Question on Sharpness

[prostie1200]

I have just taken delivery of a AFS300 f4 and am a little dissapointed in the sharpness of the initial shots.
Here is photo of a Blackbird taken with a TC1.7E11 attatched. The camera was on a ridged tripod - ISO 200 - f6 1/40 at 500mm. it is cropped at 1467x1160 from the full frame with no sharpening or adjustments.
Would you say its down to operator error or the Lens TC combo.

[Tannin]

I'd say it's down to shutter speed, Prostie. 1/40th of a second is around 20 times slower than I'd want to be using with an effective 500mm focal length. Or ten times faster than that, at the very least. A tripod helps, of course, but in the end, shutter speed is king. As soon as the light starts getting ordinary, take off your converter, open your lens up wide, and push your ISO up as far as you dare (I mostly use 400 in good light, 200 in very, very bright light, 800 in fair light, and 1600 in poor light, though your effective max ISO before the noise gets too bad varies with different camera models, so you will have to make your own judgement there).

Always better to crop a good quality image with a small bird in it than wind up with a big bird in a poor quality picture.

[prostie1200]

Thanks Tannin
Too used to the 70-200 f2.8 - will have to think again now whilst useing the 300.
Thanks for the tips - will start useing a higher ISO to get the speed and light flowing properly.

Brian

[Canis Vulpes]

1/1000 shutter speed should give much sharper results at 510mm. I can't imagine anything sharper than 70-200VR f2.8. TC17E II has 1.5 stop light loss so effective f8 has master lens at f4.8-ish.

Have you considered TC14E II - a great TC I use with 200-400VR to give 560mm f5.6.

What camera are you using?

[robski]

Hi Brian

I don't know your kit but I am surprised it looks so bad if your using a good tripod. What the other have said is good advice but even so considering this is scaled down as well.

Attached is from a bare 300mm 1/80 sec f7.1 ISO 400 Tripod Manfrotto 55 + 128 RC. 1000 x 1200 crop and just resized.

[prostie1200]

Hi Stephen and Rob

I have a D70 and use a AFSVR70-200 f2.8, AF105Macro, AF35mmf2,AF50mm f1.8, AFS18-70kit lens, TC1.7E11, various MF short Primes for use on my macro PB% Bellows outfit and todays addition the AFS300mm.

I have read about lens vibration on the 300, due to the poorly designed tripod foot and think with better light and useing faster shutter speeds this will in the short term not be much of a problem. Kirk make a tripod collar and foot for this lens which seems to overcome the mirror slap vibration and this will be a must for me I think.

The shot attatched shows it up, taken this evening ISO200, 1/13, f4, look at the lettering on the bottle - this was with the camera mounted on the Manfrotto all steel heavey duty tripod.

Cheers

Brian

[Don Hoey]

Originally Posted by prostie1200

I have read about lens vibration on the 300, due to the poorly designed tripod foot and think with better light and useing faster shutter speeds this will in the short term not be much of a problem. Kirk make a tripod collar and foot for this lens which seems to overcome the mirror slap vibration and this will be a must for me I think.

The shot attatched shows it up, taken this evening ISO200, 1/13, f4, look at the lettering on the bottle - this was with the camera mounted on the Manfrotto all steel heavey duty tripod.

Cheers

Brian

Brian,
Might be worth another go with a bit of mass draped over the lens to damp vibration. Pic certainly displays up and down movement. Otherwise a staight flash shot would do the trick as irrespective of shutter speed the flash will fire well lest than 1/1000 sec.

Don

[robski]

Brian

Kor thats like an earth quake !!!!

I knew I had a slower one.

1/30 sec f8 same kit 1500 x 1800 crop

[Canis Vulpes]

Definitely motion blur.

Top Advise from Don, I used manual exposure in my latest teleconverter test with flash. Using flash allowed 1/400th f11 (effective) and produced dynamite sharpness from 70-200VR f2.8.

Could you post a sharpness comparison with 70-200VR?

[prostie1200]

Stephen
Whilst you were posting I took this hand held with the on board flash and I think it shows the bounce is due to the tripod collar on the 300.
Have been called out so will post a shot with the 70-200 tomorrow. syl.

Cheers

Brian