Bullfinch. Early morning, under trees, overcast, dark. at 15 metres distance

Hi Sam,

You made the capture and identified the bird.

This is not an easy task because of the lighting conditions, the limited F-stop (F/6.3 at 500 mm),

and the slower exposure speed used.

The "noise" shows the typical graininess from a light starved scene , but the colors are useful in making the identification.

I know that you have the Carl Zeiss 135 mm F/2 APO lens. Using this lens, under the same conditions would have allowed the following:

1] ISO 400 to be used (not ISO 1600)

2] Shutter speed 1/500 second (not 1/200 second)

The result: A much higher clarity level with more details established after a crop/enlarge was completed. A smaller image, sharply focused with a superior lens will yield a better outcome than any longer focal length zoom lens.

There is less risk of blurring due to the higher shutter speed , and  less noise produced due to the lower ISO required from the F/2 setting (rather than F/6.3).

Best Regards my friend, Mike

WOW! Mike. You said it again: how to do it better.

I had vaguely thought about what you proposed here.

The usual hurry in getting such a scene photographed didn't allow me to repeat the shooting with another lens... after this shooting the birds were gone for the rest of time!

Many thanks for your kind support & good advice!

cheers

Sam