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Rob Soanes

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Robert
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Hi,
I’ve recently inherited a Canon 500D with Canon 75-300 lens. This has rekindled my interest in photography which has been dormant for 30+ years.
I’ve been doing some bird photography which I’ve been enjoying but am frustrated with some of the results of my shots much over 40 feet, images don’t look to be as sharp as I hoped.
So my question is…. Is it me or the equipment ?
I’m working my way through some tutorials to see if I’m at fault else, I’m thinking should I be upgrading camera or lens and which one first ? Budget will allow me around £500 currently - obviously I’m looking second hand but only lens or camera, probably not both straight away.
Looking forward to your thoughts.
Regards
Rob
 
Not being rude it's probably a bit of both.

I'm no birder so I won't be able to give much advice on the techniques involved but that lens is considered a "kit lens" really.

To test the lens at a long focal length start with some shots on a tripod. At least that'll take camera shake out of the equation.

And I know from experience in other genres practice makes perfect.

Welcome to the forum.

There's no better place to come to for helpful tips to guide you on your journey.
 
I suspect the lens is the main culprit for lack of sharpness. There's a review of the latest version of the 75-300 here, which describes the build quality and optical quality as mediocre: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-75-300mm-f-4-5.6-III-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

You might have an older version of the lens which could be even worse.

If you can pick up a good used example of the Canon 400mm f5.6 lens it would be much sharper for further away subjects and still be light enough to hand hold.
 
...and welcome to TP, please look around the site and ask for advice whenever, and in due course join in the chat and image sharing.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
Not being rude it's probably a bit of both.

I'm no birder so I won't be able to give much advice on the techniques involved but that lens is considered a "kit lens" really.

To test the lens at a long focal length start with some shots on a tripod. At least that'll take camera shake out of the equation.

And I know from experience in other genres practice makes perfect.

Welcome to the forum.

There's no better place to come to for helpful tips to guide you on your journey.
Click to expand...
Thanks Terry, not rude at all, actually accurate ! I've been wading through some tutorials and noticeable improvements can be seen already.

Thanks

Rob
 
JohnStewart said:
I suspect the lens is the main culprit for lack of sharpness. There's a review of the latest version of the 75-300 here, which describes the build quality and optical quality as mediocre: https://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-75-300mm-f-4-5.6-III-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

You might have an older version of the lens which could be even worse.

If you can pick up a good used example of the Canon 400mm f5.6 lens it would be much sharper for further away subjects and still be light enough to hand hold.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this John, as I said I inherited the kit but it is the older version so definitely upgrade time, I'll have a look at the 400mm Canon.

Thanks

Rob
 
I would recommend a

Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary​

S/H they are about £500. Just make sure the firmware has been updated to the latest release.
 
IMHO bird photography is difficult and expensive. You need decent equipment, good technique, good field craft and patience. You need to get as close as possible to the bird without spooking it, so hides can be useful.

If you can rule a faulty camera as suggested above, then a better lens is the first step. The Canon 400 L is an old lens but is still a well respected birding lens but note it is a prime and does not have image stabilisation. I find neither of these factors to be a problem as you usually need as much reach as possible and shooting at high shutter speeds doesn’t require IS. I also have a Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 C DG OS HSM lens which I find to be very good. It may however stretch your budget slightly. The serious bird photographer spend mega bucks on big white lens or equivalents, something I cannot justify.

Moving to mirrorless with great autofocus systems is another subject which I will leave to others to explain but is over your budget.

Whatever you decide, enjoy as it can be very rewarding.
 
Brentor said:
IMHO bird photography is difficult and expensive. You need decent equipment, good technique, good field craft and patience. You need to get as close as possible to the bird without spooking it, so hides can be useful.

If you can rule a faulty camera as suggested above, then a better lens is the first step. The Canon 400 L is an old lens but is still a well respected birding lens but note it is a prime and does not have image stabilisation. I find neither of these factors to be a problem as you usually need as much reach as possible and shooting at high shutter speeds doesn’t require IS. I also have a Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 C DG OS HSM lens which I find to be very good. It may however stretch your budget slightly. The serious bird photographer spend mega bucks on big white lens or equivalents, something I cannot justify.

Moving to mirrorless with great autofocus systems is another subject which I will leave to others to explain but is over your budget.

Whatever you decide, enjoy as it can be very rewarding.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this, I must admit I’m leaning toward a Canon 400 prime after reading some very positive reviews As with life, there are always compromises !
 
Just some points to consider regarding your interest in the Canon prime 400mm. The 500D is a pretty old camera so the high iso will be noisy. Whilst you will get fast shutter speeds in sunlight once the clouds come over or if you are in the woods then the light levels drop and so will your shutter speed which is going to be problematic with a lens lacking image stabilisation. With stationary birds in trees having image stabilisation will help compose and aid in focusing on the correct area.
 
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