Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Well - looking at the second picture (the one with the download) shutter at 1/2000 was fast enough - apperture at f7.1 not three bad - perhaps moved to f11 and up the ISO would have helped. But I think your prob is missing the point of focus? Is yoiur camera set for centre point focussing? if so you did miss it!
Try a few shots on Auto evrything and see what happens - let us know.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Definitely set your camera up for back button focus if it allows. Next set it to auto focus & make sure the lens is set to auto focus also. Check out some You Tube vids from Mark Smith, he shows his settings. You will be supprised at how high the ISO is on some of the pics. If you find yourself shooting in changing light situations, use auto ISO.

Have fun, Tom.

Pistnbroke Loc: UK

This is a pointless exercise ..the camera does not have enough pixels for bird photography ie POI.
the lens is bad at max zoom ie 270mm and you have no fine focus adjust. Closer subjects may work for you ..I test my bird lens on a door number down the street 60 yards away and I can see the cross head on the screw clearly when cropped in if its all tuned in ….try that . If you cannot get a sharp picture on a static object at 60 yards then you got no chance on a bird in flight.

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

It seems your image is both out of focus and there is some considerable movement.

birds in flight are challenging, but not impossible with a D3100. Though not spectacular, the Tamron lens is no slouch either -

It is not possible to shoot active, small and distant subjects with manual focus these days. The viewfinder focusing screens are not good enough.

Leaving VC on when the subject is moving is a mistake. Using 1/2000 shutter speed is a good choice, but you must have either been move the camera a lot (practice panning technique) or VC was "doing it's thing" as you triggered the shutter. Generally speaking, VC is best used on static subjects and at slower shutter speeds where it would not be possible to get good images without it. Also, typically VC ceases to provide any benefit at shutter speeds faster than 1/500.

You can take birds in flight with slower shutter speeds, BTW - as long as you are careful. Bigger, slower flying birds are easier to shoot than smaller more fidgety birds.

I use a combination of back button focus and shutter press focus - depending on the circumstances.

Before attempting birds in flight, I suggest practicing on slower moving, larger subjects. If you can get your hands on a longer lens, that wouldn't hurt, since cropping an image from a D3100 will have an impact on image quality.

.

1/800 sec, 600mm

(Download)

1/1000, 600mm

(Download)

1/1250, 600mm

(Download)

1/1250, 320mm

(Download)

1/2000, 600mm

(Download)

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

You mention using "VC always". Are you using a tripod for these photos? If so, turn VC off.
--Bob

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

At 1/2000 and near f/7.1 the only explanation is missed focus. What are you using? Single point?

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Are you on a tripod?

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

Check your camera manual to see where the focus points are located on the sensor. Unless your camera locks onto the subject using one of those focus points, your subject will not be in focus. The bird you tried to photograph was not at a location where it would be covered by a focus point. Therefore I suspect the camera tried to focus using the center focus point, but there wasn't enough contrast in the cloud so it couldn't focus on the cloud either.

Your camera (D3100) has 11 focus points, but at f/7.1, I'm not sure that all 11 are able to focus. The center focus point is usually able to focus more easily than the other focus points. With your camera, you need to try to keep the subject in the center of the frame while in AF-C AF mode; using the Dynamic-area AF, Auto-area AF, or 3D-tracking AF-area mode.

Also, when your shutter speed is faster than 1/1000 sec, turn VR (vibration reduction) off.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Focus is done acquired at the widest available aperture and then shuts down to the chosen aperture for the shot. So that is likely not the issue. Unfortunately, I could not find lens info in the EXIF data.

David Kay Loc: Arlington Heights IL

Here is the dof for the shot the OP took
Depth of field
Near limit 254.6 ft
Far limit 365.1 ft
Total 110.5 ft

So if the bird is not within that 100 feet of focus area, the bird will be out of focus.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Are you using spot focus flogging he camera pick the focus point? I also think to are pushing your luck using a 270mmm lens at that distance; I use a Tamron 70-300 mmm and often get similar results. Are you sure the camera s rock steady? It could be a camera shake problem too.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Steve Perry has an excellent series of YouTube videos about focusing with Nikon DSLR's. Check him out.

Zooman 1

I think you need a longer lens for what you are trying to do. With a 270mm at 100 yards you will not fill the frame enough for sharp flight shots. IMHO.

agillot

try hand focus , also at least 1/1000 .you need at least a 600mm lens for birds .

RRS Loc: Not sure

Were you using a single center focusing point say when you shot that duck? If so your focus point would have been way off your subject. Check for yourself, shoot 8 to 10 shots and just look at the viewing screen on the back of your camera, if the duck (subject) is not centered then your focus will be off. As to your original question, yes your camera and lens setup can take good, better, images then what you have shown here. To get sharp , feather detail, you will have to get closer, it always helps even if you are shooting a 150-600mm lens. A lot will also depend on the size of your subject and whether its moving fast or slow or standing still. Light coming from behind you will always be your friend. Study and learn to understand the association between aperture, shutter speed and ISO. I think you may be surprised and delighted to see what a seasoned wildlife photographer could do with your setup.