Originally posted by Des Every extra metre increases the degree of difficulty. Presumably these are both heavy crops. And of course if the image has been compressed further for uploading, it will reduce quality as well. If you were shooting through glass (yes this is often necessary) that would reduce resolution too.
A couple of comments:
First image: The problem here is missed focus. It's a bit hard to tell, but I think the focus point is behind the sparrow. That's happens all the time - you are trying to land a focus point on a small target that occupies a very small portion of the frame. I often miss focus in that situation. Don't beat yourself up about it.
One thing about this situation is that you can use the centre focus point without having to recompose, since you will be cropping all around anyway. The centre focus point (and the one immediately above it and the one immediately below it) are more sensitive.
I'm assuming you were focusing through the viewfinder. If so, I'll just raise the question whether the PLM is back-focusing on the KP? I wouldn't leap to that conclusion on a single image. Are you seeing this behaviour consistently? If so, test it carefully and use AF Fine Adjustment if necessary.
It's possible that there was some motion blur or slight camera movement but I can't really tell from that image.
Second image: This worked much better, but I think the focus point might be slightly in front of the sparrow (look at the base of the feeder).
Of course, with a feeder you could set the camera on a tripod and pre-focus with LiveView, then shoot with a remote trigger. That way you might be able to get the camera closer to the subject. A shorter focal length and a narrower aperture would give more margin for error in focus too (albeit at the price of higher ISO or slower shutter speed).
Nice bokeh in each shot.
Hi Des,
Thank you very much! I so appreciate you taking the time to have a good look at my pictures and giving advice from your wealth of experience!
Arrrghhh – the dreaded front and back focus. I’m not technical at all and have no testing equipment., nor am I willing (yet) to shell out serious money to buy any at the moment. I have, however, printed out a test chart. 😉 I can see what you mean by possible front and back focus, especially in the first picture.
As to your remarks:
1. Yes, both pictures are heavily cropped and I was using the viewfinder.
2. I’ll have another/closer look at the pics I’ve taken so far with the 55-300 + KP to see if I can discern any back- or front focusing and any consistency therein
3. My most used settings are spot focus and TAv.
4. And yes, I’ll take some more pictures with the KP-PLM combo and try to be more aware of possible misfocusing, motion blur or movement (e.g. use a tripod every now and then).
5. If the problem persists, I’ll bite the bullet and do the charting. I’m sure my better half (who’s far better at these things), will be willing to help.
6. Regarding the second picture: I agree that this one looks slightly better (I’ve always loved the Sigma for its fast focusing and the sharp pictures it delivered on my previous cameras). Moving the camera closer to the feeder would be a bit tricky for various reasons, and TBH I’m not a fan of using either a tripod or LV, but I realize I may have to a few times to work this out.
One last question: would you please have a look at
this picture and tell me if you see any signs of front or back focusing? It was also taken with the KP+55-300 PLM with the following settings: 300mm @ f/6.3 – 1/160 – ISO 800. The bird was about 3-4 meters away from me and what also helps of course is that it’s a bit bigger than the tiny sparrows. 😉
Thanks again, Des, I’ve taken all your suggestions on board and am going to work my way through them. Wish me luck! 😉
---------- Post added 05-21-20 at 13:40 ----------
Originally posted by jabobby Here's some shots of the black-throated warbler female & male. And I certainly agree with all the advice Des has offered. One remark I will add is when I shoot quick moving birds like warblers I typically forsake aperture for a higher shutter speed and hope for good focus. Sometimes I succeed this way and sometimes not. The higher ISO is not as much an issue if you nail the focus, and if @ 2000 ISO or higher I will do a slight adjustment in LR.
Best Regards, Bob
And thank you very much as well, Bob! I know that the 2 lenses I used here will never outperform that terrific 150-450 of yours, but as Des proves, I must be able to do better with the 55-300. All suggestions help! So, to make sure I understand properly: you’re using the Tv setting? Nowadays I mostly use TAv, but looking at the previous 2 pictures I realize I may have set the shutter speed too low for the first one (1/160). The second one was shot at 1/1000 – would you say that’s high enough for these little flitting creatures?
Cheers!