Andrewrz01 Loc: Tulsa, OK

Wanted to take on a new challenge - birds. Set up on a tripod, with iso400-800, f/5 - f/16, spot focus, shatter speed at 500 and higher. Nikon D3100, Tamron 70-300 1:4-5.6. pics taken at about 2:30 - 3:00 PM on a sunny day. Took about 150 shots and none of them are in focus. None. What went wrong? Any insights?

Thank you in advance.

JC56 Loc: Lake St.Louis mo.

welcome to the wonderful world of photography....you can correct exposure.....you can correct color...but there is no correcting an out of foucus photo....you can sharpen it..but it will still be blurry.......you used a tripod....that should help........but you probably forgot to turn off shake reduction.......rookie mistake (don't feel bad i've made a million of them)...and thats why the photos are soft/blurry......learn from your mistakes and keep on shooting.

Andrewrz01 Loc: Tulsa, OK

Agree. However, Tamron does not have a shake reduction option on it. Is it on the camera itself?

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

using mirror lockup?

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

A question, are these images severely cropped? Even on the photos where one can "download original" the files are very small and most of the EXIF data has been wiped out. If you could actually post one of these pictures as an original so we could see the data and the full resolution folks would have an easier time trying to assist you. 8-)

stopmedown1 Loc: England UK

Hi, Even at fast shutter speeds you can still get movement showing on your images especially with a long lens. You don't say whether you used auto focus, if you did, I would suggest you try manual focus and make sure it is the bird that is in focus. Also, take multiple shots, the more you take, the better the chances of getting a good one. There is no wastage with digital, not like film! Don't forget to squeeze the shutter gently! I hope this may help. Regards, Bert.

andrew.haysom Loc: Melbourne, Australia

Firstly, don't be discouraged, birds can be very tough, but very rewarding when you get some good ones.

My tips for getting good shots of a single bird, sitting in tree like most of yours are, because for example, birds in flight would be different.

- Use aperture priority mode, and the widest aperture you can.
- Keep the ISO as low as you can to get a fast enough shutter speed. On a sunny day you should be able to use ISO100 easily. Some of your shots have a bit of noise, i guess from the higher ISO, and especially when cropped this can look like out-of-focus.
- Aim for a shutter speed faster than the inverse of your focal length. so if shooting at the extreme end of your lens (300mm) aim for faster than 1/300 second.
- If you can be bothered trying it, and your camera is capable of it, try back-button focus (BBF). This means that your focus is no longer initiated by the initial half-press of the shutter, but by a separate button on the back of the camera. Often with birds, there is movement and the slightest movement of your camera can bring a small branch, leaf etc in front of the bird. With BBF you focus with one button and can then take multiple shots with the shutter button, without the camera re-focusing each shot.
- Consider trying a monopod, rather than the tripod. I'm not saying that you will get steadier shots, but it is much easier to carry around and easier to use with respect to aiming etc.
- Focus on the birds eye
- Take lots of shots
- Develop your sneaking skills, the closer the better

Have fun!

Al FR-153 Loc: Chicago Suburbs

Having the Tammy 70-300 lens, and shooting backyard birds, I would strongly suggest that these photos are severely cropped from the original. That said, you were a considerable distance (tens of feet) from the small subject(s) and you are expecting to have tack sharp photos when you 'blow up' each and every pixel to make it appear that you were inches away. Can't be done! Get closer (and birds don't like that) or set the camera on a tripod and use a remote. That is why you see photos of birds at a feeder. Set a bucket of worms out there and the robins will come. But, when they are in the tree tops, forget it.

Ugly Jake Loc: Sub-Rural Vermont

I would add to this - it appears that you might be front focusing a tad, too - there is a way to fine tune your lens to agree with the camera's logic. #1 especially looks like it focused just in front of the subject. It does NOT look like camera shake or subject movement, IMO, more of a focus / distance problem. (Try manual focus, if it's not in flight)

wteffey Loc: Ocala, FL USA

With my 12mp camera, I have found that I need to be less than 12 feet from a songbird (Robin) to get a good image with a 300mm lens. The 300mm lens just is not long enough. If I try to crop an image taken at a longer distance my images look very much like yours. If your camera has more pixels you might be able to crop more, but the lens is still the limiting factor. Fully manual 500mm lenses are available on auction sites for as little as $10, and if used properly produce fairly good results. The number of these lenses available suggest that most people do not find them fun to use.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Another possibility is that in depressing the shutter release you are causing shake. On a tripod you should use a cable release - typically $15 to $20 - I wouldn't be without mine.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

"Sharpness" is a function of the lens, not the camera. You have no VR "in-camera" with a Nikon DSLR, and the Tamron lens has no VR to turn off. The images are obviously heavily croppped. There appears to be no movement that was caused by hard shutter release, they look like you did everything right. My suggestion would be to remove filters you have on the lens, most will degrade the shot, and cheap ones will destroy it. If you gad no filters on the lens then I think you just have a poor quality lens to begin with.

KJR Loc: Davis, CA

Please don't be discouraged! I've been screaming and frustrated by this endeavor for months! I have found, as others have pointed out, that I need to be practically on top of the bird, which means stalking and/or sitting in a chair and waiting (no feeders), I'm not fast enough with manual focus but auto does a really nice job on sharp-edged BRANCHES and not the birds, and I have trouble holding the camera still and depressing the shutter release. I have a ton to work on, so I welcome you to the learner's group! Do I have a few photos out of thousands that I like? Yes. Are they razor-sharp yet? No.

Eurasian collared dove 260mm f16 iso100 1/200

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

Hi all, I had a problem with my Tamron 18-270mm zoom, that looked the same as your problem. I seemed everything went "soft" focus. Actually, I posted a few photos on the UHH and one of the Hogs pointed the problem out to me. I checked the images more closely and got the same impression. I did a EF test, and found the lens to be "off focus" across the board. So, since the lens was still within the 6 year warranty, I sent it back to Tamron. I got the lens back in just a few days (about 10) and the tech wrote the lens had been cleaned of debris, overhauled the focus system, calibrated for Canon specs, and returned. Now the lens is much sharper but is still a little off at the low end, and at absolute high end. You may be suffering the same problem, check the warranty, and send it in at least for calibration. Then get a lens calibration tool and set your front/back focus for each lens you own. It will help your photos immensely.

Edmund Dworakowski

Lock you mirror up and use a remote release.
Make sure all vibration reduction is turned off when using a tripod. On windy days, remove cameras straps an anything that may catch the wind. Add weight to center column on windy days or unstable surfaces.