Frustration with Canon 100-400: My 100-400 is challenging me to get clear hand-held shots (on 7D). It's me, for sure - every now and then I do get sharp images. Maybe I should just...

JayB Loc: Northeast US

My 100-400 is challenging me to get clear hand-held shots (on 7D). It's me, for sure - every now and then I do get sharp images. Maybe I should just give it some more time. Bought a good monopod too, that could help. No clear question here, just inviting comments. I'm frustrated because I had a pair of pileated woodpeckers in my back yard last week and didn't get one single clear shot. Not much time to practice.

Turbo Loc: Raleigh, NC

Join the club ! Good equipment does not guarantee good pictures. It takes a lot of practice to obtain good photos reliably, no matter what equipment you use, long zooms or long prime lenses exponentially so.

Do not despair, practice on some easier birds until you get clear, well focused pictures consistently, then when a great opportunity presents itself, you will be ready !

Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert

aerides wrote:

My 100-400 is challenging me to get clear hand-held shots (on 7D). It's me, for sure - every now and then I do get sharp images. Maybe I should just give it some more time. Bought a good monopod too, that could help. No clear question here, just inviting comments. I'm frustrated because I had a pair of pileated woodpeckers in my back yard last week and didn't get one single clear shot. Not much time to practice.

Hey Doc ..... pic would help, maybe I'll be able to tell ya what I think you're doing wrong .....

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

aerides wrote:

My 100-400 is challenging me to get clear hand-held shots (on 7D). It's me, for sure - every now and then I do get sharp images. Maybe I should just give it some more time. Bought a good monopod too, that could help. No clear question here, just inviting comments. I'm frustrated because I had a pair of pileated woodpeckers in my back yard last week and didn't get one single clear shot. Not much time to practice.

Are you using a fast enough shutter speed?
Camera shake (which would give you soft images) could be an issue hand holding a 400 and using too slow a shutter. speed.

thrasher Loc: Norwalk, CT

I seem to recall, years ago, someone having a gunstock modified to hold a camera with long glass, which was set up to hold and "shoot" like a rifle. Might be worth looking into.

dannyp59 Loc: Granite Falls, WA.

aerides wrote:

My 100-400 is challenging me to get clear hand-held shots (on 7D). It's me, for sure - every now and then I do get sharp images. Maybe I should just give it some more time. Bought a good monopod too, that could help. No clear question here, just inviting comments. I'm frustrated because I had a pair of pileated woodpeckers in my back yard last week and didn't get one single clear shot. Not much time to practice.

I had the same problem recently and opened a topic called Blind Eye. I learned very much from that post. I have a Nikon D3200 and I set it to sports mode set the ISO to auto and used 3D focusing and got some excellent results. I am still learning but now I can only get better. I was using my 55-300mm lens.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

holding breath helps at that moment

JayB Loc: Northeast US

Thanks for the pointers and support. Birds come in later in the afternoon when sun is lower, going behind trees in my yard. Maybe increasing shutter speed will help. I try to hold the ISO down, but maybe that's self-defeating in my light conditions. Here are a couple of typical shots. They weren't hard to find! I was switching off between auto focus and manual focus because when the subject is small, the camera seems to search. Also was excited, that can't help. Maybe it's just me trying to do too much with the camera with too little practice time. But thanks for looking. It helps to talk about it.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

what was your setting looks loke you may have a pretty wide aprature. looks like it was a sunny day.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

loaded it in lightroom it was heaviest in the whites nothing in the darkerside try using f8 to f16. picture is pretty soft.

JayB Loc: Northeast US

Reloading pics with "store original" The first one is different, still soft though. I put a third one in too, that I'm happy with in terms of sharpness and exposure.

Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert

aerides wrote:

Reloading pics with "store original" The first one is different, still soft though. I put a third one in too, that I'm happy with in terms of sharpness and exposure.

Hey Doc ..... hope ya don't mind, did a quick fix in Elements for ya

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

just looks like lens lil to open this woody was more on left side contrast was off +55 for me. was was camera settings?

JayB Loc: Northeast US

Wabbit wrote:

Hey Doc ..... hope ya don't mind, did a quick fix in Elements for ya

Definite improvements. What did you do? I see tonal changes, and the subjects seem to stand out more.

Wabbit Loc: Arizona Desert

aerides wrote:

Wabbit wrote:

Hey Doc ..... hope ya don't mind, did a quick fix in Elements for ya

Definite improvements. What did you do? I see tonal changes, and the subjects seem to stand out more.

Hey Doc ..... auto enhance in Photoshop Elements ..... took less than 20 seconds to do all three .....