calling all manual focus guys...

*Eaglerapids* · 10-16-2009, 09:14 PM

I'm really getting hung up out here. If I would just use the autofocus there would be nothing to talk about. But I'm having a big problem manual focusing my DA* 300/4. I shot this on my tripod and I was as close to this babe as I've been yet, very exciting. I love these moose, she was laying in this boggy mess eating away and I spotted her out of the corner of my eye as I drove by. The road was way higher than she was and I was confident I could get back into the truck before she could get up the bank and kill me. Along the road was thick vegetation between her and me. This was a help and a hindrance. It allowed me to ease out of the truck and get the camera onto the tripod but now I had a mess to shoot through. Up the road a little ways was an opening though. Every time she got another mouthful I eased toward the opening a step or two. I got a couple of quick shots right off the bat through the thicket in case she bolted. She heard the shutter and was wary and she got to her feet in the ooze. I froze as she looked right at me, willing myself to disappear. Finally I stepped out to get this shot. I think she was a bit used to me by now. She didn't panic but she was uncomfortable with me this close and began to amble off after first sucking her hind leg out of the mess, the strength of these animals is simply amazing.
Ok, my problem. Until I can confidently and consistently nail the focus,manually, with this lens under pressure like this time today, I have to keep manually focusing. I could have used autofocus and got a great set of pictures but what happens then when I have a great shot into branches or whatever of the last Dodo bird that has been hanging around unseen or what if I stumble onto Sasquach in a briar patch and get a fuzzy oof picture and nobody believes me? This should have been a no brainer, yes there were a bunch of branches and stuff in the first pics I took and I missed. Not always a ton but not exactly where I wanted it either. The more I look at this the more I think it was motion blur. I was so excited I didn't notice I had a stop of underexposure dialed in from a previous shot (slams head on desk), I was at f6.7, 1/180 sec. I know, I shouldn't even leave the friggin house. All I could see was her in the VF, I didn't even chimp the exposure till she was gone(bam, bam, bam). But there are others where it is clearly back focused or front focused. I will miss either way, it's frustrating. I went out the other day and practiced on Spike and did pretty good, I thought I had a handle on it and then, today, when I had one of those really cool chances that come way to infrequently, I blow it. I think maybe I jab the shutter. If I really concentrate I can control it but under pressure........
The thing is when I press the shutter I'm SURE it is focused where I want it. I can see missing on BIF shots a certain percentage but on these shots I feel I should be there every time dammit. Yes she was never perfectly still but jeez......
This shot is cropped a bit to get rid of most of some really oof branches on the right and the second is a 100% crop.

100% crop

If this is motion blur then I'm screwing up in my use of the tripod. I'm using a RRS BH-55, that's not the cause. I didn't have time to use MLU. Shouldn't the tripod and ballhead overcome the 1/180 sec shutter? They better, I can handle it if this is my fault but dammit I paid a lot of money to be able to shoot this 300mm at 1/180. for cryin out loud.
But I would love to hear from you good wildlife photogs on how you handle these issues.
But please don't get on me for pixel peeping, I'm not pixel peeping. I don't pixel peep, I'm checking focus, sharpness. I'm obsessed with it, it's why I paid so much money for my kit. Before I die I want to produce something that is perfect, I know I won't, but I've never let that keep me from trying.

Check this one out:

100% crop

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

I was focusing on her face and here we can see her hump rearwards is in focus.
But she was walking forwards...faster than I followed focus? hmmmm

**Damn Brit** · 10-16-2009, 09:49 PM

It may just be the simple act of pressing the shutter button that causes this, also make sure you have SR off. It would be well worth you getting yourself a cable release if you want to take these kind of shots, then there is no chance of vibration.

*Eaglerapids* · 10-16-2009, 10:00 PM

Yeah Gary, I have a cable release and a wireless remote....and didn't use either one. Jeez, I blew this one all around, grrr.
Well, Momma never promised me a rose garden.

**Damn Brit** · 10-16-2009, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by Eaglerapids

Yeah Gary, I have a cable release and a wireless remote....and didn't use either one. Jeez, I blew this one all around, grrr.
Well, Momma never promised me a rose garden.

Remote might have meant you missing something, cable release is the way to go.

BTW, don't forget to use IMGWIDE tags for the bigger pics, thanks.

*Eaglerapids* · 10-16-2009, 10:08 PM

oops, sorry Gary, thanks for fixin it.

**Damn Brit** · 10-16-2009, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by Eaglerapids

oops, sorry Gary, thanks for fixin it.

You should all be forced to use laptops.

*Igilligan* · 10-16-2009, 10:59 PM

Or you should be forced to get that 24" out of the box! haha hehe hoho

*imtheguy* · 10-16-2009, 11:20 PM

1/180s is fast enough to even hand hold the DA*300mm as long as you are not hypervertilating and can stike a steady pose. But movement by the critter will tend to show up at that speed, even chewing will blur the mouth a little. Also when you say you were CLOSE, if that means like 40' kind of close then dof will prevent you from getting that whole animal in focus anyway at f6.7...but you know that. My best advice is to save the MF for the routine shots and use AF if you only see a moose once a year. I would be too excited to remember how to turn on the camera much less focus.

Lowell Goudge · 10-17-2009, 05:36 AM

one thing no one has commented on yet.

on the DA300F4 how far does the focusing collar move from minimum focus to infinity?

my old K300F4 moves about 270 degrees, but my sigma APO 70-200F2.8 only moves 90

some AF lenses while they can be manually focused are not precise due to very short focusing throw

*Eaglerapids* · 10-17-2009, 06:07 AM

Lowell, it's about 270 degrees.

*Eaglerapids* · 10-17-2009, 06:45 AM

Ok, here is probably the best example of what I mean.

1:2 crop

Click on the image to view it in a larger size

I don't know if it's the snipping tool in Vista or what but in the raw file the hairs on her hump are sharp as the dickens, a bit less so here. Hopefully the back focus is evident. She's figured out my presence now, this is the earliest of the posted pics. This is the third pic taken and she's heard the shutter:-). I just cannot believe that at f/6.7 I missed the focus on her eyes in this picture. Of course, with all the distracting stuff in the foreground it would never make the cover of anything but this is a confidence buster.

*dadipentak* · 10-17-2009, 06:47 AM

Careful with the head/desk action there--I've ruined several very nice desks that way.

I'm really here to just listen in on the commentary but wonder whether there are any areas in that first shot (like maybe the shoulder?) which are tack sharp? Maybe that would help determine whether it's a focus problem or something else. With the wet matted hair, the face is going to look a little soft in any case, I think.

Oh and I'm curious about, "Remote might have meant you missing something, cable release is the way to go.", Gary could you elaborate?

*Eaglerapids* · 10-17-2009, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by dadipentak

wonder whether there are any areas in that first shot (like maybe the shoulder?) which are tack sharp?

No there aren't dadipentak:-(. I've got two issues to deal with here. The third photo I've just posted shows best my focus issue. She wasn't moving in the third photo like she was in the second.

Oh, BTW, I have autofocus set up on the AF button, disabled on the shutter button, I never touched the AF button on any pics in this series. This is NOT an autofocus issue. All shot on the tripod.

**Peter Zack** · 10-17-2009, 07:34 AM

Like Dave I have a large file of "Damn blew that one" shots and a small file of "I'm happy with these".

Here's a few personal lessons from all my missed chances.
1) If it's a "drive by" shooting situation*, then a tripod may hinder your progress. Time might not be on your side and the setting up might be when the critter decides to leave. A Monopod can be much faster, less noisy and requires far less room to set up. Plus you can use SR with it.
2) When the opportunity strikes, take a deep breath and think. Stay in the car and check the camera settings
a)ISO Do I have enough for the light available?
b) Did I dial in Ev comp earlier and does it need to be reset
c) what shooting mode will be best
d) AWB or is the camera in tungsten from last nights party?
e) Focus mode, S or C what's needed
f) fresh card or will I set up the perfect shot to realize there's one image left before this card is full.
g) Shutter mode. single shot or hi speed. With wildlife I want hi speed most of the time.

So looking at your shots above I would say a couple of things. With brush and sticks in the way I just don't consider those very good shots any more. So I basically ignore those "opportunities" and keep the camera in the AF mode needed. The OOF sticks and stuff are distracting and really don't make a good shot even if you nailed the focus. If there is only a little of that on the sides of the shot, then AF spot will work anyway.
MF and wildlife is tough and requires a lot of practice.

Shutter speed was too low for either SR or a tripod because it's not the camera moving but the subject. Jack up the ISO (you were at 200). This needed 2+ stops more IMO to get the blur down. K20D's are good at ISO 1600 in low daylight. Go for it. You should have been at ISO 800 and +0.3Ev at a minimum in this light.

So next time, take a second to check the camera and think the shots through before getting excited and shooting.

* if you were set up in a spot and waiting, then some of this does not apply. Use a blind and a tripod for sure. A cable release might work as well but IMO they will slow you down in both framing a shot and being able to react quickly. CR's are for still life shooting most of the time IMO.

If this spot is close to the house, I'd go there on a nice day and set up in a well hidden spot. If they like this pond, they will be back. How many good grocery stores are there in the woods?

Edit: I see your comment on the AF button. IMO (again this is what works for me). AF on the rear button only is not the way to go for this type of shooting. If you are a right eye shooter, then you can us your thumb on the AF button and index finger on the shutter. But what if you need to adjust the aperture and the subject is moving? You use your thumb and the subject walks out of the focus zone. You missed the shot. Use the AF on shutter button. It gives you 2 functions at the same time and frees your thumb for adjusting the rear E-dial in a hurry. You can lock and hold focus with a half push and fire in a split second when needed. This seems to work better for me most of the time.

*wildlifephotog* · 10-17-2009, 08:03 AM

I shoot geer on a regularly. I usually use these settings for manual focus.
Split screen
Center focus point
400 iso
or
AF at shutter button

It pays to know exactly where the camera is focusing. Even center focus can be misleading.