Nikon 70 - 300 VR

[koayst]

Hi,

Taken this at Singapore zoo.

[eikin]

please take note of the posting guidelines in critique corner.

http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=139941
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=273376

thanks.

thread moved.

[ihub88]

care to share more about your this pics?

what is your centre of interest here?

The placement of the bird is dead centre here, does not have much of a feeling, more like a simple snap shot. Try take the bird doing something.

is this consider a bit of critic or still get infraction?

[glennyong]

Originally Posted by ihub88 care to share more about your this pics? what is your centre of interest here? The placement of the bird is dead centre here, does not have much of a feeling, more like a simple snap shot. Try take the bird doing something. is this consider a bit of critic or still get infraction?

is such a comment necessary ?

[ihub88]

Originally Posted by glennyong is such a comment necessary ?

IMHO

yes

[jnet6]

best to zoom to 100% and crop out.

at least get the pic size around 800x600 to see more details.

[buddy]

yes, have to resize with more pixels.

[Zeckson Chow]

I will break up my opinions on several sections:

Technical Section:

• Subject is in focus
• Sharpness is good on subject
• Background bokeh is nice
• No scratches / dust spots / stains / unintentional lens flare
• Subject is well exposed with no specular highlights or dark shadows
• Colours are rich and natural

If you are asking for comments on the performance of your AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor 70-300mm F/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens, I must say I enjoy the sharpness created with the presence of the ED glass element in your lens. Details are very well brought out especially on the feathers and the area between the eye and the beak of the parrot. However, I like it with a little more sharpening done on Photoshop to bring out the edge contrast between the parrot and the background, making the parrot 'pop out' from the picture.

Your choice of background is adequate for this picture because you brought out contrast between your red parrot and green leaves. The only distraction you have is that big white spot on top of the parrot's crown. When I look at your parrot, I tend to move my eyes to that white spot as well, thus diverting my attention away from your parrot. It is recommended to try obtaining a clean, clear and simple background with not too many different colours or objects that can divert your viewer's attention away from your subject. Control your viewers attention to your subject is the key to good photo admiration. What you can do on this white spot is to try using the Clone Stamp function in Photoshop to patch over the white spots with green leaves. How well and realistic can the picture look after that will depend on your choice of leaves you wish to set source and your skill in stamping.

In terms of bokeh, it is acceptable. The roundness is pretty good given the technical limitation of your lens. We cannot expect super smooth roundness of the bokeh at F5.3 even at 180mm focal length, unlike those professional lenses offering large aperture with high zoom range. If you want to try making the roundness smoother, there are 2 ways you can do it. One is of course to re-shoot the picture at an even longer focal length since you have all the way up to 300mm, of course, this is not applicable at the moment because you have already done the shoot and out of the zoo and it certainly does not make much sense to go back inside just to re-shoot this shot. So the other way is to make use of the Gaussian Blur function to enhance the roundness of your bokeh. I am not going to elaborate each and every step on this process because it is way too long to write here but it is definitely not just a click-and-tada thing. How much Gaussian Blur to add is entirely up to you, just stop at a point you see fit for your photo.

What I really feel drooling about in this section is the Vibration Reduction II feature your lens offers! Assuming you did not mount your D70 on a tripod, with shutter speed of 1/25 at 180mm focal length and still can obtain this sharpness is fantastic! It really proves the claimed 4 stops slower statement Nikon declared! Thumbs up!

Composition Section:

No comments on balance because I cannot see or feel if your parrot is taken straight with the horizon or crooked (intentional or unintentional). Not too sure if this is a cropped out image because I cannot tell much from the picture. When it comes to the logic and purpose of the photo, I have 2 concerns. If you are showing this picture to showcase the technical qualities of your lens and asking for comments, I have given some of my opinions above but if you are asking for comments on the art, then it will lead to other concerns. I cannot tell the logic behind this shot. If it is a snapshot, nothing said but if this is taken after given some thoughts, then I find the center of attention not clear enough. Surely, the main topic will be the parrot but I suggest going deeper into it. Focus on an area like try bringing out the eye or beak or the pattern around the eye or even the entire parrot. With that in mind, you will know how to make the cropping better to showcase what you want your viewers to see.

Emotions section:

Last section is about the emotional impact on the viewers. This picture does not grab my attention immediately if I am browsing a few pictures at a time. It does not excite my imagination nor does it create any emotions in me. It also does not show a familiar subject (in this case -- the parrot) in any unusual manner. So I am not going to comment much on this.

The above load of text is just my opinion. I don't usually give comments this long in order to avoid certain things in this forum. But don't let my words dismay you. Instead, see if you can grab out any pointers you can find in the text and apply them in your future practice. Shoot more and you will learn more. Good luck.

[zaren]

Originally Posted by Zeckson Chow I will break up my opinions on several sections: Technical Section: Subject is in focus Sharpness is good on subject Background bokeh is nice No scratches / dust spots / stains / unintentional lens flare Subject is well exposed with no specular highlights or dark shadows Colours are rich and natural If you are asking for comments on the performance of your AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor 70-300mm F/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens, I must say I enjoy the sharpness created with the presence of the ED glass element in your lens. Details are very well brought out especially on the feathers and the area between the eye and the beak of the parrot. However, I like it with a little more sharpening done on Photoshop to bring out the edge contrast between the parrot and the background, making the parrot 'pop out' from the picture. Your choice of background is adequate for this picture because you brought out contrast between your red parrot and green leaves. The only distraction you have is that big white spot on top of the parrot's crown. When I look at your parrot, I tend to move my eyes to that white spot as well, thus diverting my attention away from your parrot. It is recommended to try obtaining a clean, clear and simple background with not too many different colours or objects that can divert your viewer's attention away from your subject. Control your viewers attention to your subject is the key to good photo admiration. What you can do on this white spot is to try using the Clone Stamp function in Photoshop to patch over the white spots with green leaves. How well and realistic can the picture look after that will depend on your choice of leaves you wish to set source and your skill in stamping. In terms of bokeh, it is acceptable. The roundness is pretty good given the technical limitation of your lens. We cannot expect super smooth roundness of the bokeh at F5.3 even at 180mm focal length, unlike those professional lenses offering large aperture with high zoom range. If you want to try making the roundness smoother, there are 2 ways you can do it. One is of course to re-shoot the picture at an even longer focal length since you have all the way up to 300mm, of course, this is not applicable at the moment because you have already done the shoot and out of the zoo and it certainly does not make much sense to go back inside just to re-shoot this shot. So the other way is to make use of the Gaussian Blur function to enhance the roundness of your bokeh. I am not going to elaborate each and every step on this process because it is way too long to write here but it is definitely not just a click-and-tada thing. How much Gaussian Blur to add is entirely up to you, just stop at a point you see fit for your photo. What I really feel drooling about in this section is the Vibration Reduction II feature your lens offers! Assuming you did not mount your D70 on a tripod, with shutter speed of 1/25 at 180mm focal length and still can obtain this sharpness is fantastic! It really proves the claimed 4 stops slower statement Nikon declared! Thumbs up! Composition Section: No comments on balance because I cannot see or feel if your parrot is taken straight with the horizon or crooked (intentional or unintentional). Not too sure if this is a cropped out image because I cannot tell much from the picture. When it comes to the logic and purpose of the photo, I have 2 concerns. If you are showing this picture to showcase the technical qualities of your lens and asking for comments, I have given some of my opinions above but if you are asking for comments on the art, then it will lead to other concerns. I cannot tell the logic behind this shot. If it is a snapshot, nothing said but if this is taken after given some thoughts, then I find the center of attention not clear enough. Surely, the main topic will be the parrot but I suggest going deeper into it. Focus on an area like try bringing out the eye or beak or the pattern around the eye or even the entire parrot. With that in mind, you will know how to make the cropping better to showcase what you want your viewers to see. Emotions section: Last section is about the emotional impact on the viewers. This picture does not grab my attention immediately if I am browsing a few pictures at a time. It does not excite my imagination nor does it create any emotions in me. It also does not show a familiar subject (in this case -- the parrot) in any unusual manner. So I am not going to comment much on this. The above load of text is just my opinion. I don't usually give comments this long in order to avoid certain things in this forum. But don't let my words dismay you. Instead, see if you can grab out any pointers you can find in the text and apply them in your future practice. Shoot more and you will learn more. Good luck.

v detailed critique zeckson.