[Boofers]

How does everyone feel about lens blur. This picture, (shot with 1.4 extender 100-400mm IS) and manual focus, it is cold and windy. Shot from a window, I like the picture, but not the lens blur. It is cleaned up with a noise reduction filter. Would you post a pic like this ?

[IMG][/IMG]

[_MB_]

I'd bin it, sorry to say

[fgates]

If this was an extremely rare bird, I would keep it. Otherwise I'd try again. What is the bird?

[Sonsey]

Unfortunately I think the poor blur (especially in the branches) has be caused by a bit of movement, a faster shutter speed would've helped here I think...

...as a result, it would be destined for the recycle bin if it were mine.

[chrisa]

Depends if I liked the picture. Otherwise I'd retry like above.

[nichpr]

I have a feeder just outside of my kitchen window that Cardinals frequent. I've taken tons of shots and have finally just given up. Its not lens blur - its the distortion shooting thru the glass window - in my case a double pane.
My next attempt will be to put the camera on a tripod outside and trip the shutter from inside with a wireless remote. - with no window glass in between.

[Chris H]

I think most pictures can be improved a little and made into keepers.

What would help is detail on Camera, ISO etc to get a more balanced idea.

[Charlotte]

Boofers, I can see why you like this particular shot, it's a good composition with the twigs falling in just the right places within the frame to set the bird off nicely. Unfortunately the bird is just not in sharp focus. I had a go at sharpening just the bird by himself but it didn't help much, no matter how I tried different settings Only one thing for it ... try again.

Good try C-Man, but your sharpened version does have the inevitable oversharpened look especially the BG, sorry.

[Boofers]

Thanks for the comments, What I liked about this picture is when zoomed in with the loupe, there is a five pointed star in the eye on the raw file. Oh well, what ever the blur, I had the same problem on all of them. I adjusted my diopter on the viewer hoping it will help. I had the window open with the screen off and was kinda of bent over forward and that maybe caused my old bones to wiggle. Haven't done any painting for quite awhile so I through some stain on there. It's Charlottes flault.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Charlotte]

If all else fails, blame Charlotte

I dunno Boofers, maybe it's just me, but it looks a bit blurrier now

[Boofers]

I kinda of like it all messed up, maybe shoulda spent more time making some of it a little clearer. I,m goin'a be a good boy and practice my painting more. Thanks for the helping insight Charlotte.

Boofers

[Rob Barron]

All has been said really and I agree with it all. However, I must disagree with the comment that 'most pictures can be made into keepers'. In my humble opinion, you can often make a good picture better but you can make a bad picture into a good one. You CAN make a bad picture into a good DIFFFERENT picture and that would include making it into a painting type picture but as a photo I think the right thing to do with bad shots is put them where they belong (recycle bin!) and chalk it up to experience.

But the way to look at it is this Boofers, you came within a millimetre of a cracking photo. The composition and lighting are lovely here, it is only the focusing that is out. I am not sure whether this is because, as you said, you were manually focusing and your diptric adjustment wheel is not set correctly, or whether it is simply down to the distortin caused by the window. My guess is the latter.

It's all so easy when you have a fixed subject and can just go on shooting again and again to get it right but when your subject is likely to take to the wing at any second, you don't always have that luxury. So well done on the lighting and composition

Cheers,
Rob