What Am I Doing Wrong? (Page 7): Thanks for taking a closer look at the pics. All of the pics in my original set were taken no more than 30 feet away. Mike...

MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

Bobspez wrote:

I looked at your pics with the 55-250 lens at 100%... (show quote)

Thanks for taking a closer look at the pics. All of the pics in my original set were taken no more than 30 feet away.
Mike

MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

Bobspez wrote:

I looked at your pics with the 55-250 lens at 100%... (show quote)

Thanks for taking extra time to inspect the images.

MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

IBM wrote:

And I bet he was a lot closer to these birds with the 200zoom than he was with the 400 zoom on the other birds. But he should
Be aware of that , just by looking through the lens yo will know if your in for bunch of cropping , so frame as best you can

I don't believe I was closer with the 200mm - about the same as I recall.
Mike

cmc65

You've got this, don't give up. A lot of us were on this learning curve with this lens. It's an excellent piece of glass and you'll hit the right combo for your camera pretty soon.just an FYI I labored over wether to turn is off while on tripod or not and after reading several pros state that they always leave it on it didn't seem that much of an issue with this particular lens either way. I shoot on a tripod 99.999999% of the time.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Manglesphoto wrote:

Use a tripod, get closer and use single point focus.

All of the above. IMO, the minimum focal length for smaller birds is a 600mm tele. They are not inexpensive.

MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

cmc65 wrote:

You've got this, don't give up. A lot of us were on this learning curve with this lens. It's an excellent piece of glass and you'll hit the right combo for your camera pretty soon.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I believe in the lens - it just doesn't believe in me, yet.
Mike

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

MikWar wrote:

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I believe in the lens - it just doesn't believe in me, yet.
Mike

The thing that struck me about the series of "birds in the weeds" photos was that if I couldn't even find the bird looking at the photo, your camera was most likely having the same problem. I think with a bit better choice of subjects and a bit of experimentation you and your lens will be good friends soon.

MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

My dear UHH friends,
Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I have summarized them below with the number of people suggesting each item:
21 - Shutter speed too slow. Use 1.5/mm
8 - Use Back Button Focus
8 - Get closer to birds
9 - Use AI Servo
7 - Open Aperture
5 - Test the focusing
5 - Increase ISO or put on Auto
4 - Don’t expect so much
4 - Shoot in Manual mode
4 - Use a single focus point
3 - Use manual focus
3 - Use a tripod
3 - Use a cable release
2 - Use mirror lockup
2 - Take pictures of easier subjects
2 - Get a Depth of Field calculator
2 - Don’t use AI Focus
2 - Don’t shoot when there is a lot of crap (i.e. branches)
2 - Use Spot Metering
2 - Use lens stabilizer 3
2 - Use lens stabilizer 1
2 - Practice
1 - Use Partial Metering
1 – Use Evaluative Metering
1 - Use One Shot focus
1 - Use lens stabilizer 2
1 - Remove protective lens filter
1 - IS turned off when on tripod
1 - Get more DOF by stopping the lens down more
1 - Get a bigger lens
1 - Get a better tripod
1 - Cheat (i.e. setup area for a good shot

As you can see this is a lengthy list, with some conflicting advice. My first task was to test the autofocusing. I did so with both the 100-400 and the 55-250 and found that they both did a pretty good job (although I have nothing to compare them to) at the same focal length. My gut is this is not a focus issue.

That being said, the next time I go out here's how I plan to set up the camera/lens: increase shutter speed and get f/stop less than 8 (let ISO go to Auto); reprogram the camera to BBF; use AI Servo. I will continue to use a tripod, single-point focus, and Spot metering. I will lower my expectations when a bird is in a tangle of branches but I will use manual focus if possible. I will experiment with turning off IS when manually focusing in a tangle of branches; try different lens Stabilization modes till I find the one that works best for me.

Thanks in particular to those who downloaded pics and analyzed them and/or took the time to send me a lengthly personal messages with suggestions.
Mike

MikWar Loc: Chicago, Western Suburbs

CatMarley wrote:

The thing that struck me about the series of "birds in the weeds" photos was that if I couldn't even find the bird looking at the photo, your camera was most likely having the same problem. I think with a bit better choice of subjects and a bit of experimentation you and your lens will be good friends soon.

I understand your suggestion, but if I have focus on the bird (an environs) shouldn't it be sharper? If the focal length is appropriate, why would the camera/lens blur it?

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Mike you are definitely not too far away. I think it took me a year to get my first keeper bird pic. It takes me a lot of pics to get a keeper, probably 1 pic in 50 comes out well. All can be the same settings but only one makes it. So I believe in spray and pray, and you need good sunlight on the front of the bird.

The top image below is a small bird on a 1" diameter fence rail at about 40 ft.The bird is probably 4" tall from top of head to claws. I always shoot manual, this one was iso-100, f5.6, 1/640 sec. I was sitting on my porch bench and the shot was handheld. The shot was a bit underexposed so I brightened it in Photoshop.

The second shot is a mid sized bird on an electrical wire. Also shot from my porch bench at a distance of about 55 to 60 ft. Shot at iso-100, f5.6, 1/160 sec. Was able to fire off 3 shots, all were blurry except this one, where the bird stood still.

For birding I use a nikkor 55-300mm AFS VR zoom on a Nikon 1 J1 10MP dslr with the FT-1 autofocus adapter, lcd live view, single point autofocus. The J1 CX sensor gives an equivalent focal length of 810mm with the 300mm lens due to a 2.7x crop factor.

(Click on download and then the + button to see pics at 100% resolution.)

With patience and some luck you will get pics you like.

MikWar wrote:

Thanks for taking a closer look at the pics. All of the pics in my original set were taken no more than 30 feet away.
Mike

(Download)

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

I have the T5, and find that any ISO setting above 400 is a total waste of time and resources, because of the amount of noise or grain in the shots.

I was gifted the Canon 100-400 L v2 lens. This lens should not be used with a shutter speed under 640. Canons use a multiplier of 1.6, so a quick calculation is to take the longest length of the keys and multiply it × 1.6. It's easy to Calcuate 400 × 1.5 = 600. Then, you don't want to fully extend the lens to 400, back it off just a little.

To prevent vibration, you need to use a wired or wireless shutter release. The action of depressing the shutter button with your finger creates noticeable vibration with longer lenses.

As someone earlier mentioned, your tripod could be contributing to the vibrations visible in your shots. What brand and model is your tripod?

The 100-400 is one of the best Canon lenses to shoot wildlife with, but it's not designed for low light situations with it's 4.5 - 5.6 minimum f-stop.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

MikWar wrote:

My dear UHH friends, br Thanks so much for all the... (show quote)

Mike - your top four items along with IS active and set to mode 3 should be all you need to change to generate improved results. You should hold off testing the rest of these suggestions before making and confirming the most effective changes that have a clear consensus. As people are beginning to post example results, yes this is within an aviary, but if in-close and shooting with optimal settings, you should be getting outstanding results with the 100-400L v II. (BTW - open at f5.6, 1/250, ISO-400 @ 400mm)

Lapwing by Paul Sager, on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7550/26344664674_8fdc0426c4_b.jpg

Szalajj Loc: Salem, NH

tscali wrote:

What was your shutter speed? You need to shoot at a shutter speed of 1/mm of your lens. For instance if your lens is at 300mm you need to shoot at a minimum of 1/300 of a second. Shutter speed is critical for long shoots. The faster the shutter speed the sharper the pictures assuming there is enough light. If time permits lower your ISO to the minimum necessary to get the proper lighting. Good luck!!!

Wrong. With Canon Crop Sensor bodies, the multiplier is 1.6. With the 100-400 the minimum shutter speed should be 640.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

I understand people saying to use a tripod or monopod with the 100-400 II. However, if the shutter speed is sufficient I know that the lens can be successfully used handheld. My friend, Tara, uses this lens all the time to shoot drag racing with her 5D3. She never uses a tripod or monopod. You can see her work on her Facebook page Black Rock Photography. I will ask her what settings she uses typically with that lens and report back...

Best,
Todd Ferguson

chuckc13 Loc: Rumford, RI

Practice, Practice, Practice!!! You just got the new lens. Start with larger, slow moving birds or perched, calm birds. Learn the weight, feel and then you can confidently shoot better. Everyone's settings' advice here is spot on. Bird photography is addictive, good luck.