Picture size and zoom quality

Newbie here,

I am getting into bird photography and learning by trial and error is frustrating me.

I've found that I'm almost NEVER as close as I want to be to the bird so in post production I'm always zooming in and cropping.

I must be doing something wrong though because I am finding that with Large / Fine pictures I get the exact same image once zoomed in as I'm getting with Medium / Normal size and quality pictures. Isn't the point of more megapixels that you can make the image bigger without losing resolution?

Any enlightenment provide would be much appreciated.

It depends on how much you are cropping. By the way, what camera and lens are you using? If you have to crop as much as you are, you may want to look at a lens with a longer focal length.

Welcome to the website.


Could you give us some more info, like which camera you have, what lenses you are using.
And could you post a couple of test shot so we can see them.

Like the others said, need to know what equipment you are using. However, I know that regardless of equipment there is a lot of patience and skill involved with just getting close enough to even think about getting a decent picture of most birds.

What you should not forget is that whatever the JPEG size you use, you always shoot with the same resolution sensor. For mine the large format is 6K*4k and the smallest 3K*2K and while that might seem a huge difference, it really isn't. It's just a 50% smaller shot but it's still a very large file when it comes to images. It's probably larger than what your monitor can display.

The images you see here are 50% of that smallest format and then another 50% of that. It doesn't make them look pixelated does it?

And with the software capabilities of these days to blow up images, we won't see many differences for the formats we use. If you print, it's another matter.

The fine option and such is only about compression.

Resolution makes more difference when its the sensor itself.

I'm using a Nikon D7100 with a Sigma 50-500 1:4-6.3 as my main lens.

I'll have to go back and find where I had tried the different settings on the same bird, or try some new ones.

I was hoping there was a quick and easy explanation. I suspect I just have unrealistic expectations of what a bird will look like at max zoom from 100 yards away even with a 24mp picture.

JHarrellJr said:

I'm using a Nikon D7100 with a Sigma 50-500 1:4-6.3 as my main lens.

I'll have to go back and find where I had tried the different settings on the same bird, or try some new ones.

I was hoping there was a quick and easy explanation. I suspect I just have unrealistic expectations of what a bird will look like at max zoom from 100 yards away even with a 24mp picture.

Click to expand...

That's a football field away! You just need to get closer

JHarrellJr said:

I'm using a Nikon D7100 with a Sigma 50-500 1:4-6.3 as my main lens.

I'll have to go back and find where I had tried the different settings on the same bird, or try some new ones.

I was hoping there was a quick and easy explanation. I suspect I just have unrealistic expectations of what a bird will look like at max zoom from 100 yards away even with a 24mp picture.

Click to expand...

In bird photography "the bird's too close" is seldom heard of.

I'm using a 600mm and can't get the sensor filled most of the time. To do so requires more than just adding focal length: stalking them or feeding them somewhere all the time until they become desensitised to you.

Agreed, too far away.

I started out as an opportunist when shooting birds. You go out and when you see something, you shoot. I never got close and assumed focal length would solve the problem. It did, if the bird was big enough but even when, I seldom got many good shots in. Most birds are gone before they fill the frame.

Then I changed tactics. I have certain spots I visit almost daily, some I sit for an hour or more. Some places I throw some food each day and am gone again. In the bird's perspective, as long as I don't do crazy things, I slowly become part of the scenery and they get closer then they normally would. It's still not close enough and I could take more and better shots if I'd be "invisible" but I don't really want to hide in the bushes somewhere.

It's much easier to shoot birds when you know their habitat, how to blend in there, what their behaviour and reactions are. I'm that familiar with some, I know what they'll be doing next when I see some behaviour. I learned how to make ducks fly without shouting and waving.

It's all these things combined that improve the odds to get good shots. Only walking around with a long lens didn't get me far.

Welcome to the forum and that mad world of my lens aint long enough we loving call bird photography

First thing to say is its the same for most of us,i use the 150-600mm and still dont have enough reach sometimes,cropping will most likley be a major factor for loads of shots,to get the most out of it you need to keep the iso down,i use iso 500 and 800, 500 has more crop ability than 800.
Your camera and lens are about perfect for birds so you need to start looking at what your doing,can you use public areas where the birds are more relaxed with people while your learning,you dont say where you are from or your normal working system,if you are from the uk and trying to work stalking then at the moment things can be a bit difficult,no cover on the bushes and trees so you can stay hidden,the buds are not ready for the birds to start picking at.
Keep trying it will get easier when you learn a bit more.

All good tips. The main reason I'm getting into the photography though is that my father and I used to hunt together and now we can't. So I took up his birding hobby to have something else to do with him but just looking at them wasn't quite gripping me.

So almost all of my shooting is walking around and only able to get so close to the birds. I've had some shots turn out great and then a lot that show that the camera and I were not thinking the same thing!