I'm still having trouble.....

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

shooting good bird photos in the bush. I'm getting used to all the different settings and trialing a lot but I just can't seem to nail a sharp focus, I suspect because of my shutter speed. This was one of the better shots; shot in aperture priority, manual focus(because my spot AF isn't fast enough for this quick little mover), on-camera flash fired(which I think I had at -1.0)

Karen_s has mentioned in past threads that my shutter speed should at least equal my focal length. My camera will not allow me to get anywhere near 1/250 without flashing that the aperture value is wrong and if I make my aperture smaller it's not exposed enough; I have tried various combinations but am getting a bit bamboozled. Also if I have the flash active the shutter speed maxs at 1/160.

Any help would be appreciated. Maybe I'm at my limits with the gear I have....



Exif data
Camera Sony DSLR-A350
Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/6.3
Focal Length 250 mm
ISO Speed 800
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash On, Fired
Exposure Program Aperture-priority AE
Focus Mode Manual

[scootermcq]

I think you have 2 things happening.

Shutter speed can definately be an issue. You are correct that you should be shooting at or above 1/focal length, so in this case 1/250. It stops at the sync speed of your flash, so that must be your 1/160. Now, if it is dark enough to need flash, then the flash should freeze your subject and allow you not to get camera shake at a slower shutter speed.

I don't think that is the issue here. The eye seems sharp, and I think you nailed focus, the problem looks more like a depth of field issue. You have hidden your exif data, so I can't see distance to subject, but I suspect with the eye in focus and the tail being defocused that you were so close to the bird you needed a smaller aperture to get the entire bird in focus. Problem with that is you need a slower shutter speed to maintain the same exposure, and now you get even more camera shake.

Sometimes it's a trade off, and you need to decide what is more important to you. This image works for me, so I think the choices were fine. If you wanted the whole bird in focus, you could have gone with less zoom, therefore gotten more DOF and then cropped in closer in post. Obviously, the other answer is to shoot in brighter areas where you can maintain a higher shutter speed, smaller aperture and not need flash.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Thanks scootermcq, that may be it! These fantails are always very close as they flit aboutjust outside arm length grabbing the mossies that are making a beeline for me. I'm usually zoomed right out to get a good shot, maybe I should wind it back a bit and use a smaller aperture. Is this the detail you were looking for? Focal Length In35mm Format 375 mm

I do intend to shoot birds in lighter areas when possible but because a lot of our native birds are dense bush dwellers I need to get some knowledge on how to handle taking bush photos, especially as I've been invited by an exhibition group to submit some bird photos taken on an island bird sanctuary later in the year.

Thanks for your help.

[karen_s]

Oh I found you again! I keep stumbling upon your bird threads

I'm with scooter that the focus appears to be on the eye and it looks pretty sharp, albeit a bit dark. The DOF looks fine to me but I never fret too much as long as I get a good sharp eye.

Were you using a monopod or tripod? I have found the monopod to be quite useful in dark conditions, and it's cheaper than a new lens.

Another idea to try is to zoom in a bit less with the lens and crop a tad more in PP. I'm not sure about your lens but many zooms aperture varies dependent upon how much you zoom. They allow you to shoot wider at the shorter lengths and the minimum narrows as you zoom. Don't know if this would work but it might allow for just enough of a boost to the shutter speed to avoid camera shake. (I hope that makes sense.)

One last idea is to rent a pricey long lens, maybe a 400mm prime or longer. (I use a 300mm and it works great at the feeders but is kinda short in the wild.) The only problem with this idea is that you will probably want to buy one.

[inkista]

Third vote for depth of field. Longer lenses create a shallower DoF, even at the smaller apertures. How much of the bird you get inside that DoF is what matters. You've got focus on the eye--the tail is out because of the shallow DoF.

While you do want your shutter speed to follow the old ≥1/focal_length rule of thumb, you're shooting a Sony. You have stabilization with your lenses. So you can probably still handhold within a stop or two of the 1/focal_length (i.e., with a 250mm lens, you wan to be at 1/250s or faster). And, of course, a monopod can do a similar stabilization job.


Western Rueppell's Vulture at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Canon XT. EF 400mm f/5.6L USM. iso 400, f/5.6, 1/250s. Monopod.

And yeah, we all hit the f/5.6 limit on telephoto lenses when birding at some point or another. Compensating with flash or a higher iso setting (and using noise reduction software) may be all that you can do.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Awesome! Thanks so much, you guys make a whole heap of sense.

Karen no monpod, I do have a cumdersome tripod but I don't think it would be much use as I'm moving about so muchtrying to stir up insects to keep him close and following him as he flits about everywhere. I'm going to look at getting a monopod though as I can see it would be of great use in a lot of different situations.

Thanks inkista for your comments too, so I guess that's a plus for Sony with lens stabilization?
Or is that whole nother subject Beautiful shot of the vulture, I hope I can one day shoot as good as that!

So it's back to the drawing board but at least I'm taking tiny steps forward. Lucky my subject in resident and I'm sure he's getting used to me because he tendes to pause a little longer. Catching him in flight will be my next big issue.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by FlyingKiwiGirl

... Thanks inkista for your comments too, so I guess that's a plus for Sony with lens stabilization?
Or is that whole nother subject

To me, it's a plus, but I have read somewhere that when you hit the super-telephoto lengths (like 400mm), the IBIS (in-body image stabilization) becomes a bit less effective than in-lens. To me, personally, the biggest plus of the Sony Alpha line are those autofocusing ZA Zeiss lenses. But I'm weird.

Beautiful shot of the vulture, I hope I can one day shoot as good as that!

Zoo birds are a lot easier to shoot than birds out in the wild.