beauty :woot:
 
tazza .... I'm glad that this thread is proving useful to others. As I said originally I was getting a bit frustrated and this was made worse by the fact that I am not new to Photography as a hobby (I got my 1st SLR over 30years ago). The issue that this has raised for me is that coming from a 35mm film angle I personally do not like the idea of processing shots too much using manipulation software.

What the kind members posting in this thread have shown me is that using the digital media means that there is a certain amount of necessity in post production almost like the developing in film terms. Don't get me wrong I have no problem with others using software, but for me personally it wasn't for me ...... but now I see the need and will therefore embrace what I need to do to improve.

In addition this thread has also given me the push to do something that I have never done before and that is to join a local photography club. :clap: Once again a big thank you to all those that posted in this thread. (y)
 
Hammerhead64 said:
tazza .... I'm glad that this thread is proving useful to others. As I said originally I was getting a bit frustrated and this was made worse by the fact that I am not new to Photography as a hobby (I got my 1st SLR over 30years ago). The issue that this has raised for me is that coming from a 35mm film angle I personally do not like the idea of processing shots too much using manipulation software.

What the kind members posting in this thread have shown me is that using the digital media means that there is a certain amount of necessity in post production almost like the developing in film terms. Don't get me wrong I have no problem with others using software, but for me personally it wasn't for me ...... but now I see the need and will therefore embrace what I need to do to improve.
Click to expand...

I used to feel the same way. I came back to photography after many years because of the cost benefits of digital but I was always disappointed that I needed to tweak so many shots.
But then I realised that when I was tinkering around in the darkroom printing 10x8's taken with my beloved Contax 137ma, I tweaked exposure, dodged, burned, masked and experimented with different chemicals.
With digital, I never view anything as small as a 10x8. Every image I take is viewed on a 21" CRT or a 6 foot projector screen. My film shots would never stood up to that scrutiny and my digital shots would probably all look fine at postcard size. :shrug:

Embrace the new levels of creative freedom ;)
 
Ok .... I thought :) I've had all this marvellous advice from you kind peeps (y). So i'll have a go at sharpening. Found a link to this excellent tutorial website (well worth a visit if you wish to hone your PS skills)www.thelightsrightstudio.com/ also provides actions which give one click access in Photoshop.

Here's the result: I know there is still a lot of noise in the pic but I hope that noise ninja/neat image solution will deal with this when I get round to getting it. It is also a very extreme crop but I like the glint in the eye though so I'm reasonably pleased. It has given me some hope.

BirdCrit002Crop.jpg
 
Are you using a UV filter on the end of your lens? The reason I ask is a friend of mine was getting unsharp pictures and heard about UV filters causing bluryness. So he took two identical shots, all settings the same, one with the filter on and one with it off, sure enough the one with the UV filter off was pin sharp.

The test shots were of grave stones, with the filter on you could tell there was writing on the gravestones, with the filter off you could read the writing!

HTH,
Steve.
 
I have had a go at testing the lens for sharpness/focus problems. As you can see from the following there isn't a problem in that area. :bang:confused:hame I missed the birds on the feeder while using all the tips given to me in this thread. I turned off SSS and set the aperture to f11 using my left hand to hold the lens on the top. I feel I'm getting close so next thing is to get something that moves into the frame.:thinking:

170-500focus_test.jpg
 
Excellent, glad you are getting there and the advice worked out for you :woot:

Great place TP (y)
 
One vital tip which I dont think anyone has mentioned......being closer to the birds means more pixels per bird which in turn will give more detail! Try throwing out some seed or something to entice them closer :)
 
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