kin2son wrote in post #16622006
Tom I just had another look at the picture at post #103, I'd say 99% was a misfocus as the AF was confused by all the leaves and branches. God knows what AF mode OP used....that wasn't a front/back focus issue, it was clearly an user error combining with limitation of hardware and unrealistic expectation.
Even if OP did indeed use the right AF method (single point), the distance and size of the subject means the point is probably bigger than the whole subject which affects the accuracy. Can't believe I have to spell that out loud to an experienced birder....
Yeah, I called all that out too in my post where I describe how to do the detailed AF check. There is a point where your brain says "I want object X" to be in focus, but when you tell the camera to AF, it sees much more than X over one of of its AF points simply because you don't have enough optical reach. Then when you look at the pic, other things were in focus.
I suggested the focus test because if there is any front/back focusing issues at all, they can be exaggerated when doing these long shots.
In any case, the same discussions are now being had on this Nikon/lens combo, as we had with the 30D/55-250 in the past. It most likely is user error, poor user expectations, and glass that simply isn't long enough. 100% crops are rarely going to look good in these cases unless you have stellar glass and a great sensor. The 30D actually has a great sensor, its pixel density is the same as the 5D2 and its AA filter is really weak. Nice long glass (like 300mm or 400mm) on the 30D would produce great results. Unfortunately Pagman has switched camps, and thus reduced the pool of resources to help him dig through this.
