[stevereidlrps]

Just got the lens a few days ago, thought I'd put up a few pics from a trip to a nearby reservoir for comments, all were taken with the lens wide open as the light wasn't good

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

[TenZ.NL]

As you probably noticed, the first 2 shots aren`t sharp. Shooting handheld at 500mm is a whole different ballgame, you need lots of practice and faster shutterspeeds (esp in the beginning)
Furthermore try to avoid shooting wide open at long ranges, F8 will give dramaticly better results.

Do you have the OS or nonOS version? Even with OS you might wanna keep the shuttertimes on or above 1/500secs.

[stevereidlrps]

thanks for the feedback, i'll try it closed down and to keep shutter speed at 1/500 or higher, the lens is the OS version, but it wasn't on for all the shots,

[TenZ.NL]

I bought this lens second hand and was very sceptical at first but it can produce very decent pictures if used right. At F8 it is fairly sharp and contrasty but you need to master it first (your second longest focal length is only 200mm?)
Allways, and I do mean allways, get some sort of support. Either brace yourself against an object, sit on the ground and use your knees as support or simply use a mono- or tripod. Also try 3 or multiple shot bursts, you will see that the middle shot has the most sharpness.

Shot this one yesterday @ 500mm and 1/80secs, sitting on my butt with my elbows (actually triceps) resting on my knees: Common Chaffinch | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[southlander]

Long tele is a whole new ball park and I'm still on a learning curve to get the best out of my 55-300 and M*300. 500mm just multiplies the challenge, I started using a monopod which was a big help. Leaning a monopod back towards your body also helps as a degree of triangulation is introduced. Given the crop effect, I would be thinking 1/800th at 500mm would be as slow as I would go (1.5 x the old 1/focal length rule of thumb). Even stopping down 1/2 a stop appears to usefully improve the image quality of longer zooms. Also, staying just inside the extreme long end seems to help as well ( eg use 450mm rather than 500mm).

[southlander]

Shot this one yesterday @ 500mm and 1/80secs, sitting on my butt with my elbows (actually triceps) resting on my knees: Common Chaffinch | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Nice image!

[TenZ.NL]

Thank you, Southlander
I think the 55-300 is a bit different because it is so light. Personally I prefer some weight in telelenses because you can hold it more stable.
But yes, 1/800 would be best but the OS of this lens is very good.

[southlander]

Thank you, Southlander
I think the 55-300 is a bit different because it is so light. Personally I prefer some weight in telelenses because you can hold it more stable.
But yes, 1/800 would be best but the OS of this lens is very good.

I agree more weight/length appears to help. I had a quick play with a Sigma 150-500 at my local camera shop just a week or so ago when I dropped my K-x in for a minor warranty repair and got chatting with the sales rep. I was quite surprised how steady the image was while handholding at 500mm looking at subjects out through the door and up the next street ...even before I turned on the OS. Mix of inertia and a much different body bracing position forced on me by the combo's significant weight I suspect. I survived the moment of high LBA risk and left without the Siggie, but it got me thinking. Might take in an SD card when I collect the K-x and fire off a few test shots to analyse at home.