First ever birding, C&C please.

[powerslave]

Hey guys, here's my first attempt at birding. Not the best day to try this thing, it was gray and foggy and cloudy, but I was out on the porch with the camera in my hand (XTi + 55-250IS) and saw this bird.

The first shot made me pull the ISO up, but then the bird quickly jumped up a few branches which is the next two shots. I should have reduced my ISO for those, but I was a little excited and panicky to get some shots before it flew away

Comments and critique kindly requested. Also I have NO clue what bird this is and if I did not know any better, I'd call it a sparrow.

One thing I noticed is 250 x 1.6 = 400mm is NOT at all significant for shooting small objects like birds.

35% crop
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/badd666/Birding/First/IMG_7809_.jpg

25% crop
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/badd666/Birding/First/IMG_7817_.jpg

45% crop
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v607/badd666/Birding/First/IMG_7819_.jpg

[KrishnenduKes]

Birdie Approved

Keep attempting. That is the only way we learn. I am not qualified to talk about wildlife and such like things. All I can say is that it is pretty well exposed, at least in the first photograph.

IMP Note: Let us please get this idea clear that 1.6X does NOT make a 250mm a 400 mm. It does not. All it does is the crop factor is 1.6X. It behaves just like a 250mm otherwise. I hope I have made it clear.

[powerslave]

Yup, yup, I was loosely speaking there. 250mm does not magically convert to a 400mm, just the FOV is equivalent.

Today is a sunny day after a long long time of grey foggy gloomy surroundings and I'm feeling real good just by that fact. Hopefully I might walk in on some more birds!

BTW this seems to be a Mocking Bird from people IDing this bird. Cool, my first Mocking bird :D

[Bibudesh]

@power- keeping the amount of drama u might have done to get the shot, it has come pretty well :) ...
That was the comment.. now the critique- The first foto, I had to search the bird for first few miliseconds... I think an adjustment of contrast will help here.
Other two foto can u pls try working with levels a bit in PP?

[Sarao]

^^

PLus, the cropping is a bit off, as per my liking, the left side of the image should be cut off.

[powerslave]

Cool, keep em coming guys. I need a perspective on this. I've been confused about how a bird shot would look good taking into consideration a few limitations like the high iso noise, the busy background, the dull exposure of these images.

I actually reduced the contrast in the last two (or was it all three) to -2 in DPP, to keep from the background looking too blown out. I'm gonna re-PP these images and put em back out. So let me know any and all the things you feel that might make the bird shots better.

This is a very VERY interesting ( and probably the most expensive :D) type of photography I've come across. :D

[niks_devil666]

IMP Note[/B]: Let us please get this idea clear that 1.6X does NOT make a 250mm a 400 mm. It does not. All it does is the crop factor is 1.6X. It behaves just like a 250mm otherwise. I hope I have made it clear.
I was wondering why do you say that

Have a look at the images

17 mm (1.5 x crop factor=25.5mm equivalent focal length)
http://www.millhouse.nl/graphics/05D07171lowres.jpg

25 mm (35mm film slr)
http://www.millhouse.nl/graphics/0500137lowres.jpg

So what does it mean that 250 mm does not work as a 400mm and works as a 250 mm 'otherwise'.Can you please clear my doubts.

Source : http://www.millhouse.nl/digitalcropfactorframe.html

[powerslave]

It's because its not really giving you any more "reach" on a crop body. If you take the photo on a full frame, and crop to the fov of a crop body, it'll be the same "zoom" as having taken that on a crop body. It means that just the unwanted part is cropped out.

Try this: http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/crop_sensor_cameras_and_lenses.html

[manav]

@niks : The images arn't showing.

[powerslave]

Visit the website he's mentioned and come back to this page and they'll magically show.

[KrishnenduKes]

Visit the website he's mentioned and come back to this page and they'll magically show.

:D :D :D Thats a good one!

[niks_devil666]

It's because its not really giving you any more "reach" on a crop body. If you take the photo on a full frame, and crop to the fov of a crop body, it'll be the same "zoom" as having taken that on a crop body. It means that just the unwanted part is cropped out.

Try this: http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/crop_sensor_cameras_and_lenses.html
From the above website I quote -

"In fact if you put that same 28mm lens on a Canon EOS crop sensor camera, the angle of view decreases as you can see from the figure above. The angle of view decreases to the extent that it's now the same as that of a 44.8mm lens mounted on a full frame camera. It means that if you look through the viewfinder of an APS-C crop sensor camera with a 28mm lens mounted on it, you'll see exactly the same angle of view as if you looked through the viewfinder of a full frame camera with a 44.8mm lens mounted on it."

Zoom is directly related to the angle of view , as you zoom into an object the angle of view decreases.

Regarding the cropping , it invariably gives you a zoom.Take this for example , a 10MP image , and a same 20MP image with crop having pixel dimensions of the 10MP image will give a zoomed image than the original 10MP image.This would be the digital zoom.But yes the perspective won't change.

Can anyone post examples of FOV APS size sensor camera and equal focal length full frame pics

[powerslave]

Well, its a little less confusing if we just think that the crop decides the FOV and not the zoom or focal length.

This pretty much sums it all.
http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/cropped_sensor_view/cropped_sensor_view.jpg

From the same link. http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/tutorials/crop_sensor_cameras_and_lenses.html

[niks_devil666]

^ and this proves?

Zooming into an object reduces the angle of view.When the focal length increases , the angle of view reduces causing the objects to look bigger.

an example of 250 mm (APS-c cam) and 400mm full frame for same subject at same distance would make things clear ... as of now i am still :confused:

[Vicky]

Nice captures!

I've tried my hand at this bird once, and know that they are very energetic and skittish.. very difficult to get a half decent shot..

I liked #1 best, the others are too 'backlit' for my taste.

However, a ss of 1/30 is way too slow for shooting live objects. The IS helps you with camera movements, but has no effect on subject motion blur. when shooting birds, i start with a minimum of 1/200. Next time shooting birds, try TV mode with a cut off of 1/200 unless the bird is a dead one:) However, you're lucky she kept pretty still for that 1/30th sec! You can see a little blur near the eyes though...

Here's my edit of #1... some selective levels & selective USM 0.8% on the bird. Then cropped slightly for a more off-center composition:)

[powerslave]

Ah, good job! I'm gonna give this a try myself.

[powerslave]

Final crop:

45% crop.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3292/3151835717_3eee90cca8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/garagenoise/3151835717/)
Click for flickr page (and larger version.)

[Sarao]

From my backyard..
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/589/bird9mr8.th.jpg (http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bird9mr8.jpg)

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/3824/bird8hd3.th.jpg (http://img122.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bird8hd3.jpg)

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/8323/bird7ky1.th.jpg (http://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bird7ky1.jpg)

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/194/bird6zm0.th.jpg (http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bird6zm0.jpg)

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/6622/bird5ze2.th.jpg (http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bird5ze2.jpg)

http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/8819/birdonetj2.th.jpg (http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=birdonetj2.jpg)

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/5491/bird2lk9.th.jpg (http://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bird2lk9.jpg)

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/8111/bird3eq3.th.jpg (http://img123.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bird3eq3.jpg)


http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/4136/bird4qi3.th.jpg (http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bird4qi3.jpg)

[pradeep30]

Hi all

I have been crazy these days to capture all the flying creatures around me . That's when i thought of starting this thread . Found few birds and tried to do justice to their color and features . Don't know if i have been able to do that . Would need all your comments on the same . Camera used Panasonic FZ 28

Few shots from my side

111 112 113

114 115 116

117 118

[rajr]

How about a Cat Eye

http://i39.tinypic.com/jg315e.jpg

[Aryan]

^^ Errr..Cat's eye in a birding thread...

P.S: Here is a shot which I took quite some-time back.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/2800707046_f0d26b64c5_o.jpg

[rajr]

Its a bit misleading as there is a tread with Domestic Animals and Birds. On clicking, it leads to the Birds thread.

Any ways we need a cat to keep an eye on these beautiful birds.

So there is one...

Let me congratulate all for their amazing effort to get the perfect click of flying Birds. It’s difficult to get one.

[shutterbug]

Here s my attempt:
I know that glare on right side needs to be 'shopped away.But dont know how to do that.
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5053/2816011189efa49dafc3okr6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
By shutterbug_clix (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/shutterbug_clix)

and since domestical animals thread seems to have been merged...
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/1747/img0501ds6.th.jpg (http://img246.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0501ds6.jpg)

Manas, sorry for the hijacking;-)

[nabendubasu]

Few pics of birds which i have taken recently.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/puklujonty/bird4.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/puklujonty/bird3.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/puklujonty/bird2.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/puklujonty/bird1.jpg

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee39/puklujonty/bird.jpg

[Ruffryder]

hope this is placed right:

Brownie:

http://i45.tinypic.com/25qdbg6.jpg

Kalu: (with a bit of noise)

http://i49.tinypic.com/5y7md.jpg

[hitanshu]

Umm ... first is grainy, second is a tad too soft - but bhai, this is birding thread!! Let's start one on dogs if there isnt one!

[Technocrat]

@Powerslave - Nics pics Champak :)

[Bibudesh]

Umm ... first is grainy, second is a tad too soft - but bhai, this is birding thread!! Let's start one on dogs if there isnt one!

Watch it carefully, the dog is staring at a bird (or maybe a bird was picking from dog's body). By that time the camera focussed the bird was gone. This happens when u dont have a suitable fps for birding .

:D:D:D Take it easy !..

[KrishnenduKes]

Watch it carefully, the dog is staring at a bird (or maybe a bird was picking from dog's body). By that time the camera focussed the bird was gone. This happens when u dont have a suitable fps for birding .


This is Bibudesh humour again!

[amvj]

Teaching photography to them :p

http://i45.tinypic.com/rtm2oy.jpg