Frustrated and annoyed

SpikeK6

SpikeK6

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Spike
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Went out today with the sole intension of trying out my new tripod.

I went to the local reservour and shoot some ducks and what ever else was there.

Heres the worst part:
I went there a couple of weeks ago and hand held my 75-300mm non IS and got quite a few "good" shots and alot of blured shots.

So today set up the tripod got it all level and made sure it was sturdy and set the camera on it, and waited for the ducks to come to me, after a little while they appeared, and whilst i agree they where swimming i managed to get maybe 2 -3 decent shots out of about 20-30.
Now I agree the ducks were swimming, so movement but was annoyed when i got home, to find that alot of the shots where blured

I was shooting in AV mode.

I look on here and see some aboslutely amzing shots of birds in flight with chrystal clear wing motion etc etc.

I need some tips as to where I am going wrong.


How should I be shooting with a tripod, manual?

Thanks

Spike
 
did you turn IS off when tripod mounted? also, be careful not to jog the whole affair when shooting, i used to do that, and it was most annoying
 
also if you were shooting AV did you let the shutter speed drift to slow and get motion blur?
 
and wouldn't sv?/s whatever it is be more prudent for moving shots? presuming av is aperture priority?
 
alexkidd said:
and wouldn't sv?/s whatever it is be more prudent for moving shots? presuming av is aperture priority?
Click to expand...

Personally I use aperture priority for most kinds of shots. If you have super-fast primes, then maybe shutter priority would suit, but there's no point in saying you want 1/400 etc to eliminate motion blur if the aperture then can't open wide enough to let the right amount of light in.

Hence I'd leave the aperture wide open, that way the shutter speed will be as quick as possible, and if it's not fast enough, there's not a great deal you can do really (bar whacking up the ISO).

As said about, if you show us a few shots with the EXIF data, we'll be able to help more!
 
Not wanting to hijack the thread but why turn off IS when a tripod is used? (genuinely curious as I didn't know that...)
 
Chaz Photos said:
with out seeing them with the EXIF HARD TO SAY
Click to expand...

matty said:
did you turn IS off when tripod mounted? also, be careful not to jog the whole affair when shooting, i used to do that, and it was most annoying
Click to expand...

:agree: Well you have to expect a few duffers Spike so dont be too hard on yourself. Most of the birds in flight I have done or ducks moving on the water have all been hand held, so I cannot give too much advice about shooting from a tripod. I can only surmise that depending on what lens you are using on a tripod, the field of view you have with that particular lens plus the distance the subject is at, will determine how easy it is to achieve a good shot, your panning will have to almost replicate the same fluent movement of the subject with no sudden stabbing on the shutter button, it is obviously a technique that will require some practise until you are comfortable with it ;)
 
getnoticed said:
Not wanting to hijack the thread but why turn off IS when a tripod is used? (genuinely curious as I didn't know that...)
Click to expand...

Nikon user.....I had a question about the image in the viewfinder moving slightly after a half-depress of the shutter to focus [on tripod]

one person said 'turn off' VR [the Nikon Vibration Reduction system]
then one said leave it ON but loosen the head clamp slightly...............:shrug:

it appears that if the camera is clamped rigidly to the tripod - the VR "hunts"

nonetheless - a commercial reviewer of Nikon kit says, turn it 'off' unless shooting in low light !!

what works for you seems to be the answer....:bang:
 
getnoticed said:
Not wanting to hijack the thread but why turn off IS when a tripod is used? (genuinely curious as I didn't know that...)
Click to expand...

well talking Canon you don't need to but i think some others you do as it is looking for movement and there is none and this makes the IS move causing blur
 
Looks like too slow a shutter speed to me,hence the blur.Change you aperture (using f14 in this)and shutter speed,even you ISO higher if needed
 
Well, theres ya problem !

# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 1/20 second ===> 0.05 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 14/1 ===> ƒ/14
# Exposure Program = aperture priority (3)
# ISO Speed Ratings = 200

Try the aperture to the lowest number it will allow you to select, something like F5.6 or whatever, up the ISO so you get at least the focal length of the lens as a shutter speed, so if the lens is 300mm, you want at least 1/300th of a second shutter speed, thats absolute minimum, and try again, you should see your images improve ! :) hope that helps !
 
Just looked at the exif, and I think you've set the aperture waaaaayyy too small (f/14)!

You've only got a shutter speed of 1/20 which is way too slow, you should aim for the reciprocal of the focal length, and take into account the crop factor. So for 300mm you should be aiming for a shutter speed of around 1/500! Obviously depending on other factors this can change (technique, iso etc etc), but it gives you an idea at least!

Edit: This is for handheld, not tripod mounted, ignore me somewhat! May I ask why you chose to set the lens to f/14? Just out of curiosity, it's a slightly strange choice!
 
Thanks guys this is starting to make a lot more sence now.
Will go out and try again tomorrow.

Spike
 
Chaz Photos said:
this is for hand held not tripod
Click to expand...

I know, but he needs to get some confidence back in his kit, once he is aware he can tweak these settings, and allow the shutter speed to fall, but you need to get decent results to give you the urge to find these things out, and just going out shooting rubbish shots time after time will soon kill enthusiasm. :)
 
SpikeK6 said:
In AV mode how do i up the shutter speed though.

Or am i missing something??

Spike
Click to expand...


Open the Aperture up to something like like f/5.6 will increase your shutter speed automatically.

If that doesn`t solve the problem then up your ISO to about ISO 400.:)

just repeated what everyone else said lol sorry.
 
Looking forward to tomorrow now, armed with a bit more knowledge,
Just hope the ducks are as willing as me lol
 
There are many problems there, which may eventually lead you to the purchase of 70-200mm f/2.8.

Slow shutter speed won't freeze the motion, f/5.6 is really slow, stopping down any further will makes things even worse. The problem with that lens is softness wide open.
Then on tripod, you need to use mirror lock to prevent shake, that is very real and substantial. You will need cable release, and sturdy tripod, and ideally a lens with tripod ring. Accurate focusing is another issue, yours could be out of focus as well as shaken.
Finally, you need to expose correctly. That image is severely underexposed.

Wildlife photography is sadly very expensive and complicated.
 
Most of it has been answered for you Spike ;)
If you read this before setting out today, I can only advise looking at the weather.Keep your ISO up around 400-800 even, f/stop around 5.6, do not bother using mirror lockup this is pointless unless you are using a remote which you shouldnt be :D If you have spot metering optiuon and know how to change this then use it. Most of all have fun, this is not about coming back with stunning images but learning about your camera and it`s capabilities, mind you any really good shots will be a bonus ;) Look forward to seing some results.
 
SpikeK6 said:
In AV mode how do i up the shutter speed though.

Or am i missing something??...........Spike
Click to expand...

general question from wildlife newbie.....:thinking:

why not use Shutter priority - set to 1/125

if aperture falls too low ie small DOF - then up the ISO ?

Or am i missing something??

also looked dull -- White Balance set to 'cloudy' ?

good luck spike !!
 
Spike
I am no expert by no means but as you have the same kit as myself (400D & 75-300mm) this is how I would set up the camera to start with.

Shoot in AV mode
Set aperture to 6.3
Increse the ISO until you have a min shutter speed of 300 assuming you are at 300mm
Set the metering mode to evaluative metering
Set the AF mode to AI SERVO
Use the center dot for focusing
Leave the white balance to Auto
Shoot in RAW

As i say I am no expert but I have been playing around with the setting now on my equipment and find this is the best starting point. Let us know how you get on.

Stuart
 
SpikeK6 said:
In AV mode how do i up the shutter speed though.

Or am i missing something??

Spike
Click to expand...

Take it out of AV mode and put ot on shutter priority (TV)! Then just set the shutter speed you want and fire away.
 
Here is how I would approach shooting ducks with your kit.

Tripod, don't use it straight away. Get to understand what height you want your camera before setting it up. Hint - your shot above you were shooting down on the duck. You will like the shots a whole lot more if you get as close to 'ducks eye view' as possible. This will possibly mean crouching down at the waters edge - but it's worth it.

Once you are shooting from a lower angle you will also find that you get better exposure - from above there is a lot of light reflecting off the water back at you which confuses the camera into under exposing the shot.
Set ISO 400 AV starting at F5.6 and see what shutter speed you get - if you are over 1/500 you can maybe reduce to ISO 200 but I would probably stay at 400.

These basics will get you going on pretty much every bird or beast. Does your tripod go down close to ground level? If so then great, get it as low as possible at the side of the pond.
 
Spike, about the only thing that hasn't been suggested yet - and which might save some time in the long run - is to keep your camera on full auto for the time being, except for those times when you are going out explicitly to test particular settings. You should be able to turn feelings of annoyance and frustration into positive learning experiences this way. And despite everyone's good intentions above, real learning will be driven by your own experimentation (and reading). And you might want to skip the semi-auto modes (aperture priorty, etc) when you go out to experiment and put your camera onto full manual so that you are forced to consider how the various settings relate to each other. Good luck with it all - looking forward to seeing some great results!
 
SpikeK6 said:
Went out today with the sole intension of trying out my new tripod.

i managed to get maybe 2 -3 decent shots out of about 20-30.
Click to expand...

:) A 10% return isn't as bad as you think when shooting wildlife...I can rattle of 200 shots some days and only have half a dozen keepers!

Keep at it mate, it doesn't all come together overnight, but will do with practice and time.
You're doing the right thing by starting with wildfowl...Get your camera settings right, then your composition and you'll be fine.

Anthony
 
Thanks
as above i took on board all the info and went out again this morning and well got alot better shots, ok not at their level but a much better improvement.

All I need to do now is work my way through the bush to get closer to the water.

We are very limited in Guernsey for places to shoot, will wait for dryer weather me thinks lol

Thanks again for all the replys, I have taken on board all the advice and will keep practicing.
 
I was telling my lad to get low, he didn't have to do the washing

IMG_7700.jpg


He does get some good shots though, this was with a point and shoot, after which I bought him his 400D
P1040512s.jpg
 
Hi Spike,
I am still strugling to get those sharp images, but one thing I do is turn VR and OS off for tripod work and anything that involve panning or tracking the subject.
With the VR/OS on even in 'panning' mode my images were worse.

Also I have now started shootihg at 5 frames/sec taking two or three frame and in many cases the second frame is clearer.

The picture below was taken with a Nikor 70-300 I borrowed, this was an old lens without VR.
Handheld, 70-300@220, ISO200, 1/160s, F/16
DSC_2693a800.jpg


This link to a thread I started to get some tips on getting crisp images which some very helpful people have posted some good tips that may help.
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=188368

A tripod take a bit of getting use to for panning, I found it easier with motor-sport where you can predict the movement (well most of the time :) )

Good luck
 
Now that is low byker28i :D

Looks like I am going to have to invest in some crawling about gear.

Spike
 
Crawling about gear is a must :-)

I know some of my best wildlife shots have been taken while I'm flat out in the mud!
 
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