I think that's CA.Around the edge of the perch, top and bottom.
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I think that's CA.Around the edge of the perch, top and bottom.
The more the merry is the way I see it, not as hijacking the thread. I picked up a lot of information since the start of the thread. Thanks, to all that commented, collectively I bet there are hundreds of years of experience here.True, very well said. I also take photos in short bursts when using slow shutter speeds which more or less guarantees one of them will be sharp. I shoot a lot of portraits of birds that aren't moving (ideally) in soft light so I'm often at slow shutter speeds, especially at F/5.6. Assuming one can hold their lens steady, whether it's by bracing themselves, using a monopod or tripod, I think there's a place for slow shutter speeds, especially under the forest canopy or places like the rainforest with little available light. I think this video better explains my approach though with less emphasis on sharpness:
If one struggles to keep the camera steady or if there's enough available light, then yes a higher SS is best.
Anyway, I apologize for hijacking the thread with my opinions about SS. I was just chiming in with my experience with the TC14 and 200-500 and got a little carried away!
I've only been shooting birds for 2-3 years so you can take my comments with a dunning-kruger sized grain of saltThe more the merry is the way I see it, not as hijacking the thread. I picked up a lot of information since the start of the thread. Thanks, to all that commented, collectively I bet there are hundreds of years of experience here.
All TCs soften the image a little.I don't know if it is a con when using the tc 1.4 III and you just have to live with it when you want the added reach or it is something I am doing wrong. I am using the tc 1.4 with the nikon 200-500mm f5.6 and the same pictures without the tc are sharp and the ones with the tc ALWAYS seem to be soft and little blurry when magnified to 100% in lightroom. Suggestions welcome, never exceed 100 iso?
Any teleconverter use will degrade an image to a degree. Using teleconverters on f5.6 lenses is not really a good set up for 2 reasons. Teleconverters we're made for f4 lenses and larger apertures. I have a 300-800mm f5.6 Sigma and a tele for it by Sigma. It still degrades image quality. My Nikon converter is only used on my f4 lenses and larger. Still a small amount of image degrading. If you go to Nikon's website I believe it will have a list of compatible lenses for the teleconverter. I'm pretty sure your lense is not on it.Thanks for the tip. I will give that a try and compare the results. Thinking it is more important than ever to keep the iso as low as possible when using the TC. Both shots were taken form a tripod, however vr was on. I will try the long distant shots with vr off when on a tripod and see how that helps. Thanks again, very helpful.
When using a TC, especially in the 200-500, you will always sacrifice some IQ. You'll also have slower AF, which may affect your ability to acquire and keep a subject sharp. Low light situations also affect the performance of the TC in a lens like the 200-500. I use the 1.4 TC III on my 200-500, but only for static or slow moving subjects. A TC works best in prime lenses, or fast zooms, such as the 70-200 f2.8.I don't know if it is a con when using the tc 1.4 III and you just have to live with it when you want the added reach or it is something I am doing wrong. I am using the tc 1.4 with the nikon 200-500mm f5.6 and the same pictures without the tc are sharp and the ones with the tc ALWAYS seem to be soft and little blurry when magnified to 100% in lightroom. Suggestions welcome, never exceed 100 iso?
I actually see them on both.On my screen, the second image appears to have serious sharpening artifacts while the first does not.
I agree with DR on the shutter speed. I'm a competitive target shooter and very well trained at holding sights on targets at great distances. Even so, with slower shutter speeds, not only my own camera shake, mirror slap, atmospheric conditions between the subject and I as well as movement in the subject. Birds are rarely stationary subjects even when sitting on a perch. They breathe rapidly, their heads are constantly turning and any breeze is moving their feathers. The smaller the bird the greater the challenge and Eastern Bluebirds are not a tiny bird but they are not a large one either.Certainly everyone is different and you appear to have good hand holding technique but in my experience teaching workshops the single place most participants improve their image sharpness is by using sufficient shutter speed when hand holding or using a tripod more often. Yes, with good technique and practice shutter speeds can drop but next to using a tripod more often than many like, increasing shutter speed beyond the 1/f guidelines has helped many photographers tame their soft image problems even with VR lenses.
With first generation DSLRs I did shoot very slow shutter speeds most of the time and kept a very close eye on ISO but with newer sensors I'm often willing to let ISO climb a bit to assure sharp images. As the OP is shooting a DX crop camera we're basically talking about shooting handheld with a camera plus lens plus TC combo that yields the FoV of a 1050mm lens on a full frame camera. Sure, some can hand hold that successfully at lower shutter speeds but IME, most benefit trading some ISO for faster shutter speeds.
But I agree that a TC added to an f/5.6 lens isn't great from a light gathering standpoint and some tradeoff in terms of shutter speed to keep a cap on ISO is probably necessary but then I'd look for ways to brace myself or the camera or use a good camera support. That said, if you can reliably capture sharp images hand holding a 700mm lens on a crop body camera at 1/400" then that says good things about your hand holding technique.
Use of TC's on the Z cameras on adapted f/mount lenses is blowing me away. I had issues with AF on 500 pf and 1.4 TC III on D850, D500 and D6 (less on this) but on the Z6II it is amazing ! At this time I can only dream of what it will be like if my Z9 ever arrives.Any teleconverter use will degrade an image to a degree. Using teleconverters on f5.6 lenses is not really a good set up for 2 reasons. Teleconverters we're made for f4 lenses and larger apertures. I have a 300-800mm f5.6 Sigma and a tele for it by Sigma. It still degrades image quality. My Nikon converter is only used on my f4 lenses and larger. Still a small amount of image degrading. If you go to Nikon's website I believe it will have a list of compatible lenses for the teleconverter. I'm pretty sure your lense is not on it.
The two photo were taken at the approximately the same distance. I am going to try the different suggestions posted and see what combination works best.I agree with DR on the shutter speed. I'm a competitive target shooter and very well trained at holding sights on targets at great distances. Even so, with slower shutter speeds, not only my own camera shake, mirror slap, atmospheric conditions between the subject and I as well as movement in the subject. Birds are rarely stationary subjects even when sitting on a perch. They breathe rapidly, their heads are constantly turning and any breeze is moving their feathers. The smaller the bird the greater the challenge and Eastern Bluebirds are not a tiny bird but they are not a large one either.
I can see the softness in your first photo but it's not really that bad.
I shoot a D500 and a D7200 with the 200-500. When I add a 1.4TC to it my images are frequently softer and that seems to be more visible the farther the subject was from my position. It may well be atmospherics creeping in too.
Hope you get it all worked out and neither of your images was what I would call "bad."
I shoot most birds sitting or flying with shutter speed equivalent to or faster than focal length ... the light available determines the ISO. 1/250 with 200-500 at 500 with the 1.4 TC would be extremely slow.I was shooting in manual with auto iso, so, not sure what the ss was, it varied when trying to keep the iso low. What is your suggestion, keep shutter speed min 250/s when tc is attached to limit shake?
f/5.6 to f/8 is one stopThe TC is coupled with the D7500 and it does support the F8....I was a little surprised when I turned on the camera and saw F8 when I was thinking only one stop loss.
Your gut feeling and mine are one in the same. I am thinking adding the TC the photos are not going to be as sharp. Using the posted suggestion should minimize the softness. I posted a thread, Just head shots and they were all taken without a TC, very shape images. I think I will set up the same shooting station, using a tripod, add the TC and see how they turn out.I’m not sure if this has been mentioned but I wouldn’t shoot wide open unless I had to. I would use F/10 or F/11 for an experiment and see if it’s a little sharper. My gut feeling is that your combination is not going to be sharp. My best advice is to get closer. Just my two cents.
One of the biggest differences I forgot about and goofed on with the 1.4 on 500pf is the shallower depth of field at 700m m so got to close on a subject. So keep that in mind if you shoot subjects at the same distance with and without TC. Since 200-500 is f/8 with 1.4 TC that makes it a bit better but f/11 as someone noted would put more of the head of a bird in focus if your close ... although as your F/stop gets smaller diffraction will eventually set in.Your gut feeling and mine are one in the same. I am thinking adding the TC the photos are not going to be as sharp. Using the posted suggestion should minimize the softness. I posted a thread, Just head shots and they were all taken without a TC, very shape images. I think I will set up the same shooting station, using a tripod, add the TC and see how they turn out.
lol. yeah, what was I thinking, good catch.I shoot most birds sitting or flying with shutter speed equivalent to or faster than focal length ... the light available determines the ISO. 1/250 with 200-500 at 500 with the 1.4 TC would be extremely slow.
f/5.6 to f/8 is one stop
I caught it for me more than once to used to many of my variable focal lenght long lenses being f/6.3 ... so my mind kept thinking 5.6 to 6.3 or 6.3 to 8 as a stop instead of a half stoplol. yeah, what was I thinking, good catch.