Are they sharp???

[Copy_Kot]

I know the compositions are not very good, I’ve just been trying to get a sharp image. Are any of these sharp? On a scale from one to ten, where would they rank? Please don’t be afraid to tell me they are too soft, I’ll keep trying. None have been cropped.

They were taken with my 300mm f/4L and 1.4X TC using one shot AF.

[Bevb]

Copy in my honest opinion i think to the eye, or mine, they look good, sharp enough, the one that i would be tempted to sharpen very slightly would be the last one, as it seems that the point of focus is actually on the birds feet which are pin sharp, and so is the branch, the cardinal and the top 2 images are great, all id do with the top one is slightly adjust the levels or shadows/highlight in my image software, to bring out the shadows from the black/very dark face on the 1st image.

They are lovely pictures Copy, a good job done.

[paulnj]

The tufted titmouse and cardinal are the sharpest, but all are sharp enough to me(with some more sharpening)

[Copy_Kot]

Thank you Bev and Paul, I figured that I should put the 2X TC away for awhile until I could get some sharp images without it... I hope I'm on the right track.

Edit- I tried an increase with the amounts using USM on these. I also tried a different levels adjustment with the chickadee to try and keep some detail in the eye (not so good).

[Bevb]

I think they are better Copy, especially the Woodpecker, sharper but not over done, and the top Chickadee you can now see the eye more which is very hard getting a black eye in a black face to stand out.

As for the TC you have'nt mentioned whether you used a tripod or handheld, if handheld i think youve done a good job, although you have used a super lense i dont think many images using a TC wont go without PP work done.

[Loupey]

From the first set of images, I agree with Paul and Bev that the Titmouse and Cardinals are the sharpest and that the Chickadee and Downy seem to be suffering from the focus being off slightly.

On the second set, I think the chickadee is "over done". The shadows look unnatural to me and the noise is very evident in the OOF branch in the background.

I agree that you should use the least amount of magnification (perhaps even no TC) for now and build up to the most amount later as your skills grow.

[Copy_Kot]

Thank you again Bev, they were all hand held.

And thank you Loupey. A year ago I had no idea just what a balancing act photography is.

[Loupey]

A year ago I had no idea just what a balancing act photography is.

Yes! It's very elegant in that, in a way, it follows Newton's Law of (mechanical) Physics (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction) in about every way. I can't think of anything else at the moment which has such a compromising structure.

ISO speed and noise/grain
aperture speed and DOF
shutter speed and aperture
focal length and field of view
focus distance and extension amount
maximum aperture and cost/weight
2x TC and loss of 2 stops

Nothing in photography can be gained withOUT a corresponding loss somewhere else. Fun to think about.