Looking for help in Delhi

[Ashok Sorout]

Exif Info: Hand Held with Camera - 7D, Lens canon Ef 100-400 IS, At 400 mm, mode- Aperture priority, f 7.1, speed 1/500, ISO 640, WB auto. No croping, no sharpening, only size reducded to 300 KB.

Dear friends, I was using Canon 1000D earlier (3 months back) with 18-55 normal kit lens and 55-250 IS, Than I started searching for DSLR on web and visited Photo Fair in Delhi, Always wanted to capture great shots as I am inspired with shots on this forum and one more forum on the web named "INW",.

I decided to go for upgraded version of body and Lens after failed to capture good shots with my old stuff Except few (Only I think they are good but they are not) which I posted in this forum too named "The school" , Learned from Canon and some users on the web that 7D and 24-105 is a great combination. I also leanent that wild life photography needs some more advanced lens. I sold my 1000D, 18-55 and 55-250 to a known friend.

I bought 7D body with 24-105 f-4 IS lens from Canon Noida, The results of normal photography at home are very good and sharp with this setup.

After lot of research on internet I bought Sigma 150-500 and photographed few birds in Noida bird century, The results were not very exiting and sharp enough at 500mm. After using it for a while I decided to go for Canon L series 100-400mm lens. Bought the same by returing back 150-500.

Today after shooting during the morniong at the same place I am still not able to produce sharp results. tried auto and manual mode both, the results are not very sharp.

Now I realised that Photography is not a easy task it needs lot of talent and teaching, Request ppl around delhi to please help me in developing myself in amature photographer. Help will be appriciated from bottom of my heart. I am in Noida.

Regards
Ashok Sorout
9990009207

Sorry, the attachmeent was missed out.

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Ashok,
I have heard of the Sigma going soft at the higher focal lengths. But this should not happen with the Canon.
The Canon 100-400mm produces nice sharp images at 400mm, as you might have seen from the others on this forum who use this lens. The lack of sharpness in your images may be due to lack of proper support. The 100-400mm is often used hand held with the help of IS, but using a support like a monopod or tripod could possibly give you better sharpness. For this particular image, the light doesnt look very good, so a monopod would have been a great help in my opinion.
The sharpness and quality also go down when you crop a lot. So it is better to get close to the subject (if possible of course) rather than crop later. Click your images as RAW files, so that max details are recorded. RAW files allow a greater deal of editing than do jpegs. Still, decide the required exposure before clicking itself, rather than changing it later. The lesser you edit, the better the quality.
Dont use Auto mode. For birds, most people use Aperture Priority.

Hope all this helps :). Keep experimenting, and good luck with the new lens.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Ashok,
I agree with Abhishek.

Wildlife photography has got a steep learning curve. In fact, I consider wildlife photography to be a life long learning. I have been photographing for the last 19 years, and I believe I am still learning.

To start with, please check the tips sections. That will help you in learning and keep on shooting in the field and share here for critiques. And consider taking a workshop to bring you up to speed. However, please be waned that no amount of coaching/workshop will help if you don't try to internalise the theories and apply them on the field.

As far as sharpness is concerned, you need to look at handholding techniques. Please check the tutorial here: Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities (http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=268)

Understanding histogram and using it for correct exposure: Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities (http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2006)

You can also join us whenever we do a get together. Going on trips with other members will also be of help.

Sabyasachi

PS: To access the tutorials one needs to login. Registration is free and can be done by clicking here Indiawilds: Land of the Tiger. Conservation, Wildlife Photography, Communities - Register (http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/register.php)

[Praveen Siddannavar]

Ashok - Appreciate your patience and also you finally made the right decision to buy 7D and 100-400mm. This combination of will surely produce excellent images. I agree with Abhishek and Sabyasachi's comments.

Beleive me I went through hell & the same frustration some 18 months ago, and this forum supported and helped me a lot to pick up some skills in photography and post processing. But as Sabyasachi rightly said it is a learning for life, and same goes with upgrading your equipments;).

Please feel free to write openly in the forum and you will surely get some interesting tips. Also attending a workshop conducted by Canon or other firms will help.

[Ashok Sorout]

Dear Sirs, Thanks for suggestions and tips, Gone thry them and trying to learn and practice them.

When I posted this picture I was completely hopeless and nervous that I will not be able to take good pictures even after spending lot of money.

But your comments have given me strength and hope.

Thanks once again.

Regards
Ashok Sorout