I really seem to be struggling with getting things in focus and sharp for birds that are at a bit of a distance. Even with my shutter speed at 1/2500 and f8 with a ton of light the image is still not sharp. I even use a tripod today and it still didn’t help.

could it be that my 24 megapixels just isn’t enough to resolve distance?

all my equipment firmware is up-to-date and if I have a subject close, it is fantastic. The problem is at distance.

 

I would be helpful to know a few more things before anyone can give specific advice. What camera body, what lens, what shooting mode (specifically focus mode) are you using on the camera, what modes on the lens (IS available and is it on...if so which IS mode on the lens are you using), are you back button focusing or trying to use the shutter release for focusing? etc...

Also post up a sample of an image with all of the EXIF data.

 

sorry not sure what EXIF is.

but here goes:
Sony a7iii (latest firmware)
sony 200-600 g lens (latest firmware)
shooting mode: burst shooting high (not high+)
continuous autofocus
spot focus, small
lens has 3 settings for Optical steady shot i use mode 3.
i use the shutter button half press to get focus then fire when it is ready.

here is the example (cropped) that i am not pleased with and this was with support, shot at 1/2500 f8 600mm ISO 2500


This was almost same settings taken handheld, subject MUCH closer shot at 1/2500 f8 600mm ISO 3200



This was on monopod and subject was a little farther than the duck but nowhere near as far as the heron shot at 1/2500 f8 600mm ISO 800

 

Maybe it's the quality of the lens you are using.

I'm only guessing here.

 

When I had my A7Rlll I researched the 200-600 and found there were a lot of complaints for soft images in the upper focal ranges. My friend is shooting a Sony A1 with the 200-600 and has excellent results. Like all manufacturers there is a range for acceptable calibration and some lenses and cameras are better than others when stretched to extremes.
I had a Canon 100-400 L lens that was soft at 400mm and sent it to Canon for calibration, and they told me it was within spec so nothing could be done.
When you shot from a tripod, did you have the image stabilizer turned on. If you did, that is usually a no no for tripod shooting. Try that shot again without stabilization and with a remote trigger. Pick an inanimate target so motion blur does not effect the image. Let us know the results.
Jerry

 

that’s a good point, on my previous lens sigma 100–400. I had better results even handheld with the stabilization off. I’m gonna try some new pictures and turn the stabilizer off on the Sony lens and see what happens.

 

A digital zoom can get grainy looking. I'm assuming here yours is a digital zoom. Plus vibration can also be a factor here, especially at long distances.

 

nope. Telephoto lens

 

Upon some more research and investigation, I believe what that may have been was heat, distortion, a.k.a. Mirage


also, I seem to be getting better results when I use the center auto focus rather than the expandable spot

 

EXIF Data is (for lack of better wording) the digital fingerprint of each photo. It tells you all of the exposure setting, shooting modes, focal length, time of day etc...

Commenting on your response and Jerry follow up.

I see (4) Potential issues that may be causing this:

1) Your lens may be miss focusing/malfunctioning. As mentioned by Jerry the best thing to do to really figure out what is going on is to place out in a feild a few different objects at vary distance. Shoot them both hand held, on a tripod and on a mono pod at different distances, different IS modes, different focus mode and different shutter speeds. This will tell you A LOT.

2) Your IS is fighting you when you have mounted to a Tripod and therefore making the image blurry (your set up is trying to stabilize something that is already stabilized)- I do not shoot Sony so I cannot verify their set up this lens or body but some lens/body combo WILL actually deactivate IS when mounted to a Tripod..if it does not deactivate automatically you need to turn it off in camera when mounted to a tripod.

3) You a are not using the correct IS mode for what you are capturing. Again don't shoot Sony, but Canon will have several IS modes as well and you really need to match the IS Mode with how you are shooting.

4) You are not using Back Button Focus. This is a game changer once you get used to it. You really NEVER want your focusing motor on the same button as your Shutter Release...especially in moving objects. When they are on the same button there will always be a delay between when you press shutter button down half way (to lock the focus) and when the shutter is actually tripped. Does not sound like much time but when shooting action a fraction of a second is a huge deal.

 

Made some adjustments and i am starting to get some results. The mallard was 100 ish feet and the coot about 10 ish yards




i’m starting to think that between the heat coming off the water that morning and the fact that I do not think the small expandable spot auto focus feature was focusing correctly because obviously these two photos are simply basic center focus mode.