NOT crisp!

[amolitor]

Can you take sharp picture of birds that are just sitting there?

 

[cgipson1]

Do you have any filters on the lens? Take them off if so!

Try some images with your camera on a tripod ISO 100 Aperture priority (Aperture Wide open, F8 and F16, single point focus) on something at a reasonable distance... Use the timer for shutter release if you don't have a remote release.

Just websize the images and post them... no other editing. Save the exif if you can.

 

[kathyt]

I looked at your other thread of your bird shot and it is OOF too. If you are having trouble focusing on things that are still, you might want to look through your camera manual and check out the different focus settings. I think your missing some basic concepts here. You might also want to reset your camera to the factory settings because you don't want to be overexposing by a 2/3 of a stop if you don't know why your doing it. Getting to know your camera inside and out will help you out alot.

 

[Derrel]

The larger and more-clearly I can see an image, the easier it is to diagnose technical flaws. I looked at this as large as you offer it and it looks to me like two things. First, you do appear to be panning, based on how the waves are rendered. I can 'feel' panning. But, and this is the biggie, on the bird's white head, I also see a faint ghost image at the top, which indicates camera movement downward...which is almost always a stabbing, jabbing motion on the shutter release button. It's a pretty common fault...I have done it myself in fact--thousands of times.

Another thing: the bird just does not look "crisp",either in sharpness nor in contrast nor color depth...it looks to me like your lens is either getting some contrast-killing glare from either the sun or bright sky OR that your lens is dirty. It looks to me like the lens has a thin film of gunk on it, or perhaps a cheap,dirty UV filter in front of it. Are both the front and rear lens elements of the lens perfectly clean and free of any even slight film, from cigarette smoke, wood fire smoke, or deep fat frying airborne oils from cooking, or from sea spray?

A dirty lens will tend to have a diffusion filter effect, and bright, white objects in sunlight will take on a slight glow when the lens or its filter are hazed over.

 

[KmH]

In both the photos you posted the ISO is set to 800.

With the ISO that high, you are loosing shutter speed. In direct sunlight you should be using the camera's lowest native ISO, ISO 100. Using ISO 100 would get you 3 more stops of shutter speed.

Do you have a 'protective' filter on the front of the lens? Cheap UV or clear filters usually kill focus.

As mentioned + 0.7 EV of exposure compensation (EC) has also been set. It is very easy to inadvertently set an EC value with Nikon's single command wheel cameras.

 

[Gavjenks]

With the ISO that high, you are loosing shutter speed. In direct sunlight you should be using the camera's lowest native ISO, ISO 100. Using ISO 100 would get you 3 more stops of shutter speed.

Uhm no. Higher ISO will yield higher shutter speeds at the same exposure... This is backward...

Lower ISO = slower shutter, with the tradeoff of less noise. Noise is not his main issue here.

 

[curtyoungblood]

I try to push the shutter button halfway down, and take the photo keeping it in the right spot, but sometimes I miss. haha

Thi, coupled with the AF-S settings, sounds like it is part of your problem. If you're pressing the shutter halfway to focus and trying to keep the subject in the right spot and then snap the photo, then the subject is no longer in the right place to be in focus. Google AF-S vs AF-C focusing to get a good understanding of the difference.

Also, is the D5100 capable of back-button focusing? This is one of those times it can really help.

 

[Big Mike]

Again (so it doesn't get lost in this busy thread)...the big thing that I'm seeing, is that you use AF-S, rather than AF-C. So it's very likely that you're focusing on something (maybe the subject) but then something moves (composition or subject) and because you're in AF-S, the focus is likely locked...and thus, the result is an out of focus photo.

It could also be that your focus (if in single point mode) isn't hitting on the subject. Auto area mode my help, but being a 'auto' mode, it's not guaranteed to catch the subject. But it may be worth a try.

 

[shelby16]

Can you take sharp picture of birds that are just sitting there?

Yes!

 

[shelby16]

Do you have any filters on the lens? Take them off if so!

Try some images with your camera on a tripod ISO 100 Aperture priority (Aperture Wide open, F8 and F16, single point focus) on something at a reasonable distance... Use the timer for shutter release if you don't have a remote release.

Just websize the images and post them... no other editing. Save the exif if you can.

I have a polarizing filter, but I just recently got it and I've been having the moving bird problem for a while.

 

[jowensphoto]

Your shutter speed was fast enough, so that's good.

It might have missed focus. Single point focus might be hard to keep on a moving bird, try auto area mode in this situation.
Also, you definitely want AF-C focus mode, not AF-S.

AF-S will focus on the subject, then stop and lock the focus (until you take the photo). AF-C will continuously re-focus as you follow the subject.

To add to this, AF-C + Back Button Focus is always great for moving subjects. Drop the half press to focus/full press to fire.

 

[shelby16]

The larger and more-clearly I can see an image, the easier it is to diagnose technical flaws. I looked at this as large as you offer it and it looks to me like two things. First, you do appear to be panning, based on how the waves are rendered. I can 'feel' panning. But, and this is the biggie, on the bird's white head, I also see a faint ghost image at the top, which indicates camera movement downward...which is almost always a stabbing, jabbing motion on the shutter release button. It's a pretty common fault...I have done it myself in fact--thousands of times.

Another thing: the bird just does not look "crisp",either in sharpness nor in contrast nor color depth...it looks to me like your lens is either getting some contrast-killing glare from either the sun or bright sky OR that your lens is dirty. It looks to me like the lens has a thin film of gunk on it, or perhaps a cheap,dirty UV filter in front of it. Are both the front and rear lens elements of the lens perfectly clean and free of any even slight film, from cigarette smoke, wood fire smoke, or deep fat frying airborne oils from cooking, or from sea spray?

A dirty lens will tend to have a diffusion filter effect, and bright, white objects in sunlight will take on a slight glow when the lens or its filter are hazed over.

Yes everything looks clean to me, but I will clean again! I do have a polarizing filter on.

 

[shelby16]

To add to this, AF-C + Back Button Focus is always great for moving subjects. Drop the half press to focus/full press to fire.

Is there a setting I have to choose to use back button?

 

[shelby16]

I didn't think my still bird was oof? The background is on purpose.
I've taken plenty of still animal shots and had very crisp pictures! Like my Tiger.

 

[cgipson1]

The larger and more-clearly I can see an image, the easier it is to diagnose technical flaws. I looked at this as large as you offer it and it looks to me like two things. First, you do appear to be panning, based on how the waves are rendered. I can 'feel' panning. But, and this is the biggie, on the bird's white head, I also see a faint ghost image at the top, which indicates camera movement downward...which is almost always a stabbing, jabbing motion on the shutter release button. It's a pretty common fault...I have done it myself in fact--thousands of times.

Another thing: the bird just does not look "crisp",either in sharpness nor in contrast nor color depth...it looks to me like your lens is either getting some contrast-killing glare from either the sun or bright sky OR that your lens is dirty. It looks to me like the lens has a thin film of gunk on it, or perhaps a cheap,dirty UV filter in front of it. Are both the front and rear lens elements of the lens perfectly clean and free of any even slight film, from cigarette smoke, wood fire smoke, or deep fat frying airborne oils from cooking, or from sea spray?

A dirty lens will tend to have a diffusion filter effect, and bright, white objects in sunlight will take on a slight glow when the lens or its filter are hazed over.

Yes everything looks clean to me, but I will clean again! I do have a polarizing filter on.

please take off the polarizer! Especially if it is an inexpensive one.