Home Forums Gear Photography XTi and a newbie...[images]

I haven't been here for awhile and thought I'd do a post to say,..."Hi"

I'm finally getting ready for my trip to Namibia and bought the XTi and 70-200mm f/4 IS USM +1.4x/TC...

I'm a noob to photography and just been out 3x with it to familiarize myself with the set-up...There's a lot to learn but its fascinating and exciting as all of the studying is done outdoors...

Anyways my Namibia PG hunt will be in less than three weeks and I need to learn how to use this camera or else I'll be in serious trouble...

I plan to shoot and practice at least 2x a week before our departure as I will be mostly handholding for my shots as preferred...But I will be taking a newly purchased Manfratto Monopod with me for insurance...

Like I said I need a lot more practice and could use some constructive comments to help me in my quest for better images...

Thanks for your input...










Please pardon the BG on these two images as I was shooting the stands of dried seedheads and all of a sudden this Cattle Egret came in from nowhere and I nearly froze...I wasn't getting much action and next thing I know he's right there and I didn't adjust my f/16 aperture to f/8....Hopefully, he'll be there tomorrow and I have a chance to redeem myself...I was happy to see him instead of shooting all the other small stuff I'v been practicing on lately!





[img]http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s25/Late-Bloomer/IMG_1376w.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s25/Late-Bloomer/IMG_0528retouchw.jpg[/img]

Thanks again for looking...

Latebloomer, I'm no expert but man those look like a pro took em....way to go.

very good! thanks for sharing! I esp like # 4

Looks superb to me.

Looks to me as if you have a pretty good grip on what you're doing! I love the egret pics, the second one looks great. Nice composition!

M

Geez gang...

Thank you for your replies and I really appreciate it...

I guess I might be expecting too much of myself having only been out three times...

However, I'm not getting what I'm after in these images. They are not crisp and sharp as I would expect from this lens combo.

They lack the "detail" and the WOW factor "POP" that I'm after...

I need to keep practicing to NAIL exposure in-camera and my handholding technique to reduce the BLUR and the lack of detail...

Also, I could try to get more skillful in approaching these animals/birds at closer distances to capture greater detail...

Or,

just purchase a longer farther reaching glass...
but I don't think the wife would buy that idea...

All in all, I am very pleased with all your responses but I'm still looking for someone to give me some constructive tips, techniques, etc...I could surely use some advice in trying to get where I'm desiring to go with all of this...

With much appreciation...

Aloha...

Hey Roland it looks like things are going well. My first suggestion is to beg, borrow or steal a 100-400 for your trip. If that's not an option consider renting. I would not take the 1.4x to Africa. It's not worth the weight for only 80mm more reach. Realisticly that will just not make a difference and your IQ will be slightly lower. I think you would be better served taking a wide angle or even a standard lens in it's place.
You need to increase your shutter speed for hand held images to 1/250 or faster. Remember the focal length rules here! I've attached a link to help you with that.
Which AF point are you using? Consider selecting the center AF only. On bright days like some of theese images set your ISO at 100. The lower the ISO the lower the noise. Again I would definatly set aside the TC for now.
The first three images are nice but would benefit from cropping. While I would never be with out the 70-200 F4 IS it does not have the most pleasing bokeh.
The fourth is not sharp as you mentioned, Watch that shutter speed and lower the ISO. Increased focal length also means you need to be much steadier.
Now pass a pot of that french press Kona!



http://www.enginova.com/Minimum%20Shutter%20Speed.htm




Here is a hand held minimally processed shot I took with the exact same combo you are using. f11, 1/1000 ISO 400.
I'll be watching for those African Photos. One final suggestion. On a trip of a life time like this if you are unsure consider taking a secondary shot on full auto if time allows. That's the polar opposite of my normal mantra but you can always sort them out when you get home.

Best Regards,
Dave

Hi Dave,

Thank you for the help!

That's the kind of info I was looking for in getting my images to look sharper. I will definitely mind the focal length rules here as they apply. I'm glad you posted a shot of that heron as I can see it is heavily cropped yet it still is tack sharp. If I was to crop my first three images any tighter it still would not show any better detail because its definitely washed.

I'll try to keep my SS up there and tweak it by adjusting my ISO between 100-400. I thought I could keep my ISO 400 for most shots because I was getting faster SS, but I'll play in that range to see how my images improve.

As far as the beg, borrow, steal, rent a 100-400mm I can't pull it off on this trip...no ways not possible...But I will take it on my next trip there in a year or two for sure. My 18-55mm kit lens will be accompanying me on this trip and my son is taking a new P&S Pentax Optio as a second camera for insurance when we shoot our Trophy pics to be safe...

BTW how close are you to that heron in that specific shot?

You must have been right on top of him at 30-40ft max?

Great shot and a solid looking lens combo you got there, good job!

Would you mind emailing me the original and that cropped image you posted as I want to study what kind of shot I need in-camera to be able to handle a crop like that...That would be very helpful in me learning I would appreciate it! The detailed you captured is stunning! I need some visual-aid here and your example would be a splendid one.

Again thank you very much for your help and insight as I want to be nailing images like that as my norm, not my once in a lifetime type of images if you know what I mean...I knew the lens combo was up to it but its the guy behind the camera as always...That's what I'm trying to remedy...

Aloha,

Roland

Roland I wish I could nail them all. I'm just at the point where I know what I want but I can't always close the deal. Definatly bracket your shots. You do not have to bump your ISO to up your shutter speed. Either Shoot manual or shoot in TV (shutter priority) when SS is your primary concern. Here is the original image zero PP. The other is a heavy crop so that says a lot IMO about what the XTI, 70-200L f4 IS and 1.4x TC can do. It is a wicked combo and very sharp.

Here is one with the XTi and my first day with the 70-200. Hand held, ISO 100, 1/400




And one more for you. A nene at VNP. I'm breaking the rules here but I was braced inside of the car. XTi, 70-200, 1.4x at 246 mm, 1/200.

Dave,

Awesome HELP!

That's just the type of visual-aid I needed for my in-camera and PP expectations! It gives me a benchmark and it helps me to keep reaching for the STARS...If I can achieve images like that one day I'll be a very HAPPY guy! They are some very beautiful and nicely detailed images...Great captures!

I'll heed everything you've said, and it helps me out tremendously to sharpen my skills for sure...I want to take it to the next level already...Again, your images taken with this same identical combo I have right down to the XTi body leaves me no excuse because you've just shown me what this combo is more than capable of doing...

I am a happy guy right now...

BTW, I notice on your EXIF that you are shooting NORMAL mode...

What is that?

I appreciate the lesson and the visual-aid and your precious time you've given me here...

God Bless You my brother...

Aloha!

Roland

Roland your shots are looking good even at a hefty crop with minimal processing. Zoom a little more with the feet and bump up the shutter speed.
I'm not sure which photo you are looking at that's reading normal but it's probably just the EXIF viewer. The nene was shot in AE.
Remember to use your camera like a rifle. Brace yourself with a tree, a rock or any thing available. Bean bags are very popular for shooting from trucks in Africa. A good tripod set up is expensive so I highly suggest a monopod. You do not need a ball head on a monopd, they are light and within the realm of mere mortals for carbon fiber and perfect for wild life photography.
And yes, I get buck fever with my camera too!
Glad I can help. My wife has been squirelling away all of my toy money for a return trip to the Big Island.

PM sent...

Excellent job, LateBloomer.

The second photo is still good considering the lighting conditions. For example, background light "sort of" blinds the sensor or interferes with the camera metering the subject. There are ways to correct such things, but you would have to either use fill light (a flash) that is powerful enough to reach the subject, or use a different metering mode such as spot, etc. The following lessons are for the Rebel XT, but since your XTi has some of the same feature these lessons can be quite useful:
http://images.photoworkshop.com/rebelxtlessons/interface.html

The rest of the photos are beautiful, and if you still have the original RAW images, you should be able to do wonders with PSE6, or with CS3, etc.

Hi Ray,

I appreciate your kind words and the encouragement and the tips as well! I shot all of these JPG...And I need to work on my PP skills for sure as these have all been PP on PSE6 before I resized to post here...

I will take a look at the link you provided...

Thanks again!

Aloha!

That's the way I started (JPEG), and some of the pictures looked great. That's when I told myself to set the camera to RAW, just in case I was lucky enough in the future to take another photo as good as some of the JPEG ones I had already taken. PSE6 is very easy to use, and it won't mess with the original RAW image as long as you rename the file and save it, thus leaving the original alone. Now, to work on photos to post online, or to e-mail, JPEG is the way to go.

I use a Mac, and PSE6. It's nice little program. With the RAW images, it gives you the options to increase the clarity of the photo, fill light, temperature, exposure, etc., all which are real handy features.
---------
Stetson: that's a pretty sharp photo.

I can't add much to whats already been said other than if you don't already have one,you might consider a tripod ring to use with your monopod. Rather than feeling lens heavy,your camera will feel much more balanced, which may help you avoid camera shake. You can pay Canon $140-$150 for the OEM model or pick up a knockoff from Ebay for $20-$25. Everybody I know incuding myself is happy with the knockoff and a couple that bought the Canon version after comparing the two, really wished that they had'nt. Mine took about 1 1/2 weeks to get here from Hong Kong,have heard 1 week-2 weeks from there and/or China. If you're using a tripod a remote shutter release is a must also. Those are available on Ebay also for a fraction of Canons price.
And as Ray said-Don't fear teh RAW!
Otherwise,you're off to a good start with those shots!

Almost forgot,heres some links to Ebay collars.
Tripod Collars

Ray and JSR...

I appreciate the advice and info...SOLID!!!

I will definitely heed both of your advice...

I appreciate it gentlemen...

I see plenty of noobs making their life miserable as they try to get used to a camera and digital photography by working with RAW. Get used to your camera shooting Jpeg. But like Ray said once you progress and have a familiar work flow then start playing with RAW. The only real draw back to shooting RAW or RAW and jpeg is that it eats major file space.
With out going way off track I'll add that I think buying a cheap tri-pod can be a costly mistake in many ways. If you consider a tripod take your time and research it well before buying. You do not need a lens collar on a 70-200 f4 with a tri-pod but it may balance better with a monopod. I've never felt the need for one with the 70-200 f4.
If you plan to upgrade your body in the future save some money and buy your remotes for the XTi off eBay. The one thing that is a pain about the XTi is that the remotes do not work with the XXD series bodies.