Now Have a Tamron 150-600mm lens: Whats next for the birds?

[baetis]

Hello all! I just purchased a Tamron 150-500mm lens today and am still having trouble shooting birds and other animals from a relatively short distance. I am shooting around 400 to 600mm and the quality of the shots is still very amateur and subpar at best. Am I missing something here? Perhaps a setting, technique, etc? I am shooting in low light today with grey skies, etc. and the image is just not clear. Colors are distorted and there is a defining outline to my subjects. I am very new at still photography but am hoping I made a good purchase of a lens for my T5i canon. Any help or tricks, etc. would be much appreciated as I am leaving for a short vacation to an island with lots of wildlife especially gators and shore birds. Thank you kindly!

[Grandpaw]

The longer the lens you shoot with the faster the shutter speed needs to be. If you are shooting at 600mm, your shutter speed needs to be at least 1/600 or faster. The longer the mm lens you use the shorter the depth of field will be. Also the closer you are to your subject the shorter the depth of field will be also. If you are shooting shorter distances and zooming in it adds to the problem. Also when you are shooting at closer distances make sure the limiter switch on the lens is set to "FULL" or it won't focus at all. This lens is a very capable lens and will serve you well once you figure out what you are doing.

[Loupey]

Can you post some examples? There could be a number of different things going on at the same time.

Remember, technique plays a huge factor. Not just the equipment.

[Grandpaw]

I'm not a betting person but if I were I would say you just need to learn how to properly use this lens and you will be very happy with it. I will post a few more shots that I have taken for you to look at. Jeff

[baetis]

Thanks for all of the info, I appreciate it! I will hope to post some pics as well as what I am shooting as soon as the Forum allows me to. I think I need to post a number of comments and/or threads for that to happen. Stupid question perhaps but how do I adjust the shutter speed to 1/600. I have been reading the manual for my t5i and am not seeing anywhere how to do this. Also, what would you say the best dial mode setting would be for shots of birds, elk, caribou, deer and other animals that I am trying to get tight in with? Looking to also capture in flight birds and full running deer, etc. Any comment or help is very much appreciated. Thank you!

[Loupey]

...Also, what would you say the best dial mode setting would be for shots of birds, elk, caribou, deer and other animals that I am trying to get tight in with? Looking to also capture in flight birds and full running deer, etc. Any comment or help is very much appreciated. Thank you!

There is no "best dial mode setting" for everything you listed.

You should first understand the interaction of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO in order for you to decide how each situation should be dealt with in order to get the image you wish to capture.

Not everyone will capture the exact same scene in the exact same way.