Colchester Zoo (56k maybe no)

[mradam87]

Went to Colchester Zoo today, was really looking forward to using the new Sigma lens with our Canon 350D - but the majority of our photos didn't turn out too well, even though they looked fine on the LCD at the time

We were using a polarising filter too to help with shots through glass, but the a lot of the photos have come out really faint and unsharp - any tips for better zoo photograpy?

Some samples of the good and bad ones below. C&C welcome!

What the majority were like:

Can anyone shed any light on why they are hazy - is it down to the filter? Or am I using the wrong settings on the camera?

 

[Scottydog]

Who has 56k these days? :rasp:

Nice photos, especially liking the fish one

 

[mradam87]

Who has 56k these days? :rasp:

Nice photos, especially liking the fish one

Haha, you never know, somebody somewhere might!

Thanks for the comments though.

 

[Rhino172]

looks good. i would ditch the filter when not shooting through glass though or were all your shots through glass?

also was the camera just in auto or were you in shutter or apererature or full manual?

and one last thing it may be the lens...i had a sigma for a while and i noticed it had a slightly softer focus than my other lenses so i don't use it anymore...

 

[mradam87]

The photos above were through glass, apart from the one of the rhino. I was taking the filter off for anything that wasn't through glass though.

I did a few test shots the other day with the new lens and there was no difference in quality between that and the kit lens, so I don't think it's the lens (I hope not anyway)

Some shots were auto, others were in TV (shutter) mode, didn't try any in aperture though. I was basically messing around with settings because I'm not too sure yet what's best for what situaions...

 

[Rhino172]

i was hoping you'd say that about the rhino, it's clearly the sharpest shot of the lot.....

my advice, don't shoot through glass lol, annoying but true. think how many people have leant up against the glass and how grubby it is...

 

[mradam87]

lol I'd love to have been able to avoid shooting through glass, but I'd have ended up with just pictures of elephants and rhinos today, nearly everything had glass windows to view through!

 

[Andy_con]

top man, i love colchester zoo

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?t=367271&highlight=colchester+zoo

 

[mradam87]

top man, i love colchester zoo

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?t=367271&highlight=colchester+zoo

Wow you got some great shots there! It was a long drive down to the zoo but was definately worth it, one of the best I've been to!

I noticed you said you used the outside landscape mode, I might try that as I think our camera has a similar one.

Did you shoot through the glass ok?

 

[Andy_con]

im a gold card holder so go all the time

my pics wernt perfect, it was a cloudy dull day when them pics were taken.

as people have said i need to turn the iso down a bit next time.

na the glass is a pain in the ass as always!!!

 

[Leeshez]

Nice piccys .

 

[Ian]

I quite like most of those, just a shame that the glass interfered! How close to the glass were you when you took the photos dude? It looks to me like the light is hitting the glass and making it slightly translucent, especially for the last three.

If you have a hood for the lens (I'm not really up on what comes with one and what doesn't!) it might be worth trying getting right up to the glass so you're blocking the light from hitting the glass and so you're shooting at right angles to it, should be the optimal angle for the filter too that way. Until I try it for myself that's just a guess though lol, will have to get to the zoo over summer.

 

[Hutchie]

Who has 56k these days? :rasp:

i cant get broadband... hate living in teesdale some days

 

[mradam87]

I quite like most of those, just a shame that the glass interfered! How close to the glass were you when you took the photos dude? It looks to me like the light is hitting the glass and making it slightly translucent, especially for the last three.

If you have a hood for the lens (I'm not really up on what comes with one and what doesn't!) it might be worth trying getting right up to the glass so you're blocking the light from hitting the glass and so you're shooting at right angles to it, should be the optimal angle for the filter too that way. Until I try it for myself that's just a guess though lol, will have to get to the zoo over summer.

Thanks Ian and everyone else for the comments.

For most of the photos through glass I was almost right up by the glass, but it was hard to get good pics of anything being at right angles as the animals were never in idel places, so most of the time I was shooting at a bigger angle to the glass.

When I turned the filter whilst looking through the viewfinder, most of the reflections disappeared but the photos came out hazy when I viewed them on the PC.

I did get a hood with the lens, I tried it out when shooting the sealions (mainly due to it starting to rain and it stopped water getting on the lens), and I got a couple like the one below:

Most of the time they were to the far left of the enclosure so I couldn't get at right angles to the glass.

I'm also wondering whether a lot of the hazy photos may have been from the flash firing and reflecting back, I'll have to check the exif data. I just need to learn a bit more about choosing the right settings I think.

 

[Ian]

Ahh you were using flash? That probably explains it! The glass is reflective and so the intense light from the flash will be rebounding off the glass back into your lens, instead of hitting the intended subject. It will also highlight any imperfections or dirt on the glass, making it appear murky. In fact it might even mess up the cameras autofocusing focusing abilities a bit, I'm not sure.

I'd have an experiment with manual mode and aperture/shutter priority modes if you can. Presets are ok, but you'll quickly begin to understand more about setting up photos if you're involved in the process if that makes sense. I've only being shooting on manual for about two months, but it's really helped me get to grips with things. Also, if you do turn flash off remember to keep your shutter speed nice and fast, ideally above 1/60th second (when shooting handheld).

Edit:

your flash did fire on shots 3, 4, 5, 10 and 12; I believe. Think you probably got a bit unlucky with the light on the others.. hard to say without having tried it myself!

 

[mradam87]

Thanks for the info, that will help me a lot in the future - think we are going to another zoo in a few weeks time so I can try it out again then.

I've been having a play tonight with aperture priority mode with the aid of the stickied guide on here, as I didn't understand what it was for until now.

About keeping the shutter speed fast when the flash is off, I take it that applies for outdoors when it's bright? Whats best for when its a bit darker inside, but I don't want the flash to reflect - surely a fast shutter speed wouldn't let enough light in, and a longer speed would be harder to avoid blurring?

 

[Ian]

Yeah if, for example, you have it on manual mode in a dimly lit room and you set it to 1/60s you'll see the pointer on the exposure scale drop off to the left, showing it's underexposed. If this happens you have to either use a wider aperture if possible, or use a longer shutter speed. It comes down to what you want to compromise on.

A rough rule for shutter speed for handheld shots is "1 / Focal length multiplied by Crop Factor" (the 350d has a 1.6 crop factor I think). So if you're shooting at 200mm then 200 x 1.6 = 320. Therefore you should be using a shutter speed of 1/320s or quicker. If you're using a lens with image stabilisation you can shoot a bit slower than that.

If you try shooting in the dark you'll find that you won't be able to stick to this rule, without underexposing your photo. The only solution is to use a tripod, or use flash if you have to. Personally I'd not use flash and find a level surface to put the camera on instead.