Photos with a very inexpensive lens.

[geordie graham]

Originally Posted by Chas

Thanks for your help about the Sigma lens, yes that is the one I am looking for, but I have tried everywhere for one and they just don't seem to be available.
I will try Park as you suggest.
Cheers and thanks for the nice comments about the photos everyone.

I bought a Bigma for my Pentax K10D in February from a local shop.They didn`t have it in stock but rang sigma UK and had it in 3 days.It cost £699.My first lens was a non APO Sigma 70-300 and cost me £100.If you have a look back at first photo`s my Gallery I think I got some decent shots.

Graham

[glsammy]

I've had a go at balancing the levels on the great tit:



Considering the set up, not half bad!

[Chas]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

they're not bad shots, particularly considering the light looks poor. I'd be interested to see what it could do in good light. Were these taken with the 2x converter or just the lens on its own?

Matt

The light was bad and I had the camera set up on 800 asa. That was an oversight really. Yes I used the the converter as well but I probably didnt really need it. I used my car as a hide, sat in the passenger seat with camera on a tripod focused in on a likely perch. I used a remote. I have a photo of a House Sparrow in sunlight have a look!

[Chas]

Originally Posted by glsammy

I've had a go at balancing the levels on the great tit:



Considering the set up, not half bad!

Hey, that is so much better isn't it, can you travel down to Devon and fiddle with all my shots..... or even better tell me what software you used. I am staggered at the improvement.
I hadn't fiddled with it much at all. Incidentally this was such a great spot. Right in the midst of Dartmoor at Dartmeet. The owners of a little cafe had put up the feeders and it was like a wonderland. There were Marsh/Willow tits, Yellowhammers, a lovely Nuthatch a chiffchaff on the ground under the feeders. I got shots of all of them but some were not that successful and it's always the rarer ones that aren't. I was just sat in my car with a coffee and the wife reading so she was happy, classical music on in the background..what more could you want.
Thanks for taking an interest in my pics.

[matt_xyz]

sounds like a good day out to me

I think the main thing Graham did was to adjust the Shadows and Highlights (lighten shadows and darken highlights). Shadows and Highlights is a standard command on Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. It looks like Graham also applied some noise reduction to the background.

If these shots were taken with a cheap lens, a 2X converter and at ISO800 then I'd say they really are pretty good!! I'd be interested to see some shots without the converter, in better light, and at a lower ISO.

Matt

[Chas]

Thanks Mat, that is very helpful. Seems like I need to get myself photoshop after all. just to confirm , yes the shots were taken as I/you describe. I must say that I am quite surprised at the results, mind you having said that I took around 200 photos on that outing and just chose these three as being almost near to what I am happy with.

[glsammy]

Just to confirm what I did, firstly adjusted the levels, which lightened the bird a fair bit. The rest is exactly what Matt said plus a small amount of sharpening.