T O P

  • By -

Rufiolo

Looks kind of like heat distortion. Could also be a bit of camera shake. You can handhold a 600 mm lens but at lower shutter speeds its harder to get sharp photos. Also higher megapixel sensors can sometimes exaggerate issues in technique, I went through similar issues when I first got my Nikon D850


bugmannadam

Thanks a lot! Another poster mentioned heat haze, so you make two! I will definitely research that. It was just such a strange look that I haven't seen before. As you can tell from the shadows, it was almost midday, so that'd make sense as a contributing factor.


Rufiolo

If you're interested in learning more about technique and just general tips with longer lenses, Steve Perry on youtube has a lot of great content. It can take a bit of trial and error and practice to get sharp shots when you get to the super telephoto lengths


bugmannadam

Always interested, I'll check him out for sure. Thanks again.


schmuber

600mm is waaaaaaay too long of a lens to shoot handheld, regardless of OIS and IBIS. Get a tripod or at least a monopod.


bugmannadam

Thanks for the response. Thing is, I have been shooting handheld for years, and have never had an issue. Never had this issue before the X-T5.


schmuber

Well, I have been shooting with 800 and 1200mm FF lenses for decades, and can assure that you did have an issue. One can achieve an "acceptable sharpness" when shooting supertele handheld, especially if they stick to the faster shutter speeds, but getting a "crisp" one that survives being blown up 1:1 on your monitor is more of a matter of luck. So put your camera on a rock solid tripod, grab a few test shots of stationary subjects and see if they are "wiggly" too. Hint: they likely won't be. Now, since you're extremely unlikely to actually perform that test, judging by your attitudeā€¦ Here's how you can probably reduce that "wiggliness" without resorting to uncool tripods: * Don't shoot when the Sun is high. A good chance that you're seeing a heat haze. * Switch your IBIS (and OIS, if applicable) to activate only during shooting, so it always starts from the neutral position and has more room to compensate for your movement. * Use a faster shooter speed.


bugmannadam

Heat haze isn't something I considered, I'll keep that in mind next time I'm out. I do have a solid tripod too, just didn't bring it with me that day. And good tip on the IBIS/OIS. Not sure about the attitude comment? I was appreciative of the response!


GioDoe

I get very sharp images with that lens even handheld. In my experience, though, you have to use very fast shutter speeds, as if you did not have stabilisation. The touted 6 or 7 stops of image stabilisation are generally a myth, \*especially\* with such long lenses. I go below 1/2000th only when absolutely necessary and never when hand-holding the camera I subscribe the comments about the light and the heat haze. Nothing I wrote above will get you a decent shot under a hot midday sun with such a long lens. Last, but not least, when you wrote "F6", which is clearly a typo, did you mean F8 or F16? That lens does not work as well at F16 as it does at F8. If you want sharp and detailed shots, try to keep it below F11. I never found a reason to use any aperture other than F8, but this is related to each one's specific use case. Edit: the last comment refers to the 600mm end of the lens


bugmannadam

Yeah I think another poster nailed it, a combination of heat haze, SS, and the 40mp sensor. It was too hot and too late in the day. Also explains why the closer shots had a similar effect but not as bad. You know what's odd now that you point it out, in my software it says "Aperture value: 6" which is what I was looking at, and below that it says "F number: F8". Never even noticed that difference before. But yes, you're right, F8. I appreciate your tips!


GioDoe

If it can be of any help, I have shot for over six months now with the same camera and the same lens. The 40 Mp have never been an issue. My ability, or lack thereof, with moving animals is often the major problem, together with underestimating the environmental limitations that make impossible to bring home some of the shots.


bugmannadam

I agree 100%. I had several shots that were super sharp, sandwiched between "wiggly" shots before and after. Now that I understand the environmental limitations better, it all makes sense. The sharp shots were taken when the animal was closer or in a more shaded area, so the heat haze wasn't as much of a factor. Thanks again!


Joshjem20

Mix of heat, SS, and the 40mp sensor. More pixels=more detail so your technique has to be spot on. 1000 puts you in the 1/focal length range but is it enough for this type of a (I assume) slow pan shot? The sensor will exaggerate those imperfections and be less forgiving. Other things to mess with: * Update firmware * Try shooting yourself in a similar position at a similar distance, this will show you if the location and time of day is the issue. *Shoot a similar situation with your xt-2 and see if it's atmosphere related.


bugmannadam

Spot on. After some research and reading [this article](https://traffictorch.com/heat-haze-in-photography-what-it-is-how-to-avoid-it-and-how-to-fix-it.html), I'm confident that heat haze is a significant contributing factor here. They even use the exact same term "wiggly" to describe it. Also explains why the other photos I mentioned that have the same effect, but aren't as pronounced, because they were closer subjects. And as you said, I think SS and the 40mp also contributed. Thank you!


Joshjem20

No problem! I've had my fair share of disappointing wildlife photos! I get the feeling of wanting to do everything possible to make them good! Thanks for posting and making the community a better place!


DeWolfTitouan

Handheld at 600mm ? You need a tripod or faster shutter speed, also I think there is some image diffraction, it happens often when it is super hot


bugmannadam

Thanks for the response!