Distance shots

Evilturnip

Hi

Forgive me but this is my first DSLR and I'm baffled by it all! I am getting there slowly, but I need some help. I just bought this camera and although I have managed to get some great close up shots and portraits I am struggling with zoomed in shots.

For example, if I want to take a picture of a flower or bird in the distance I turn the lens to maximum "55" I believe, but the image is always blurry or not good detail. I want this camera to be an all rounder as well as playing with some fancy shots.
So far though, the landscape zoomed in shots are proving a headache.

Thanks,
ET

KeyPlayaJim

One issue that I've had with zoomed shots is not being able to hold the camera still enough. I've found that using a monopod helps a lot; it is usually all that I need to stabilize the camera, and is much easier to carry around than a tripod.

PBked

Hi,
Two things you need for blur free shots are a small aperture and a shutter speed equal to or a little more than the focal length of your lens. Apertures of f/8 to f/16 are good for landscapes. To avoid camera shake on a 55mm lens you need a shutter speed of 1/80th or more with your camera, unless your lens is image stabilized, in which case you can use a slower shutter speed.
To avoid confusion for others can I point out that landscapes are usually taken with the lens zoomed out. If you want to zoom in on flowers and birds in the distance, then you need to consider getting a lens with a greater zoom range. Tamron has an 18-270mm lens which is ideal for all kinds of photography. In May they are releasing a 16-300mm which will give an 18x zoom.
Regards,
PBked