Realistic Achievements

[new2me]

Okay, so I only have a

D200 - rubbish ISO, but robust :shrug:
Sigma 70-300mm (f5.6) - ermmm :shrug:

On a really sunny day, I stand a chance of scoring; the birds are out in all their finery, singing and dancing ... who couldn't score?

With the unpredictable clouds, I have to be more cautious; the birds are in and out of the sunshine, maybe just to tease me with what they have to offer?

Carp weather; you know what the birds have got, but I just get a blurred sight of it.

 

[magicaxeman]

Back the sigma of to 200mm, you should be able to get F5 then and just push the ISO if you need too, better to have a noisy image than a blurred one, you can clean the noise up a little in PS or elements/LR, what ever you use.. oh and shoot raw, it gives you more control over noise and sharpening when processing the raw file.

Realistically, look for the shots you know you can get, avoid shade or fast moving subjects, look for area's where light is coming through the tree's or hitting an area near where your shooting.

Above all dont give up.. keep trying.

 

[new2me]

cheers Ian, but I'm not kidding, apart from one robin I've met, every other bird seems to recognise the limit I can push for with regards distance to pose in the light available

as always, bad lighting or not enough length interrupts play with the birds in my neck of the woods

 

[dinners]

I know we've talked on Ian's other thread tonight (sorry about that Ian) but don't get down about gear.

It's too easy to think that newer kit is a must but just think about how many fantastic images you saw 2, 5 or 10 years ago.

Yes - the latest ISO can keep you shooting later into the evening to maintain shutter speeds or enable you to use smaller apterures to increse dof for more forgiving focus but that doesn't mean you can't get it right with older gear.

Sometimes it's less about the kit 'allowing' you to get that shot but more about you learning to understand your subject so you can get them into a scenario that suits the equipment you have.

If you get it right with older gear (especially when viewing some pics on here taken with the latest gear)- there's a lot of satisfaction to be had.

 

[Gremlin]

I originally had a D200, if you get the exposure right you can push the ISO quite a way up.
Also had the sigma 70-300 and it a strange anomaly and I'm not the only one to find it, the D200 just doesn't seem to like that lens, my daughter gets some cracking bird in flight shots with it of a D80, apparently is pretty much ok on the D300, not tried it

 

[new2me]

I get what your saying Phil, as I do get satisfaction out of knowing I 'can' achieve good results with what I have.
That's interesting Ingrid, as I aim to change either the lens or body before the end of the year.