BIF: why these shots are so bad ?

Hello all,

here you are a burst of shots (taken with my R10 & RF100-400mm).

According to you, why most are so bad in original size ?! (lack of contrast, bad focus whereas AF zone seems well positioned, no sharpness)

Only the last one seems correct...

Thanks for your advices

Thanks a lot for your answer and advices.

The light must be the main reason, you're right.

Other think: do you think the light and the bird color could disturb AF accuracy ? I didn't upload all the shots but the blurry shots are very very numerous !

Thanks Distinctly Average & spec68.

Spec68, ok regarding lack of contrast and sharpness but can this explain the autofocus errors ?

(photos taken at 9:30 a.m.)

To me the lighting looks good but the images are probably underexposed by 1-3 stops due to the bright sky,  This should not be an issue, especially if you use RAW, you can raise the exposure when processing.  If shooting dark birds against a bright sky, dial in +1 stop exposure compensation.

The shutter speed and ISO seem fine to me.  Sometimes it’s a good idea to set your shutter speed and aperture but use auto ISO.

The main issue is the AF box, which has mostly missed the subject - this implies it won’t be accurately in focus.  Were you using tracking? If so, try eye detection, which works well on birds in flight.

Also your subject is quite small in the frame, which doesn’t help with getting sharp results.

With more practice, and getting closer, you’ll soon get better results.

I'm guessing that you're a lot further away than 400 mm.  Were you using auto ISO?  I use this lens and body too.  One thing I've learned is to set my ISO manually, starting at 400 and up it incrementally until I get the shutter speed I want for the subject.  This is shooting in Av mode.

drsnoopy wrote:

To me the lighting looks good but the images are probably underexposed by 1-3 stops due to the bright sky, This should not be an issue, especially if you use RAW, you can raise the exposure when processing. If shooting dark birds against a bright sky, dial in +1 stop exposure compensation.

The shutter speed and ISO seem fine to me. Sometimes it’s a good idea to set your shutter speed and aperture but use auto ISO.

The main issue is the AF box, which has mostly missed the subject - this implies it won’t be accurately in focus. Were you using tracking? If so, try eye detection, which works well on birds in flight.

Also your subject is quite small in the frame, which doesn’t help with getting sharp results.

With more practice, and getting closer, you’ll soon get better results.

Thanks for your answer.

Yes, i shoot with tracking and eye detection (AF area : full or flexible, i'm not sure) and auto iso (manual speed and aperture).

I don't understand why the AF box is wrong placed. Because during the shot the box seems to follow correctly the subject ... Is it too fast maybe ?

Dareshooter wrote:

Seb P wrote:

Thanks Distinctly Average & spec68.

Spec68, ok regarding lack of contrast and sharpness but can this explain the autofocus errors ?

(photos taken at 9:30 a.m.)

Look at where the focus reticule is in relation to the subject. Much of it falls outside so there's more room for AF error.

I don't understand why the AF box is wrong placed. Because during the shot the box seems to follow correctly the subject ... Is it too fast maybe ?

Karen Casebeer wrote:

I'm guessing that you're a lot further away than 400 mm. Were you using auto ISO? I use this lens and body too. One thing I've learned is to set my ISO manually, starting at 400 and up it incrementally until I get the shutter speed I want for the subject. This is shooting in Av mode.

Yes I shoot in auto ISO. I don't understand why manual ISO could be improve the situation ? You get best results with ISO set manually ?

I'm guessing that you're a lot further away than 400 mm.

focal lenght used : 259mm for this shot. But I'm not sure to undestand your remark.

If you try to take a picture of a black cat, you will often get something like this, the more so the further away the cat is. Or a pair of solid black boots. It's hard under the best of circumstances to capture detail in an apparent black object.

Distinctly Average wrote:

Seb P wrote:

Dareshooter wrote:

Seb P wrote:

Thanks Distinctly Average & spec68.

Spec68, ok regarding lack of contrast and sharpness but can this explain the autofocus errors ?

(photos taken at 9:30 a.m.)

Look at where the focus reticule is in relation to the subject. Much of it falls outside so there's more room for AF error.

I don't understand why the AF box is wrong placed. Because during the shot the box seems to follow correctly the subject ... Is it too fast maybe ?

Can you post your case settings? Also, have you tried setting your case to auto?

What was the percentage of in focus shots? How much did you have to crop to see that?

During this burst, i thing 6/10 shots are blurry. (even when the subject is coming to me, no very fast lateral movement). The images are not cropped at all.

I use the Case "Auto".

Dareshooter wrote:

Seb P wrote:

Dareshooter wrote:

Seb P wrote:

Thanks Distinctly Average & spec68.

Spec68, ok regarding lack of contrast and sharpness but can this explain the autofocus errors ?

(photos taken at 9:30 a.m.)

Look at where the focus reticule is in relation to the subject. Much of it falls outside so there's more room for AF error.

I don't understand why the AF box is wrong placed. Because during the shot the box seems to follow correctly the subject ... Is it too fast maybe ?

Seb , in the heat of the moment it’s all too easy to slight shift the camera off the subject and also just pressing on the shutter button could cause the slightest bit of camera movement.

yes but i thought that the whole point of automatic subject tracking was that you just had to follow the subject in the viewfinder with the shutter button left pressed during the burst and the camera did the rest ...

3 others shots (in the same burst). 2/3 are blurry (#1 & #3). But the subject is toddler.

Distinctly Average wrote:

Seb P wrote:

Distinctly Average wrote:

Seb P wrote:

Dareshooter wrote:

Seb P wrote:

Thanks Distinctly Average & spec68.

Spec68, ok regarding lack of contrast and sharpness but can this explain the autofocus errors ?

(photos taken at 9:30 a.m.)

Look at where the focus reticule is in relation to the subject. Much of it falls outside so there's more room for AF error.

I don't understand why the AF box is wrong placed. Because during the shot the box seems to follow correctly the subject ... Is it too fast maybe ?

Can you post your case settings? Also, have you tried setting your case to auto?

What was the percentage of in focus shots? How much did you have to crop to see that?

During this burst, i thing 6/10 shots are blurry. (even when the subject is coming to me, no very fast lateral movement). The images are not cropped at all.

I use the Case "Auto".

Lateral movement is often a lot easier for the camera to track than a bird flying at you.

I think you probably just need practice and better conditions. Black subjects can be a nightmare. We’ve all been there and had the same struggles. Some days you get everything right, other days it doesn’t go so well. In better light with less cropping you will almost certainly have a much higher hit rate. Personally I look at the bad days as an excuse to go out and shoot more. It is a challenge that I relish. Sometimes it is disheartening, but then another day you come home with an image that the moment you take it the smile begins.

Thanks. I hope it's as you said and that my camera & lens are ok ...