Great to have these little ones close by-Agree with Phil thats its out of focus-here i would have switched the live view on-zoomed in and manual focused on the chicks eyes to get it pin sharp-looks like they will be there a while longer so you can go back for another go
Dave
great eye contact but not sharp enough, as Dave says time to go back and have another go
Paul
Posted by Barry Southon on June 19, 2009 at 10:39 PM
I found it impossible to secure a sharp image the nest was swaying two or three feet in the wind. The wind is a constant factor here. Add to that the fledglings movement plus camera movement even on a tripod. Its also a fairly large crop. Is it really a realistic expectation to get a sharp image?
The foreground is sharp, but unfortunately the owlets aren’t.
A few questions, do you wear glasses ??
If not, do you have them tested regularly ??
Does your camera have a DOF preview button ??
If so, do you use it ??
Have you got or can you arrange for a shot of the location, showing your camera in position and set up ?? By that I also mean anything which is nearby, for example your car, trees etc.
The reason behind the questions is that I have recently had an eye test and when using both eyes I have 20/20 vision, but some years ago, I was getting unsharp images and this was because I had an eye complaint called astigmatism in my right eye, which I was unaware of. This means that I can’t see sharply through my right eye. But everything is sharp when I use both, the brain compensates.
Now about that shot, send it privately if you wish, to 2ray@f2s.com . I was recently shooting with 1000 mm of lens at 1/60, in high winds and was getting sharp images, so it might not be your camera itself.
Just a few thoughts.
Posted by Barry Southon on June 22, 2009 at 12:37 AM
Could it be that instead of centre focus I was using the nineteen outer points resulting in the leaves in focus rather than the two owls?
Use single point AF on the subject for static subjects
Use expanding single point AF for moving subjects until such time that you have mastered your lens and then revert to single point AF on your subject matter when confident you can track the subject smoothly
Which single AF point to use depends on the head position in frame, it will not necessarily be the central AF point. Where possible set your AF point on the subjects head, it is the eyes you want sharp, not the body
Never ever use "ring of fire" multiple point AF focus settings - you have no control whatsoever on what the camera decides to focus on
Discussion
9 repliesStill 35-40ft in the tree tops but not for much longer. Seven weeks well spent and a treat to have been able too monitor progress.
Canon 1D3 800mm tripod trigger release.
Critique Advice Comments most welcome.
Thanks for looking.
Phil.
Dave
Paul
Matt
The foreground is sharp, but unfortunately the owlets aren’t.
A few questions, do you wear glasses ??
If not, do you have them tested regularly ??
Does your camera have a DOF preview button ??
If so, do you use it ??
Have you got or can you arrange for a shot of the location, showing your camera in position and set up ?? By that I also mean anything which is nearby, for example your car, trees etc.
The reason behind the questions is that I have recently had an eye test and when using both eyes I have 20/20 vision, but some years ago, I was getting unsharp images and this was because I had an eye complaint called astigmatism in my right eye, which I was unaware of. This means that I can’t see sharply through my right eye. But everything is sharp when I use both, the brain compensates.
Now about that shot, send it privately if you wish, to 2ray@f2s.com . I was recently shooting with 1000 mm of lens at 1/60, in high winds and was getting sharp images, so it might not be your camera itself.
Just a few thoughts.
in a nutshell, yes
Use single point AF on the subject for static subjects
Use expanding single point AF for moving subjects until such time that you have mastered your lens and then revert to single point AF on your subject matter when confident you can track the subject smoothly
Which single AF point to use depends on the head position in frame, it will not necessarily be the central AF point. Where possible set your AF point on the subjects head, it is the eyes you want sharp, not the body
Never ever use "ring of fire" multiple point AF focus settings - you have no control whatsoever on what the camera decides to focus on