41 shots and not one good, help!

Markus

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Cromwell, CT
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www.mkv.smugmug.com
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Hi, yesterday I was driving in East Hartford. I saw an eagle sitting atop a 10 story building on the banks of the Ct. river. I quickly got out my camera and Nikor 70-300mm lens. I took 41 shots at various exposures and, not one good one! All were shot at 1/1000 shutter speed using spot metering and single area focus setting. Most were on manual at 1/1000 @ 5.6, some on P, A, and some on S. Even the shots where he was sitting on the building and I know the focus area was dead on him came out blurry. I also got a purple fringe on all of them. How in the world do the people in this forum get those beautiful, sharp, in flight shots that I see so often here. I was really disappointed, I thought I had some nice shots when I was taking them. All are un-processed straight out of the camera. Need some advice for next time. I think he lives in the area there so I will probably have another chance. I would like to get them sharp enough to crop just the bird and enlarge.

one
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two
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three
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four
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five (reflection in glass)
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seven
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eight
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It might be the lens ... though I don't know. When I use my 70-300mm lens at full length, I no longer get the best result. I keep forgetting that and keep zooming all the way out --- to later get to see the disappointing result.

I guess, those that get those brilliant birds-in-the-wild photos also have some photography equipment that I myself could not even dream about! Once you are very decided on and dedicated to a special field of photography (wild birds, for example), and you've had your first good results, you might feel more inclined to invest quite some money into getting better and better in that area. But my telephoto lens for €169,- cannot (ever!) compete with one that cost their owner 40 times that price!

I think that especially with regards to wildlife photography, the question of equipment DOES come into play in the end, and the quality of your photos DOES become better (notably better!) when you have the right equipment (normally meaning the same as "the much more expensive" equipment).
 
Thanks Corinna, I was afraid of that, I don't have a ton of money to spend either. Just have to do the best I can with what I have Now. Maybe someday!!
 
While I can't provide any advice on your shooting, I can let you know that your bird is actually a Red-Tailed Hawk. They can get quite large and resemble an eagle. In Southern Ontario, they are very prominent, you can usually spot 1 - 2 every mile along the side of the highway.
 
DigiJay, thanks for that info. I just assumed it was an eagle because of it's size. It looked quite big in person, didn't know Hawks got that big. I did think it was a little funny that an eagle would be that close to a city. Guess I better get a book on birds. LOL
 

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