picture advice

[Casey]

greg or anybody please check out this pic and tell me what's all wrong. this weekend i took about 300 pictures. some of them came out very sharp, but a lot of them look like this one. why? is the lens (70-300mm f/4-5.6) just not focusing fast enough? you should be able to read all the data, but if not it was set on A at 5.6 and 85mm.

http://www.byuboyz.com/casey/DSC_0374.JPG

how much sharper of a picture would this lens have taken?

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=1986

here is a good one

http://www.byuboyz.com/casey/DSC_0031.JPG

[Scream And Fly]

Casey, I think you're doing great. The image issue could be caused by a variety of things - camera shake, focus issue, wrong focus mode, etc. Remember that the very best pros never achieve a 100% 'keeper' rate, especially when it comes to action photography.

The 70-300 is not considered a fast lens - in either focus speed or aperture, but on sunny days it's more than fast enough to shoot fast boats. A boat is a very easy target to track since they are relatively large and follow a predictable pattern (generally).

The 80-200 2.8 is much faster, yes, and it could improve your image quality. It is a much higher quality lens with better optics, but that does not mean it will produce better images by that alone. It's your technique that matters.:)

A monopod can help greatly - actually, you really should try one. Also, which focus mode are you shooting in? Remember to lock the center focus point and shoot in AF-C.

Greg

[Casey]

greg i was using a monopod and shooting in matrix, but i was not using the focus lock. could you please go over it in detail?

[Scream And Fly]

Casey,

I was referring to the focus mode. Your camera has AF-S and AF-C. When in "AF-C" mode, you simply hold the shutter release at half-press while you track your target. The camera will actively focus on the subject as it moves, adjusting focus accordingly. This is different than AF-S, which locks the focus at half-press.

As for focus point - in Aperture Priority mode, you can use the multi-selector on the back of the camera to select your active focus point. I generally like to lock the center focus point - that uses a cross sensor which is very accurate.

Greg

[Casey]

thanks greg,

i'm getting there, but it will just take some time and once most of my pics turn out like this one i'll be happy

http://www.byuboyz.com/casey/DSC_0031.JPG

[Casey]

greg what should the AF area mode be set on? single area, dynamic area or closest?

[Scream And Fly]

Casey, I think single area is best :)

[hsbob]

use the old rull of thumb. the shutter speed should be faster than 1/(lens mm). even with a tripod it will help.

[great adventure]

hi greg,

how are you
what shutter speed you are using 1000 or more?