Apologies

Grandslammer

Grandslammer

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4,435
Name
Martyn
Edit My Images
Yes
for lowering the tone in here
First attempt at birdies
birdsmarch9th20100432.jpg


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Thanks for at least having a look :D
 
Never mind "lowering the tone". All the good bird togs on here,and there are quite a few, started somewhere..........(y)

I don`t know your camera at all, but is it set to spot focus?

Are these big crops of the originals?

Keep posting and asking questions and the results will start to improve......(y)
 
Portrait 101, focus on the eyes. Trust me it's easier said than done, I'm forever taking shots on birds only to get a great shot that's a bit blurry, by focussing on the eye, generally speaking, you'll hit a winner...

I like the Robin composition
 
My main interest is motorsport on 4 wheels,also have a liking for landscapes,transport,etc but I don't mind venturing to pastures new from time to time ;)
Tis a large crop,focus set to wide,shot through double glazing with not the fastest glass,so hey ho

Thanks for commenting (y)
 
Grandslammer said:
My main interest is motorsport on 4 wheels,also have a liking for landscapes,transport,etc but I don't mind venturing to pastures new from time to time ;)
Tis a large crop,focus set to wide,shot through double glazing with not the fastest glass,so hey ho

Thanks for commenting (y)
Click to expand...

AH, double glazing ain`t exactly the perfect choice of filter................:LOL:
 
Hi Martyn and welcome to the birding forum. No lowering of tone here, they are good starters, and has been said, we all have to start somewhere. I am just about going off the bottom of the learning curve so you will get much better advice than I can offer. Definitely Focusing on the eyes is best as Frankie said but it needs practice so keep trying.
I dont know if you have taken these hand held or on a tripod, I suspect hand held. You have used speeds varying between 1/15 and 1/200 with a 300mm lens. As a general rule, especially for hand held, you need your speed to equal your lens focal length, so with a 300mm lens, ideally you should be using a shutter speed of 1/300 or more. In practice this will probably mean using 1/500 on your camera. I stress these are only guides and not hard and fast rules.
Hope this helps and keep them coming. Looking forward to seeing more (y)
 
Well all that advice has given you something to chew on now Martyn :D welcome to TP. So what is easier, two wings or four wheels? :LOL:
 
The rules about focal length vs shutter speed can be relaxed a little if you have an imaged stabilised set-up, which you have with your A200. 1/200 should be fine for 300mm unless you have a severe caffeine dependency. Nevertheless, you should still try to hold the camera steady and well supported. What will affect sharpness is subject movement and that depends on the bird you're shooting. Bluetits for instance are hyperactive and you either have to time your shutter release carefully to coincide with a pause in the bird's movement or use a higher shutter speed. Conversely, robins will frequently pause to listen or watch for danger, barely moving while they do so. I've shot robins at as slow as 1/25 second in poor light and got sharp results. Having said that, expecting to get that crow at 1/15 second is pushing things a bit too much both for subject movement and your image stabilised camera!
Exposure isn't bad on all except for shot three which is a little under-exposed.
Framing needs a bit of work - try to frame so the bird is looking into the frame rather than out of it. The robin is ok because it's looking directly at you.
The softness is probably partly due to the double glazing in the way, so the obvious fix here is shoot outside. If the 300mm lens you have is the Sony 75-300mm consumer level lens then it isn't too hot at 300mm although if you shoot aperture priority (A mode) and set the aperture to F6.3, F7.1 or F8 then it'll sharpen up reasonably well. If you can get close enough to pull the zoom back to around 280mm instead of 300mm it'll sharpen up still further.
Mike.
 
Thanks again for the comments and detailed advice,4 wheels is definately easier :D
Don't know why I was shooting at such low speeds,think I must have been in car mode again :bonk:
I was using a tripod btw,should I have switched the IS off ?
TIA
 
I'm no expert bird photographer but my best results have been from Spot Focusing on the eye at iso800 using the highest shutter speed your lens and the light allow. For camera support I use posts, trees, railings, walls or anything against which to brace the camera. Sometimes I even use a monopod for speed and mobility, in all cases with IS switched on.
 
Welcome to the dark world of bird togging. Good advice above.

Trying to work with a unpredictable subject is always going to be difficult so try and make it a bit easier for yourself. Set up a feeder to attract the birds and have a perch quite close to that feeder. That should encourage the birds to land on the perch which should give you the opportunity for some shots in a more natural setting. Lots and lots of patience is always helpful as well :D
 
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