Peek a boo

That's a tough shot. Pretty good, but I think the focus is on the wing instead of the eye/head. Maybe a faster exposure was necessary (unless your using an IS lens).

New friend showed up this morning

Aww a cutesy little deer.

Feed 'em well! Hunting season's coming up quick.

curves, imo.

The deer showed up at about 6 AM yesterday. Not much light. I pushed them in LR at first and then changed them back. It depends what mood I am in.




Hunting.

LOL

We are training them to walk right into the kitchen.




Other stuff

thats a sick lookin' deer... you should definitely feed them, if not for hunting, then at least so they have food to eat

thats awesome you get so much wildlife up in there! cool pics

nice snapper, dang

thanks for doing that Jer, my pics are always like ned's and I didn't know what to change, apparently it is "curves"

Great shots, Ned, but stop centering the subject please.

Will do.

I use the center focus point usually so I end up with the subject in the center. I will try cropping some differently. I am still working on getting a good focus.

HD some of the deer look gaunt like that and some don't. I am not sure why. One that has a bad leg from a car hit managed to raise a fawn so I don't think their condition is due to a lack of food around.

I use the center focus point also. I center the subject, autof-focus, then move the camera to better compose the image. Just play around with it.

I find that wont work on a shot like this. At least for me. I lose the focus.


I usually alter the composition by cropping.


I have some websites bookmarked on composition but have only scanned them so far.

well, the end result is an adjustment to the image's curves, but different programs call it different things. you can adjust the curves manually, or use any of many white balance or auto curves adjustment plugins available for PS and the gimp.

Does anyone have any tips on using auto focus. I get a lot of out of focus shots. I know it is me but I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I miss split prism.

Example ya curves, but I didn't bother since it wasn't in focus.


Where should I have put the center focus mark. I can not see well enough through the viewfinder to tell if I have a fine focus most of the time. I have to set the diopter adjustment one way if I have my glasses on and another if I don't. This shot was not rushed and I took several. None where good. The head was out of focus in all but one.
Better but a plant was in the way


I just bought the Sigma 150-500 from B&H. You only live once. Friday Sept. 4th.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS


pics immediately upon arrival with size reference

I has been shipped. I am excited.

I need a tripod and head.

suggestions? Cheaper is better for now. Actually I do most bird shots out of the car and may bean bag it or do a window mount first.

lol, ned, this is not the time to put your body and new lens on a cheap tripod

I have looked. I think I can get something in the 300-400 range I can use,. Define cheap here. I am not talking Walmart.
I have read things like this too.

David, Unless you want to pay the ridic price Kirk and some others want for window pods, you can make a large bean bag and fill it with dried peas in a shape thet will drape over the window on both sides and the upperpart serves to hold my 500 f4.5 like a rock. It absorbs all vibration and cost me $2.50. I also use it on the roof and can put it on the ground for low angle shots. When I,m through, it serves as a great arm rest too.

I was assuming you meant under $100

I think you'll be fine in that range

I like peas also. If it doesn't work I can eat them.

For latazyo


Kit lens
55-250
150-500

It works and I can get better.

Getting better is the point. If it was easy everyone would do it.

Sheesh, that's a huge lens.

I went and got a Manfrotto tripod. Turns out a local photography shop I haven't been to since 1982 is pretty good. No 86mm filters though.

LOL

I am feeling my mortality and doing things I wanted to do 35 years ago. Time is short. Or at least it feels that way.

what filter could you need for that lens?

I was shopping.

...

I am doing it wrong. I am used to it.

thanks ned

that pic is awesome

I see you arranged your neckstrap so that the CANON was front and center, lol

that lens is huge, layfolk will think you're a big time pro now

LOL

Ya, sure.

Not a lot of success yet. The good shots are hand held when I was screwing off and the blurry ones are with support (beanbag on door of car) when I was trying. The turtle was hand held also.

The bird/turtle pics seem to have a soft focus over the entire image. I am somewhat confused.

does this lens have any sort of image stabilization built in?

what about the camera body?

This was a very gloomy day. I think it is posterization. Like I have said I am no photographer yet and don't pretend to be.. This lens will take some learning on my part to know what it will and wont do. Yes it has IS in the lens. It was not on in the bird shots because I had support though. These were shot up a dirt road under trees at 1/100 or less.

this is what I was wondering

sounds like you're doing it right

I had an hour after I put the rub on the ribs.

I am doing blurry really well. Why do I get good pictures shooting close to me but blurry over the whole frame with farther stuff.
Is camera shake magnified by the distance to the subject?

generally, yes.

ned, I forget what equipment you have, but are you using a remote or cable release?

if not they're super cheap and will eliminate all camera shake caused by your self

Canon XSi (450D)

I will acquire a remote release and see if it helps.
Hand held Hugely cropped
Near

Far


Off the car door uncropped



Apparently my car must be inadequate for support.

That guy better hope it doesn't get too cold too fast. Mom and dad musta got a late start on their relationship. He looks kinda young. Nice shot though.

What aperture are you using for these pictures? It seems like a lot of the time you're hitting the focus but the depth of field is so shallow that you're just missing the head/eyes. Maybe try shooting with a slightly higher F-Stop to see if that helps any. Past that I don't have any suggestions because I have never used a telephoto lens. I'm sure it's ridiculously difficult to get rid of camera shake at that focal range.

It is harder than I thought it would be. I shoot mostly in aperture priority mode and try for f9 at 1/400 or better. This is very hard to get most of the time on birds.
I have a pick posted where you can see a cardinals tongue. That is what I am trying for.

Wow, 1/400 should be plenty fast. I think I just can't wrap my head around the difficulty of shooting with a lens that long. It doesn't help that the NR picture auto-sizing software sucks ass either, it make all our pics look softer than they actually are.

Edit: And F9 should be sufficient as well, I think you're doing everything right (or at least the way I would be trying it).

hopefully the cable/remote release will clear it up a little

I shall say it. It is the lens. Specifically at 500mm
1/40 sec f 9 @ 430mm

I have others shot that day and time. It is not a fluke.
1/60 f 7.1 440mm

gloomy. I shoot anyway. You never know. I pretend I don't know any better because I enjoy the process.

This indicates to me that most of the things mentioned are not a factor. Camera shake would destroy this image at 1/40. My technique and support are adequate IMO (adequate does not mean the best, I am working on this still).

I did some reading last night. This lens is soft (ahem, very) from 400 to 500. I will go down to 400 on the birds and see. There is also some indication from some shots that I am getting back focusing. From what I read this is all to be expected from this lens depending on how you use it.

Never mind this. Just some stupid frustration speaking.

Yes I am getting the remote release.

is that cropped? none of your photos look soft, they look blurred. there's a difference.

Um yes no. The first is cropped and the second is not. I would expect these to be less than perfect. Yet they are better than some I have gotten at 500mm on a bright day.
Sorry, thinking and posting at the same time


Neighbors barn. 150Yrds away. Tripod and 2 sec timer shutter release hand off shot. 1/160 f 14

I am trying to discriminate between normal telephoto teething pains and a technical problem with nothing to go on.
Bah. I have posted enough disappointment for a Friday night.

don't canons have an in-camera setting to adjust for front/back focus?

try not to be bummed ned, just keep working at it