The Western Jackdaw, sometimes known as the Eurasian Jackdaw, European Jackdaw or simply Jackdaw, is a passerine bird in the crow family. Found across Europe, western Asia and North Africa, it is mostly resident, although northern and eastern populations migrate south in winter.
Similar species: Perching Birds
By Joost Thissen
Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives
Uploaded Oct 3, 2012. Captured Aug 12, 2012 09:41 in Deutersestraat, Vught, The Netherlands.
comments (5)
PS: I have the same issue with my 500mm lens. At full focal length its simply impossible to get it sharp. Software sharpening helps but increases the noise visibility often. Posted 12 years ago
Since I see the softness of my superzoom I understand a bit why people would also spend €6000 for a 300mm lens.
I am lately hardly using my 18-250mm. The 90mm macro lens is on the camera most of the times. It is ideal in nature because it is perfect for subjects up close like flowers and also works well for subjects farther away. There isn't that much quality difference between an enlarged photo made with the 90mm lens or a soft photo made at 250mm with the superzoom.
For walking around on events I use the fixed 35mm/f1.8. It is sharp, fast for action shots and the fixed focal length forces me to not get to much details in the picture. They say the viewing angle of a 35mm lens is somewhat equal to the area the human eye sees sharp.
When I need a wide angle for instance for group or interior photo's I use the 8-16mm lens. Below 12mm the edges get stretched and rooms look larger then they really are. I am still learning to use or deal with these effects. Posted 12 years ago, modified 12 years ago
However, on our wildlife journeys abroad, I can't do without the 500mm for capturing wild mammals and birds that are far away. 500mm is my only option since my kit lens is 18-105mm. Both the macro and kit have a reach that is too limited in those situations.
Although when I bought the 500mm I thought it was fantastic, I'm now seeing the limitations and how even at this prize it is an entry-level super tele lens. Main problem: I shoot by hand and thus at least need a shutter speed of 1/500s. Since the lens is not that light sensitive, this raises the iso by a lot, which introduces noise. And thats in good light conditions. In poor light conditions (which I experience a lot, in forests or when faced with backlight) things get even worse.
I can't solve it, since I can't afford anything better and I can't use a tripod in the situations I find myself in. Practically, if I did my focus correctly, I manage the problem in post processing. Often, passive viewers will not notice it, especially not in smaller formats. If you're being pro critical though, you can see where this lens has its limitations.
I am considering for the long term to see if one day I can switch to a better quality 400mm. I rather crop at good quality then have poor quality with more range, but the gap cannot be as large as 105 - 500. Posted 12 years ago