Blurred images - please help!
Posted 02/05/2015 - 09:00
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@Davidwozhere; Why do you need to cover the viewfinder in LV? Unless I'm misunderstanding how LV works, then with the mirror up, surely no light is getting in through the viewfinder to affect the exposure?
K-3II - HD DA20-40 Limited, HD DA55-300PLM, SMC DA10-17 Fishy, AF201FG Flashy
Posted 02/05/2015 - 13:00
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Thank you to everyone who has got back to me - lots to think about - you guys are a great source of knowledge! Better than reading the mags! Thanks again. Chris
Posted 02/05/2015 - 13:45
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microlight2010 wrote:
@Davidwozhere; Why do you need to cover the viewfinder in LV? Unless I'm misunderstanding how LV works, then with the mirror up, surely no light is getting in through the viewfinder to affect the exposure?
It's often recommended for very long exposures, but I and others have tried to introduce light using powerful LED flashlights directly into the OVF with nothing getting through at all.
@Davidwozhere; Why do you need to cover the viewfinder in LV? Unless I'm misunderstanding how LV works, then with the mirror up, surely no light is getting in through the viewfinder to affect the exposure?
Posted 02/05/2015 - 15:41
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It's recommended for very long exposures, but using the regular DSLR system. LiveView is something else and it shouldn't be necessary in this instance.
Best regards, John
Posted 02/05/2015 - 21:29
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johnriley wrote:
It's recommended for very long exposures, but using the regular DSLR system. LiveView is something else and it shouldn't be necessary in this instance.
Not sure that's correct, JR. Long exposures or live view, in both cases the mirror is up to expose the sensor..It's recommended for very long exposures, but using the regular DSLR system. LiveView is something else and it shouldn't be necessary in this instance.
Liveview simply give you a live feedback from the sensor while the mirror is up.
Posted 03/05/2015 - 11:29
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Looking at the images posted there seems to be a variety of issues causing the problems, some of which have been mentioned and some not. These are my thoughts:
- Shutter speed is definitely an issue, although I often successfully shoot wild birds at 1/60 with a 420mm lens (DA*300 + 1.4TC) with the appropriate camera support (bean bag or tripod). There are several factors that come into play with slower shutter speeds:
(i) Subject movement - birds flit and move very fast, quite often a slow shutter can result in a blurred subject even without camera movement
(ii) Camera stability - are you shooting hand-held or on a tripod?
(iii) Remote or manual shooting - it can be a good idea to try some remote shooting with birds that are returning time and again to a known location. If you have any way of triggering the shutter with a remote release you can mount the camera on a tripod, point and focus at the spot where they land and eliminate any risk of movement that would otherwise be caused by pressing the shutter button. This method requires a lot of planning, observation and patience
- Distance from the subject - this has been covered in a previous reply and may be another reason to try remote shooting on a tripod. It is critical with wild birds to get as close to the subject as possible, especially if you are wanting to crop heavily on the final image
- Aperture used - F5.6 results in a very shallow Depth of Field at 300mm. This can be a plus point, but only if the focus is pin-point accurate, otherwise your images will end up very blurry, as can be seen in some you have posted
- Lens choice - unfortunately the Sigma 100-300 is probably not the best for wildlife shooting. Unless you have an exceptional copy of the lens you will probably find it is not sharp enough, especially at the extreme long end of the focal range. If you can get the camera in closer it would be better to step the zoom back a little, say to 230mm or so as it will probably be sharper there. Ultimately, for this type of photography you need a more capable lens for top quality results
- Background is something that hasn't been mentioned here and it bears no relevance to sharpness of images, but I thought it worth a mention as we are looking at some specific example images you have posted. With bird shots the background is critical in terms of isolating the subject from its surroundings and drawing attention to the subject. I would suggest with the Blue Tits, moving the camera to the side 90 degrees, so you are not shooting directly at the nesting box, but are shooting across the front of it. This way you have more chance to get a nice clean shot with no distractions in the background.
I hope this helps, some of what I've said above may not be possible given your kit and the location of the where the birds are, but sometimes you have to think a bit outside the box to end up with professional looking results.
Regards
David
- Shutter speed is definitely an issue, although I often successfully shoot wild birds at 1/60 with a 420mm lens (DA*300 + 1.4TC) with the appropriate camera support (bean bag or tripod). There are several factors that come into play with slower shutter speeds:
(i) Subject movement - birds flit and move very fast, quite often a slow shutter can result in a blurred subject even without camera movement
(ii) Camera stability - are you shooting hand-held or on a tripod?
(iii) Remote or manual shooting - it can be a good idea to try some remote shooting with birds that are returning time and again to a known location. If you have any way of triggering the shutter with a remote release you can mount the camera on a tripod, point and focus at the spot where they land and eliminate any risk of movement that would otherwise be caused by pressing the shutter button. This method requires a lot of planning, observation and patience
- Distance from the subject - this has been covered in a previous reply and may be another reason to try remote shooting on a tripod. It is critical with wild birds to get as close to the subject as possible, especially if you are wanting to crop heavily on the final image
- Aperture used - F5.6 results in a very shallow Depth of Field at 300mm. This can be a plus point, but only if the focus is pin-point accurate, otherwise your images will end up very blurry, as can be seen in some you have posted
- Lens choice - unfortunately the Sigma 100-300 is probably not the best for wildlife shooting. Unless you have an exceptional copy of the lens you will probably find it is not sharp enough, especially at the extreme long end of the focal range. If you can get the camera in closer it would be better to step the zoom back a little, say to 230mm or so as it will probably be sharper there. Ultimately, for this type of photography you need a more capable lens for top quality results
- Background is something that hasn't been mentioned here and it bears no relevance to sharpness of images, but I thought it worth a mention as we are looking at some specific example images you have posted. With bird shots the background is critical in terms of isolating the subject from its surroundings and drawing attention to the subject. I would suggest with the Blue Tits, moving the camera to the side 90 degrees, so you are not shooting directly at the nesting box, but are shooting across the front of it. This way you have more chance to get a nice clean shot with no distractions in the background.
I hope this helps, some of what I've said above may not be possible given your kit and the location of the where the birds are, but sometimes you have to think a bit outside the box to end up with professional looking results.
Regards
David
Posted 03/05/2015 - 14:47
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Hi David
Thanks for the information - most helpful. To answer you questions, I was holding the camera free hand, manual shooting and not using a tripod on this occasion. My long lenses are both Sigma DG's and are 70-300mm and 120-400mm OS.
One thing I have learned over the past few days is that I need to get to know my camera and equipment much better and go back to some basics! I started photography back in the early 80's, did my C&G at college and worked with all the good old B&W, negatives and colour film etc etc - even set up my own small dark room once!
I have to admit that whilst the digital photography era gives you almost instant results (gone are days when you eagerly awaiting for your prints to come back from the printers) I do feel its got rather more complicated with a lot more stuff to digest. Or is it just me getting older??
Thanks again to everyone for your support and advice.
Chris
Thanks for the information - most helpful. To answer you questions, I was holding the camera free hand, manual shooting and not using a tripod on this occasion. My long lenses are both Sigma DG's and are 70-300mm and 120-400mm OS.
One thing I have learned over the past few days is that I need to get to know my camera and equipment much better and go back to some basics! I started photography back in the early 80's, did my C&G at college and worked with all the good old B&W, negatives and colour film etc etc - even set up my own small dark room once!
I have to admit that whilst the digital photography era gives you almost instant results (gone are days when you eagerly awaiting for your prints to come back from the printers) I do feel its got rather more complicated with a lot more stuff to digest. Or is it just me getting older??
Thanks again to everyone for your support and advice.
Chris
Posted 06/05/2015 - 12:33
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Only thing I would add to the advice above is increase the ISO a lot. The K5 handles high ISO well - 1600 should be no problem.
Dave
Dave
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424 posts
17 years
Nobody has replied to you regarding Live View.
Put the camera on a tripod and put your specs on so you can see straight (serious! It's important).
Push the LV button and the mirror will go up with a loud 'clack!' Now the screen on the back is showing exactly what is being registered by the sensor. It's a good idea to cover the viewfinder at this stage as light entering there can affect the exposure.
Point the camera at the subject and watch the focus on the screen. Now here's the clever bit. If you push the INFO button the image will zoom in increments for each push. Use the 4 way controller to navigate across the enlarged image (which is 'live' don't forget). Now you can really see what's being focussed on. Push the MENU button to de-zoom. Not only can you see the focus happening (it's better with a manual lens) but you can see the effect of the exposure compensation button too. With a preset manual lens you can watch the effect of stopping down on the DofF.
So, if you do this with an AF lens (over which you have little control) AND a manual one (where you have full control) you ought to discover if it is the lens or the camera (or you) that is the problem.