Wildlife Photography

[mdees88]

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F6.7 - 1/125s - 300mm - ISO 320​

A picture from today with new settings, was pretty damn close, other than the objects around the image I like it. Will leave some other examples below.
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F6.7 - 1/200s - ISO 800​

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F6.7 - 1/2000s - ISO 3200 (not great)​

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F6.7 - 1/200s - ISO 800​

Those shots look a lot better. If you notice, the one you said looks "not great", has an ISO of 3200. That's way too high, especially since it's bright outside. The reason it was that high is because the shutter speed was so high (1/2000th). So if you had been 1/200 or 1/400th the ISO would have been much lower which would make it look better.

The one you like the best has an ISO of 320. So I would not exceed ISO 800 and I would try to keep at at 400 or below. You do this by slowing down the shutter speed. Just be careful because once you get much less than 1/200th you can start to introduce motion blur from camera shake and slight movements of the bird. You can still shoot with slow shutter speeds but you need to rattle off several shots at once and usually one of them will be sharp.

So next time take a picture, look at the settings and check the ISO. IF it is too high, slow the shutter speed down then take another pic.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Those shots look a lot better. If you notice, the one you said looks "not great", has an ISO of 3200. That's way too high, especially since it's bright outside. The reason it was that high is because the shutter speed was so high (1/2000th). So if you had been 1/200 or 1/400th the ISO would have been much lower which would make it look better.

The one you like the best has an ISO of 320. So I would not exceed ISO 800 and I would try to keep at at 400 or below. You do this by slowing down the shutter speed. Just be careful because once you get much less than 1/200th you can start to introduce motion blur from camera shake and slight movements of the bird. You can still shoot with slow shutter speeds but you need to rattle off several shots at once and usually one of them will be sharp.

So next time take a picture, look at the settings and check the ISO. IF it is too high, slow the shutter speed down then take another pic.

I was on my "action photo" setup and didn't have time to swap because the little fella flew down but I see exactly what you're saying. Thank you for clarifying! Just need to remember to try the Tv mode tonight then.

This camera has built-in image stabilization which is apparently very very good, I did have it on for these photos too.. the image stabilization was pretty rough on the FZ82 so I'm a bit weary of using it!

Thank you yet again mdees, you're the best.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

How's this

 

[mdees88]

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How's this

Big improvement. Looks like you got a lot closer. What were the settings on that one?

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Big improvement. Looks like you got a lot closer. What were the settings on that one?

Why thank you! The missus spotted them!

F5.6 - 1/100s - 220mm - ISO 1600

Was unfortunately dark under the trees and I didn't have time to zoom in all the way but this isn't cropped. If I had time would've dropped down to 1/30s, probably cut the ISO in half but I think it's still a nice image all considered.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

F6.7 - 1/100s - 300mm - ISO 1600
Whilst he was trying to run away, not sure if I love it or hate it!

 

[mdees88]

Why thank you! The missus spotted them!

F5.6 - 1/100s - 220mm - ISO 1600

Was unfortunately dark under the trees and I didn't have time to zoom in all the way but this isn't cropped. If I had time would've dropped down to 1/30s, probably cut the ISO in half but I think it's still a nice image all considered.

Very nice, both of them are good. Those settings are pretty much perfect based on the available amount of light. The ISO is a little higher than ideal but the shutter speed is a little slower than ideal which means that's as good as you can possibly do in that scenario. You do have to be careful with the slow shutter speeds though, because they can make the image soft. You could have tried 1/30th of a second but you would need to take a lot of images to find one that's sharp.

Another benefit of getting real close to the subject is when you get some separation between the bird and the background, the background blurs out very nicely. Those backgrounds look great. Just blurry enough to still be interesting but so in focus that they are distracting.

I like the first image best because of the pose and he's facing you, but the second image is actually a little bit sharper (more feather detail). That slow"er" shutter speed could have been the culprit. Ideally you want the shutter speed to be at least 1 / the effective focal length. You were at 220mm on a crop body. That's actually 330mm, so ideally you want to be 1/330 or faster to minimize blur. (Your camera does have in body image stabilization which will allow you to shoot a little slower than that). But because of the low light, 1/100 was a very good compromise.

Regardless of how slow my shutter speed is, I usually rattle off 5-10 images anytime I only want 1 image. This way I can pick through and find the sharpest one. Sometimes I'll take 20 or 30 of one animal in one pose, especially when my shutter speed is slow.

I took this image at 640mm and 1/15th of a second. I took well over a dozen images and only two were acceptably sharp. That lens had very good image stabilization too and I still only got 2 keepers....

Anyway, nice pics and good improvement...

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Very nice, both of them are good. Those settings are pretty much perfect based on the available amount of light. The ISO is a little higher than ideal but the shutter speed is a little slower than ideal which means that's as good as you can possibly do in that scenario. You do have to be careful with the slow shutter speeds though, because they can make the image soft. You could have tried 1/30th of a second but you would need to take a lot of images to find one that's sharp.

Another benefit of getting real close to the subject is when you get some separation between the bird and the background, the background blurs out very nicely. Those backgrounds look great. Just blurry enough to still be interesting but so in focus that they are distracting.

I like the first image best because of the pose and he's facing you, but the second image is actually a little bit sharper (more feather detail). That slow"er" shutter speed could have been the culprit. Ideally you want the shutter speed to be at least 1 / the effective focal length. You were at 220mm on a crop body. That's actually 330mm, so ideally you want to be 1/330 or faster to minimize blur. (Your camera does have in body image stabilization which will allow you to shoot a little slower than that). But because of the low light, 1/100 was a very good compromise.

Regardless of how slow my shutter speed is, I usually rattle off 5-10 images anytime I only want 1 image. This way I can pick through and find the sharpest one. Sometimes I'll take 20 or 30 of one animal in one pose, especially when my shutter speed is slow.

I took this image at 560mm and 1/15th of a second. I took well over a dozen images and only two were acceptably sharp. That lens had very good image stabilization too and I still only got 2 keepers....





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Anyway, nice pics and good improvement...

I didn't realise low shutter speeds could lead to soft images.. I think that may have something to do with these two images I'll send next. They seem somewhat more soft and I think that must be from the shutter speed. Thank you for explaining that!

Is it called bookeh? Love the effect, so glad I managed to get that on such a small bird.

I have read that rule and that is exactly why I reduced the shutter speed even more was because I assumed the image stabilization would save my bum. Good to note it does but won't solve soft photos. Thanks.

Not sure if I mentioned it here but when I was on the Pentax forums I was told to get out of my habit of "taking too many photos" as I was spamming 20+ photos on one instance. I was doing so for the reason you explain but as I listened to them I've got out that habit so I am really finding it hard to now get BACK into the habit of taking lots.

That's a very impressive photo, love it! Very sharp for such a low speed. Thank you for your kind comments on my photos.

Really trying to find a good auto 500mm lens for my Pentax just because it would make it 750mm and be able to really snap some great photos of the herons in the nearby pond I just can't focus on with my smaller lens. Have looked at those cheaper 1000mm manual lens (the herons/cormorants don't move much!) But after seeing reviews people don't sound too impressed with them. My missus can't justify the cost for some of the lens, she says even £350 is too much for a secondhand one.

Both: F6.7, 1/100s, 300mm & ISO 1600.

Hope you're doing well mdees, appreciate the time you give me and the help you provide. It's invaluable.

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

Some other photos from Saturday

 

[StinkyAcres]

Had fun photographing kinglets a couple days ago.

https://flic.kr/p/2nSVgyn