Steve2014 Loc: Washington state

I bought a Tamron 150-600 f5-6.3 SP zoom lens for my Sony A77 camera for shooting anything I couldn't get close to. I am now trying to get used to using it as I've never had anything this long before, zoom or prime. The attached bird picture doesn't seem to have anything in sharp focus even though I thought it was when I took it. This is in manual because when I tried autofocus it would bounce around on the branches, the birds, or something unidentifiable. The bids were moving and I had the camera tripod mounted. Is focusing these lenses really hard or is the lens just not that sharp at 600mm?

(Download)

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

You seem focused on the nearest woodpecker - but your post processing is AWFUL ! .......

Steve2014 Loc: Washington state

Post processing is something I have a great deal of trouble with. I user Corel Printshop Pro 9 and the learning curve seems to be exceedingly steep for me. Is it the graininess of the image or overall contrast/brightness you are refering to?

Murray Loc: New Westminster

What were your camera settings?

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

I see cyan color fringing on the branches and the image is very grainy. Is this a "severe crop" from the full image? Have you ever tested the lens/camera for focus issues other than shooting birds? Shoot a sharpness target or newspaper attached to a wall a distance from the camera. Use your tripod, and a remote shutter release too. Keep the shutter speed 1/focal length (1/600, stop down at least 1 f stop, and adjust your ISO to get the proper exposure. It takes practice and perfect conditions to get great results with a long lens. There is a learning curve.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Consider manual focusing on your subject. I did when I had my 150-600. I only used auto focus when my subject was isolated and would not get confused with other items in the focusing field.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

graininess ......

agillot

a friend has the original tamron 150 /600 , 1 year old , no the newer G2 .i did for the fun of it take some pictures of a target [ page of a magazine ] on a tripod , is outside sun light .at 600mm there is a definitive drop in sharpness , maybe stay under 550mm .tried in auto , and manual focus , same issue .try the same , take some shots at different length , then crop pictures same size , more then you would do , and at 600 it really shows .

Steve2014 Loc: Washington state

It is about 50% of the image center, both sides were removed to get rid of extra tree branches. I tried to use the post software lens correction function (PrintShop and Topaz) to clean it up but couldn't get it all out. Since I thought it was a little soft I did add some sharpening in Topaz, either Adjust or Clarity. I haven't tried a focus test so I will do that tomorrow. Hadn't thought about doing a test.

Hal81 Loc: Bucks County, Pa.

I have that same lens. I keep it mounted on my tripod. I think Ive only used it a few times. Had no problems so far.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

First we need more info, distance, light etc.

A. this is cropped a lot - get closer*
B. the noise(grain) is awful, that camera is supposed to do a lot better than that Was the image under exposed and you tried to bring it up in processing? From the look I get the impression that this image started out with not enough light. For a lens this long the shutter speed is too low.
C. Manual focus, do you have any vision problems? I do. Is the camera's viewfinder adjusted to your eyes? (The little wheel to the right of the view finder.)
D. birds in branches are hard to focus on because you don't have a clear view, the Tamron 150-600 is generally sharper at around 300 mm + or -. Almost all zooms are not at their best at the two extremes of the zoom. (I have and use this lens on my Canon bodies, when I need maximum reach, otherwise I use my 100-400L mk II (I also own a mark I, but it sits on the shelf since I got the II.)
E. And of course it may be a camera lens compatability issue. My 7DII and 150-600 didn't play real well together at first. Canon and Tamron both came up with firmware fixes that made things much better.

*When I got my first really long lens (Tamron 150-600 just like yours) I had to learn a lot about the use of long lenses. One of the major lessons was that just because the lens is long doesn't mean you can take pictures of things in the next county, esp small things. You can take pictures of eagles much further away than small birds. The long lens doesn't mean you don't have to learn how to get close, it just means you can fill the frame more. There are books, articles and turorials on using telephotos. Just google it.

Steve2014 Loc: Washington state

I was about 50 feet from the birds and couldn't get any closer. Any movement on my part scared them away so I tried to hide just be ready when they landed. Not easy at 25 degrees. Light was a lightly overcast day about 2pm. Yes it was underexposed, I'm guessing -1 to -1.5 stops so I did try to bring it up with brightness and contrast in post.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

lukevaliant Loc: gloucester city,n. j.

steve,these guys are right,i am having same problem,(my wife says i shake too much,but thats gettin older)--tried tripod but did"nt help its the light its time of year,shadows get deeper.im gonna get that pic & so are you,keep at it! luke

Steve2014 Loc: Washington state

I just read Dirtpusher's signature block. I'm beginning to identify with his quote from Edison. I'm not a bad photographer, I've just found 10,000 ways to make bad photos. Thanks Lukevaliant. A piece of hope.