Panasonic 100-300 photo diagnosis - out-of-focus, shutter speed, lens?

Hi, I am looking for a diagnosis on the two photos below - these are 100% lossless JPEG crops from a Panasonic 100-300 attached to an Olympus E-PL7, shot handheld.

The first image might be out of focus, the second one seems to be the lens (at 300mm)?

Still trying to learn to shoot the Panasonic 100-300. The "magic recipe" that I have read about here seems to be "stay <250mm, go to f7.1".

Using a tripod or monopod and fast exposure - 1 / (2x focal length) s - would be the general photography rules. (None of which I followed for those photos, regrettably)

First shot looks focussed in front of the bird. In both shots, the bird appears to be showing motion blur. Try to get that shutter speed up.

The 100-300 can produce some very good IQ, but it is a quirky lens.  I use mine on a GX7 whch is set to back focus using the AF/AE button to attain focus...the half press on the GX7 is too quick and does not allow readjustment of the framed area before tripping the shutter.  I find that combination helps with focusing the 100-300.  In some cases, I have gone to MF because the lens just would not behave.  I also have a GH4 and the 100-300 snaps right into focus on that body.  It appears that your bird is in focus.  It probably took a fair amount of shutter tapping to get the lens to work that well on your Olympus body.    Manual focus would probably be easier in the long run.  If you have focus peaking, manual is quite easy to deal with. I do like the lens and use it a lot, but as I said, it is quirky and takes some extra effort.

You assessment is spot on.  The 100-300 is a little on the more difficult side to work with.

Do you have you PL7 set for anti shutter shock. That can cause softness at long focal lengths.

This shot hand held at 1/125 sec with Panny 100-300 on e-M5 II. Anti shock on. 100%crop.

I'm not the steadiest of shooter either, at 70+ years.

Both birds were out of focus, just the 2nd one has motion blur making it looked more worse. Download the original, view at 100% would see the problem.

As Martin.au said, faster shutter, a bit higher ISO and faster f/stop might help to freeze the bird's movement. A monopod or so could also add steadiness for the longer tele used.

The focus is definitely in front of the bird in the first image and maybe slightly in front on the second. The depth of field is very shallow when you have the FF equivalent of 450-600mm, so focus is critical. With stationary birds I always use a single focus point and generally the small one with long telephoto lenses.

The second image has motion blur from the birds movement of the head. The only solution to that is a faster shutter speed. However, slower shutter speeds will give a far better image (low ISO and stopped down). In order to stop the blur in the second image, you would probably need a shutter speed of at least 1/640 or higher. My solution to that problem is to shoot several quick images at a low shutter speed. I generally find that most of these are sharp (my typical shutter speeds for sittings birds are 1/125-1/320 depending on amount of light - E-M1+EC14+50-200).

I photographed my downy woodpecker eating on a suet log at various shutter speeds and found that I got far better results in the 1/100-1/160 range than at higher shutter speeds (I shot many images at all shutter speeds from 1/80-1/1000 - all hand held), even though the woodpecker appeared to be moving most of the time.

just to reinforce what everyone else says there is nothing wrong with the lens.  I shoot all my birds in A mode but never losing sight of the shutter speed.  I'd aim for about 1/1000(min 1/640) at the long end.  Let the ISO be the moving parameter.

Do you take lots of shots of the same subject.  With a Green Woodpecker at ease in front of me I'd probably knock off 30 or so shots with some experimentation of settings included in there.

shoffmeister wrote:

Hi, I am looking for a diagnosis on the two photos below - these are 100% lossless JPEG crops from a Panasonic 100-300 attached to an Olympus E-PL7, shot handheld.

The first image might be out of focus, the second one seems to be the lens (at 300mm)?

Still trying to learn to shoot the Panasonic 100-300. The "magic recipe" that I have read about here seems to be "stay <250mm, go to f7.1".

Using a tripod or monopod and fast exposure - 1 / (2x focal length) s - would be the general photography rules. (None of which I followed for those photos, regrettably)

Ok, you are sick of hearing this, but I want to add one point.

Photo one - focusing is in front to bird. But if you look carefully at the 'sharp' grass just to the right of the bird, you will see that it is slightly 'sharper' in one direction (about 45 deg) than the other. That is an indicator of camera shake. So the comments about shutter speed are valid. Note that the full aperture f/5.6 at 300 would give you a shutter speed of around 50% faster than f/7.1 it may be better to stick to full aperture until you are sure that you have conquered the shake!

Photo two: Lovely feather detail on bird's back - that shows you've pretty well nailed it! So then you have to worry about bird movements - and they (gws) do move that head pretty fast when grabbing ants. Again - stick to full aperture and high speeds - even medium ISOs until you are getting results, then play around with the balance of shutter/aperture & ISO for the best results!

Happy birding!

Mike

alcelc wrote:

As Martin.au said, faster shutter, a bit higher ISO and faster f/stop might help to freeze the bird's movement. A monopod or so could also add steadiness for the longer tele used.

Thats the trick. Push ISO to 800, or 1000. Keep the aperture at f7.1. Shutter speed above 1/500 would be ideal. Faster is always better with this lens.

For stability when wandering around I use an UltraPod II braced against my chest… two legs up, one leg down. An EVF is essential, too. It's surprisingly effective and less clumsy than a monopod, especially when out in the woods or hiking.

I think we sometimes forget and expect miracles handholding a 600mm equiv. lens. Any sort of physical stabilization helps tremendously. Tripod, monopod, leaning against a tree or rock…

For most of us, a tripod is really necessary when using these long, slow lenses.  Using the old rule of thumb, you really need 1/600 sec. for good results.  I'm simply too shaky to hand hold this lens at full extension and expect sharp results without really high shutter speed.  I have a few good shots made hand held, but I realize that it's not going to happen on a regular basis.  I think most of the gripes I see on this website about soft m4:3 long lenses happens when people simply exceed the camera's ability to cope with movement.  Of course birds also move very, very quickly and IBIS has no effect on subject movement.  Just gotta use higher ISO and get a faster shutter.

I think your lens is just fine.  You need a little "fine tuning".  (HAH!)

As you can see by all the responses, most agree with the focus problem on the first image and the movement problem on the second.

However, there is a fairly large range of suggestions on what shutter speeds and techniques to use for photographing stationary birds.  There will be differences based on the specific camera, lens - camera lens stabilization, photographer, and somewhat less based on the bird and what it is doing.

Previously in response to such a question, I photographed one of my woodpeckers eating on my suet log.  There can be movement due to both the bird eating and the suet log moving slightly in response to the woodpeckers eating.  I took 85 images in 81 seconds at shutter speeds of 1/125 and 1/100 (all hand held).  37 of the images were blurred due to movement.  48 images had no observable movement blur.  In order to have stopped all movement blur, I would have needed a shutter speed of about 1/1250, since woodpeckers move their head very vigorously when eating from a suet log.  Attached one of the 48.

Try different settings and see what works for you and your camera/lens.

Martin.au wrote:

First shot looks focussed in front of the bird. In both shots, the bird appears to be showing motion blur. Try to get that shutter speed up.

Birds are constantly in motion with tiny, very fast movements. Open up the lens to f6.3 or 7.1 at full extension and raise the ISO to get a higher shutter speed -- at least two steps above what you shot at.

Make sure your focus box is on the bird.

TomFid wrote:

shoffmeister wrote:

Hi, I am looking for a diagnosis on the two photos below - these are 100% lossless JPEG crops from a Panasonic 100-300 attached to an Olympus E-PL7, shot handheld.

The first image might be out of focus, the second one seems to be the lens (at 300mm)?

The lens is capable of much better at 300mm, so this must be motion blur and/or focus issues. Also, be sure you're using EFCS (0s Antishock on).

Still trying to learn to shoot the Panasonic 100-300. The "magic recipe" that I have read about here seems to be "stay <250mm, go to f7.1".

This is often repeated, but I've never seen any strong falloff in quality above 250mm, in my own shots or an objective test. I also don't hesitate to shoot wide open at 300mm, though 7.1 is better if you can get it.

Using a tripod or monopod and fast exposure - 1 / (2x focal length) s - would be the general photography rules. (None of which I followed for those photos, regrettably)

I recently got an acceptable shot at 300mm and 1/13s, so pushing the limits is possible with a bit of luck.

I recently started a thread to debunk the myth that these lenses are no good at 300mm. Worth viewing some of the pictures

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3885146