LQ Unedited California Ground Squirrel head popped up 😁
A common misconception for new telephoto users and beginner hobbyist is that you can just mount the lens and just go snap great shots of wildlife or other things at great ranges. In rare cases this may be. But in truth you want to bring the subject closer so you want to be close. And it takes practice to get them sharp.. but you can still get long shots.
I'm out here waiting for A squirrel to pop it's head back up over the dead log I have centered in my composition. I started thinking about how much practice it actually takes to get good shots on a long lens. While Reminiscent of the telephoto lenses in my early past, the 80's and 90`s. This new lens is soooooo much more advanced. Still with a steep learning and practice curve this 2019 600mm is amazing and has on-board tech (stabilization) that helps to get a better image. And I'm really thankful for this because I have difficulty keeping this heavier lens steady due to shaking from spinal injuries sustained in the military.
I'm shooting with a Tamron 150-600 mm g2 telephoto zoom attached to a Nikon D7500 which is a crop sensor camera. To be honest this is the only "good" lens that I have owned since the 90's. Now the older lenses where great for the day, but I remember how hard it was to get a sharp photo at that focal length, somewhere around 500 to 600mm. At around 150 to 300 it wasn't to hard. When your trying to reach out and touch something and your at 600 that tiny little shake or vibration in your hands or tripod gets magnified greatly. In my youth this wasn`t too much of an issue. And now it is kinda an issue.
It's normal to shoot hundreds of photos and only get 10 or 20 good shots. If your just beginning and this is you, don't worry. Pros can still shoot hundreds to get one great shot. That's the challenge of wildlife photography for me. Yesterday my wife and I happened on three vultures and a red tail. Great compositions as well. I was excited and shot a couple hundred but only about 45ish were really usable. Sure I'm a little disappointed about a few missed shots but I am really satisfied with the few really great shots that I can post and share and I'm happy for that.
LQ Unedited Turkey Vulture / See the finished image in the Snap Shop, in a couple of weeks
When you first get your hands on that prized piece of equipment I know that all you can think about is getting out and getting them long shots and just start snapping away. Well.... before you get to snappin with a long lens, consider these tips so you don't get frustrated as I and many others have when using a long lens. And trust me it's not as easy as it seems. But you can tame it.
My first suggestion is to get a feel for the lens. Hold it and handle it. If it's a zoom spin it out and in with a caring touch work it a little. Make sure to get a feel for it. If it has switches for stabilize, focus limits, modes, aperture etc. Be confident that you can adjust them accordingly and on demand. That actually applies to every lens and camera. Being comfortable with the equipment allows you to be more relaxed while shooting knowing that you can switch a mode or anything on the fly without having to think to much and get nervous.
Second I highly recommend running your new baby though the gauntlet of testing to tune it up. Most lenses will be great right off the bat. Open the box, mount it and go; no problems no regrets. But there are a lot that need tuning slightly. Tuning conditions can vary slightly due to the lens itself but in general you will want to set up a couple of targets. I would not recommend a tuning board or specifically a commercial one. The reason is simple. They are expensive and you don't need it. At least not now. Set up something that has close to the same textures of what you like to shoot. For me its wildlife. So I use a a couple of my wife's stuffed animals with a couple of bird feathers stuck to it and a couple of hot wheels cars. Mark the spots or write down the focal points you are shooting at. And keep a record of the shots you make and the settings you are using on the lens modes with and without stabilization etc. You will want to shoot from about thirty feet away at your subject and run through a couple of different shutterspeeds and f stops or aperture settings. This will tell you how it shoots at different settings. All of this is to find out if you have any front or back focus. You can set forward and back focus fine tuning in your camera settings and your camera will remember the lens each time you attach it. Most DSLRs. Make sure to read the manual.
Third keep these things in mind when you get to snappin.
A. Steady breathing, relax this applies to almost every lens and camera. Keep your breathing steady and snap on the pause after your exhales before you inhale keeping as steady as possible. So that would go like this... steady breaths.....spot your prize... look over the top of your camera right down the top of the lens following your subject. Then place your eye in the viewfinder compose your image and with purpose and a steady hand snap the shots. Release the shutterbutton frequently to recompose and focus. Try not to rush your shots. You will get more. It's better to get one great shot than twenty not so grood ones. With practice you will speed up.
B. Always check your setting in the location you are in. Get a meter reading / spot reading in the location that you expect your target to be. This way you can be sure to be close to a good exposure when you shoot. I can't even count the times I still screw this up getting excited and I don't adjust my exposure setting before snapping that shutter and I get way to dark or way to bright. Over time you will start to guess these pretty well.
C. Keep it Smooth and steady. This takes practice. Track your targets smoothly get comfortable holding the lens or panning on a good tripod....do not buy a cheap tripod! No cheap tripod is worth it. A telephoto can blur images with just a tiny shake Even at 1000th of a sec shutter speed or more because of the focal length. Getting sharp images can take a lot of practice but you will get there don't give up.
D. Distance or I should say closeness. To me this is one of the best things to keep in mind and do if possible. Set up or get as close to your subject as safely possible. I try to be between 30 and 50 ft as often as I can. This is for smaller wildlife, birds squirrels rabbits and alike. This will insure the best possible chance to get a sharp image. The further away you get even zoomed in, the image will start to get slightly fuzzy when going 1:1 enlarged to full size. This is common on a crop sensor camera but is better on a full frame camera.
C. Help. Don't be shy about asking a tree, log, rock, or pole for help. Anytime your in a position to lean against something solid or rest the lens on it. Do it. With you hands under it or a beanbag if it's a really hard object. This helps steady your frame. Use a good tripod. There are some good midrange affordable tripods out there. Check my gear page for links of one or two I found to be pretty good for the price. If you can carry and afford a heavy top of the line one, do it. I am unable to tote around a heavy one so I must go light aluminum but well built for the price. It breaks down to a monopod also. While monopods are usually frowned upon by serious photographers and some hobbyists for multiple reasons they can be very helpful to persons with limited abilities.
D. Learn when to use the stabilizer and when to turn it off at higher shutter speeds. Although I have read my manuals front to back and researched online about this. I found that I get different results than others. I will use my stabilization all the way up to 1000th sec and sometimes 1250th. Anything above that I will flip it off. I will even use it on my tripod while tracking and shooting because I almost always shoot at 600mm and I still have shaking while maneuvering the camera. It was not recommended by Tamron. They say 800 and under or the stabilizer can cause blur. I found it helps with my shaking. So I say just experiment and find your own methods.
E. Adjust your camera settings. Primarily for jpeg you can increase sharpness, color etc. In you image settings in camera and it will automatically adjust the images you shoot. Don't be afraid to give it a try. You can really get some use here.
Just remember to have fun relax and enjoy the moment. I love the wildlife and the sound of the shutter even if it's a digital sound on a mirrorless. Speaking of the shutter; use high speed continuous. Get as many shots as you can. Don't keep your finger down though. Might as well video if your doing that. Just do short bursts checking your composition and exposure meter occasionally then adjust your exposure and or zoom accordingly.
If your looking for a telephoto and your on a budget take a look at the top after markets like Tamron or sigma for auto-focus DSLRs you can often get much more for your money as the quality is very competitive. Do the research and make an educated selection that you can be happy with. I really like my Tamron and it's going to be my favorite lens for a long time. It actually pretty much lives on my camera. Well I hope that this helps some of you guys not to get frustrated while getting used to using your new telephoto lens. Give it a little time and take tons of pics. The more you take the better you get. You guys take care and enjoy the wildlife. See ya in the next post.
Using the links below will help me out.
Capture One offers a great editor and a free trial to test it all out here:
Please use the link below to check out a great denoise app:
Lightroom offers a built in slideshow creator if you need to render a slideshow.
Now get out there and experiment, have allot of fun and I hope this helped you out a little. Take care and have a Snaptastic day. See ya in the next blog.
More to come! let me know if there is a subject you would like me touch on.
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