question about small subjects: I wonder if any have any suggestions on getting clear and sharp pics of smaller birds such as sparrows, finches, siskins, chickadee or titmouse etc.? I...

ckt1945 Loc: Waterloo, SC

I wonder if any have any suggestions on getting clear and sharp pics of smaller birds such as sparrows, finches, siskins, chickadee or titmouse etc.? I get good shots but not the quality I like and they seem so small that they are difficult to get close ups of or super clear shots. I am sure their quickness plays a part but I am lost as to any other way to capture these wonderful creatures. Any comments would be appreciated !!!!!

FrodoBaggins Loc: Texas

ckt1945 wrote:

I wonder if any have any suggestions on getting clear and sharp pics of smaller birds such as sparrows, finches, siskins, chickadee or titmouse etc.? I get good shots but not the quality I like and they seem so small that they are difficult to get close ups of or super clear shots. I am sure their quickness plays a part but I am lost as to any other way to capture these wonderful creatures. Any comments would be appreciated !!!!!

What lens are you using?

ckt1945 Loc: Waterloo, SC

I have 3 I use often. A canon 55-250, a sigma 18-250 and a sigma 150-400. I use these on my 2 canon d7 & d7markII

FrodoBaggins Loc: Texas

Went back to one of your previous post and noticed you were using the Sigma lens there. I'm assuming you are still. You might try spot metering and aim at the eye. I'm not familiar with that lens but if it has image stabilization I would turn it on if you are trying to shoot handheld. Maybe use auto focus. I would shoot with a higher shutter speed and a low ISO if possible. Perhaps these might help. I struggle also.

FrodoBaggins Loc: Texas

ckt1945 wrote:

I have 3 I use often. A canon 55-250, a sigma 18-250 and a sigma 150-400. I use these on my 2 canon d7 & d7markII

All good lens I'm sure. I found one of the smartest things I ever did was to read the book " Understanding Exposure" by Brian Peterson
Really helped me.

Saleavitt10 Loc: Maine

Good light, good light and good light! I have the most luck with songbirds when I have really good light. That allows a higher shutter speed and a lower ISO. They are fast buggers and take lots of practice and patience.

Keep trying.

ckt1945 Loc: Waterloo, SC

Thanks saleavitt10. Appreciate the input. they are fast. I will keep trying. I have read the book and perhaps misinterpreted and I am going to play with the ISO and shutter speed. They are fast; no doubt. I know it takes a lot of patience.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

ckt1945 wrote:

I wonder if any have any suggestions on getting clear and sharp pics of smaller birds such as sparrows, finches, siskins, chickadee or titmouse etc.? I get good shots but not the quality I like and they seem so small that they are difficult to get close ups of or super clear shots. I am sure their quickness plays a part but I am lost as to any other way to capture these wonderful creatures. Any comments would be appreciated !!!!!

A long lens, on a tripod, with a fast shutter, a large MP sensor, powerful flash and generous cropping works consistently well for me.

ckt1945 Loc: Waterloo, SC

Ok Joer, Thanks. I use a long lens and have tried on both handheld and tripod and have used fast shutter and will now try low ISO but what do you consider a large flash in the day light from say 40-50 ft? I am still kinda new with all the pro jargon etc.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

joer wrote:

A long lens, on a tripod, with a fast shutter, a large MP sensor, powerful flash and generous cropping works consistently well for me.

Interesting. I found that using a flash tended to scare my birds away. (I tend a large flock of Humming Birds at my feeders. Love the little jeweled flyers.)
In a few days, if they saw me with the camera, they got out of dodge.
So I stopped the flash and they settled back down.
YMMV.

Otherwise, all else you noted was what brought me success. ;)

ckt1945 Loc: Waterloo, SC

Thanks Sonny. appreciate the info. I agree wit the assumption you speak of.................

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

ckt1945 wrote:

I wonder if any have any suggestions on getting clear and sharp pics of smaller birds such as sparrows, finches, siskins, chickadee or titmouse etc.? I get good shots but not the quality I like and they seem so small that they are difficult to get close ups of or super clear shots. I am sure their quickness plays a part but I am lost as to any other way to capture these wonderful creatures. Any comments would be appreciated !!!!!

Yes.

Here are my rules for getting clear, sharp, quality images of any subject.

1.) Fill the frame with your subject. If it's a person, then stand at the place where they fill the frame, if it's a bird or a bug...the same thing goes. You cannot have a sparrow be 1/20 of your frame and expect them to be tack sharp. Get close or get a bigger lens.

2.) Have adequate light. You can't shoot things at ISO 1600 and expect to not see any effects of that. The more light is on something, the more visual separation you get between details..and it gives the illusion of the image being a lot sharper.

3.) Shoot at a smaller aperture than wide open. Even stopping down a stop helps. No lens is at their best wide open.

Those are my rules for getting better image quality.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

ckt1945 wrote:

I wonder if any have any suggestions on getting clear and sharp pics of smaller birds such as sparrows, finches, siskins, chickadee or titmouse etc.? I get good shots but not the quality I like and they seem so small that they are difficult to get close ups of or super clear shots. I am sure their quickness plays a part but I am lost as to any other way to capture these wonderful creatures. Any comments would be appreciated !!!!!

Lots of practice and patience. You need to get close and stand relatively still - it takes a lot of time. I routinely spend 3-4 hours in one location, so I become accustomed to me being there as part of their habitat.

This shot is of a Eastern Towhee, which spends most of the time concealed in underbrush, and rarely seen out in the open, especially on the snow. It is the size of a sparrow. I saw it about 90 mins after arriving at my location, amongst the other sparrows, black capped chickadees, rose breasted nuthatches, and later the rusty and plain blackbirds.

It is important to study your birds - where they land, where they are just before they land, where they go after they land - keep your camera pointed at tree perches and landing spots.

Female Eastern Towhee

(Download)

Bret Loc: Dayton Ohio

I agree with Gene....get closer and be very patient and still. This Male Cardinal was about 15 feet away with a Sigma 150-500.

(Download)

Tracht3

The more you crop the more your technique needs to be dead on. I assume you shoot on the long end of your teles. Thus there will be less light and less accurate focus.