Originally posted by Marc Langille Hi Lee,
I have some questions, since it's hard to make a determination without a full description of the situation you were shooting in...
- What model of tripod are you using?
Induro A414 - Those shots are with the Pentax Rear Converter 2X-L TC? yes. I tried my tammy 1.4x MC4 and it gave me identical results as the Pentax 1.4xIf not, what model of TC?
- Have you have better image sharpness with the 1.4X TC or simply using the lens on it's own? No
- Is the Manfrotto 393 head locked down at all when using the remote? No
- Have you tried dampening the unit with your hands when not firing the shutter with a remote? No, I have a bit of a tremor so that may do more harm than good
- MLU - was it used? Not for these consecutive shots but I did try it at other times. The GBH was kind enough to sit for 30 minutes so I could try everything.
- Was it windy? Breezy, but I was totally indoors shooting through a sliding glass door open 12"
I'll try to think of others, but that's it for now. Having those answered will fill out the information gaps for the shots taken and perhaps give us a better idea of where to start digging a bit more.
Regards,
Marc
Originally posted by imtheguy I am delighted to answer questions instead of staring at the blurry pics any longer today. Keep 'em coming!
edit - I get a few spot on focused shots at 800mm with my birdfeeder that is only about 8m away. The focus there is random also.
Hi Lee,
Assuming there are no issues with your technique, I'm going the route of gear head perspective first. I believe that your tripod may be part of the equation - I say this because it's max. supported weight is 26.5lbs, according to B&H information sheet.
Your setup: A* 400/2.8 = 13.2lbs (6000g)
K20 = 2lbs (battery grip?)
Manfrotto Head = 3.5lbs
2X-L TC at ~0.5lbs Total = ~19.2lbs
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My setup: FA* 250-600/5.6 = 12.75 lbs
WH-200 gimbal head = 3.1lbs
K10D + grip = 2.5lbs
Total is 18.35lbs
I have the following on the Gitzo 3541XLS tripod and it's rated at 39.5lbs max. load. The rule of thumb is that your tripod's max. load should be double of what you put on it to minimize and/or dampen vibration(s).
I can shoot at 1/125 second with very sharp image results max. aperture of F/5.6 at 600mm, no remote, using long lens dampening technique. This Tufted Titmouse was roughly 6m away.
EXIF
Is your lens/camera balance is good on the Manfrotto head? I like Lowell's suggestion for a secondary support - that's worth consideration too.
It might be your center column lock as well, although that argument can go both ways. There are two camps on super telephoto usage on column and non-column based tripods. Some nature photographers will swear over their firstborn that it makes no difference, although I've chosen the latter option to buy a column-less tripod with low weight and high max. load. The top plate diameter is quite large, giving a larger area of contact with the top plate.
Any chance you can "borrow" a tripod with a higher max. load? I'm kind of diving into this with a multiple angles and several point towards your support system.
Again, this is a gear head perspective - if I am going down the wrong path, please advise. Not upgrading your super telephoto lens support setup tends to be an important issue that is overlooked. Again, I am not suggesting you upgrade and yet it could be an issue. I spent $1400 MSRP on my support setup and the images come back nice and sharp at fairly low shutter speeds. However, it they were not, then I would definitely be examining my technique, etc. (ie. look in the mirror Marc!)
Regards,
Marc