Advice from the twitchers please.

[InaGlo]

Ok, so Im well aware that the 70-200mm isnt ideal, especially on my fullframe, so to help me along with my garden birdies, I bought the canon 1.4 converter.
Ive been using the monopod since adding the converter, but I dont seem to be able to get a sharp picture.
Do you think its camera shake thats being magnified by the 1.4?
Also, my lens seems to be hunting too much in auto, so I was wondering what you guys do, manual focus or auto?

 

[Venomator]

I think you should use a tripod Glo ... ... every time for pin sharps ...



AND manually focus if you can as birds are always on the move ... :shrug:

 

[InaGlo]

When it comes to the tripod, I am trying Ven ... very trying say some
I find the tripod very cumbersome, my garden visitors dont really seem to have any favourite places to perch, so its kind of awkward to get a stiuation 'set-up'.
Perhaps I need a hide, but if I start going that route ... I can see me visiting Mr bank manager about those big lenses too!

 

[Canon Bob]

I've been there....

I think 280 is still a little too short for your average bird and leaves too much to PP later. I went up from a 70-200 +1.4x to a 300 + 1.4x and then a 400 +/- 1.4x. I think 400mm is really the shortest practical length on an FF body although 300will work on a crop.

Half the world will respond in disagreement now but that's my opinion.

Bob

 

[InaGlo]

Thanks for your reply Bob... sadly, I think youre probably right and before the year is out I will probably be looking for something with more reach.

The bit thats phasing me is, today I took a shot of a Woody, and while I know its a bigger bird, at 65ft away+ it came out much sharper than the Chaffies Ive been trying to shoot at between 8- 12ft. :bang:

 

[StewartR]

I dont seem to be able to get a sharp picture.
Do you think its camera shake thats being magnified by the 1.4?

No way of telling without more data. I sugest you post an example unsharp image, with the key EXIF data.

 

[madmitch]

Perhaps I need a hide, but if I start going that route ... I can see me visiting Mr bank manager about those big lenses too!

My Bank Manager was fine once i picked him up and dusted him off

I couldn't be bothered with a tripod at first but now know they are invaluable for wildlife and landscape photography and never go out without one.

 

[CT]

The 70-200 2.8L should perform really well with a 1.4 converter Glo, although you need to stop down a stop or two to get sharp results which is easier said than done with the light at this time of year I know. My guess is if you're shooting wide open you're suffering a slight loss of definition from the converter, and that coupled with your full frame sensor isn't helping.

I can get to about 5 or 6 feet from tit sized birds with the 70-200 ( If they're being co-operative) but I still need to do quite substantial cropping and that's on a 1.6X sensor!

Don't be afraid to use 800 ISO to get your shutter speeds up and give yourself a chance to stop down a little. You can get good results off a monopod but a tripod is the most solid platform.

 

[InaGlo]

Thanks for the responses peeps, much appreciated.

Ill try and keep to the Mono/tripod, and do away with trying to grab shot so much.
I do crank up the ISO but there seems so much noise when Im cropping so heavily.
Youre right though CT, I have been shooting wide open.
Ill try stopping down then and see how I go before I resort to posting my shameful blurry Chaffies

 

[CT]

I did do some back to back tests a while back Glo with the 100-400L and the 28-70 2.8L which showed that the 70-200 needs to be stopped down a little (when using a converter) to equal the 100 -400 for sharpness.

Used without a TC though, the 70-200 2.8 is Hellish fast, and sharper than a really sharp thing.

Can you site a feeder really close to a window and work off a tripod in the dry? That's how I get my closest shots at about 5 or 6 feet and the 70-200 is ideal.

 

[krazy_horse]

Can i ask a newbie Q?

What do you mean by stopping down? Decrease in F number?

JB

 

[Forbiddenbiker]

I only have the 200 at 2.8 Glo, (with the VR off because I'm on a tripod) no converter and like CT suggests I shoot at about six or seven feet, and I still have to crop a little. I'm at 200iso or slightly above. But at this time of year good speeds are difficult to maintain... not that I've shot any bird life so far this year mind.

I have two setups, one is a blanket with hole held over my open patio door to keep the heat in and hide behind...the other is the same blanket pegged over a tall bush and I hide within the bush hidden by the blanket, tripod, tea, stool and all.

HTHs

 

[CT]

Can i ask a newbie Q?

What do you mean by stopping down? Decrease in F number?

JB

Yes - 'stopping down' is the term used for decreasng aperture size (larger f number)

The term is thought to come from the early days of photography when apertures were just different sized holes in metal plates which were slid into a light trapped slot behind the lens and were thought of as 'stopping' or increasing light depending on the size of the hole.

Well you did ask!