What I've been up to with the T2i and zoomy lens

[reznap]

Some recent stuff with the new camera and 70-300 mostly. I've learned the hard way that f9 is WAYYYY sharper than f5.6 at around 300mm on this lens. Amazing the difference..

EDIT: Pictures removed cause they were horrible, lol.

Oh, here's one I took with the 50mm in a very dark hallway
4

 

[stevemunoz]

Your top three images are out of focus, probably caused by camera shake. For that focal length, you should be shooting on a tripod, or atleast a monopod, or have a really fast shutter speed. I'm guessing your shutter speed was not over 1/250th of a second on these shots, and that led to the blur in these images.

The last image is super sharp and really good.

Steve
Twitter | Website

 

[DerekSalem]

EXIF data shows the first 3 were around 1/30 which is much too slow for handheld unless you have really good IS on the lens. Should have used a tripod as others have said.

 

[PerfectlyFlawed]

super out of focus.. dog isnt too bad, but the birds...are very hazy. and branches are distracting the image ( However, there isnt a whole lot you can do about them ). I would suggest propping up on something or getting a tripod... and perhaps playing around with your settings that will reduce the shake/focus issue,.

 

[reznap]

Just 2 is through the screen. I know they suck

Birds are pretty camera shy.. and this 70-300 is my favorite lens but also super tricky to use well..

Here's one from the zoo that's better.

 

[Abby Rose]

That dog looks almost JUST LIKE MINE! Well, my dog has pointy ears, and more white spots. But seriously. Look: http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w155/come-back/8-14-2009.jpg

 

[DerekSalem]

The latest pic is *MUCH* improved over the rest. Not that the others were bad, but the problem is most likely attributed to shake. A good rule is to use a shutter speed equivalent to your zoom (so if you're at full extension at 300mm then you should be using at least 1/300s as your shutter speed. Granted, this is a bit conservative once you get better at hand-holding, but it's a good rule to start with).

 

[reznap]

The latest pic is *MUCH* improved over the rest. Not that the others were bad, but the problem is most likely attributed to shake. A good rule is to use a shutter speed equivalent to your zoom (so if you're at full extension at 300mm then you should be using at least 1/300s as your shutter speed. Granted, this is a bit conservative once you get better at hand-holding, but it's a good rule to start with).

The first one of the cardinal (?) was like 1/400 of a sec I think, but I cropped a lot and my lens isn't that sharp at 300mm. I agree about the minimum shutter speed. Some people say factor in the crop sensor too, so 1/480 (or 1/500) of a second is ideal. I think they also say the stabilization affords you a stop of motion blur, or something..

I really think small birds are one of the tougher things to try and take pictures of though, even though I kinda failed I feel like I got some good practice.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

That dog looks almost JUST LIKE MINE! Well, my dog has pointy ears, and more white spots.

It's my dad's girlfriend's dog. She's a pitbull and black lab mix if I remember right. I really like the dog but she playfully tries to eat my whole arm and jumps on me - which is not a big deal but she's probably taller than me when standing upright.

 

[mrpink]

Not that the others were bad

Yes, they were.

The last pic is night and day different than the first set. Good focus. Good rule of thirds. Nice non distracting background. Overall very well composed. Delete the other three.





p!nK

 

[reznap]

Thanks mrpink. I just get annoyed that my only good animal pictures are from the zoo.. I have a profound respect for wildlife photographers after taking up this hobby.

Here's another with the same lens. So I know the lens isn't defective, it's just me

and a 100% crop of that...

 

[DerekSalem]

The latest pic is *MUCH* improved over the rest. Not that the others were bad, but the problem is most likely attributed to shake. A good rule is to use a shutter speed equivalent to your zoom (so if you're at full extension at 300mm then you should be using at least 1/300s as your shutter speed. Granted, this is a bit conservative once you get better at hand-holding, but it's a good rule to start with).

The first one of the cardinal (?) was like 1/400 of a sec I think, but I cropped a lot and my lens isn't that sharp at 300mm. I agree about the minimum shutter speed. Some people say factor in the crop sensor too, so 1/480 (or 1/500) of a second is ideal. I think they also say the stabilization affords you a stop of motion blur, or something..

I really think small birds are one of the tougher things to try and take pictures of though, even though I kinda failed I feel like I got some good practice.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

That dog looks almost JUST LIKE MINE! Well, my dog has pointy ears, and more white spots.

It's my dad's girlfriend's dog. She's a pitbull and black lab mix if I remember right. I really like the dog but she playfully tries to eat my whole arm and jumps on me - which is not a big deal but she's probably taller than me when standing upright.

Well the rule definitely should *post-crop* so on the T2i you're looking at x1.6 (so 112-480), you're right about that.

As for IS...it differs. For most Canon lenses the IS is supposed to be good for 3 full stops. Usually the same is true for other brands such as Sigma and Tamron. This all changes with some of the newer higher-end lenses (for Canon it's really only the L lenses and only a select few) where the IS is good for 4 full stops.

I took a few pictures yesterday with my 70-200 L and all the way down to 1/4 of a sec I couldn't see any blur. With a normal IS lens you should usually be good to around 1/20 of a second if you're good at handholding...1/30 otherwise. Makes that IS purchase *DEFINITELY* worth it =P