The main, and maybe the only Factor, for Razor Sharp Bird Photos.

[@jjmummert]

This was very useful information explained in a careful and understandable way. Thank you so very much.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Hello Jenny. How kind you are, thank you very much for your warm words😃 . I send you a big hug and have a beautiful week.🤗

[@donaldmorgan1773]

I'm going to try the tip about reducing the aperture. I usually use 5.6.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Hello Donald, the sharpest aperture, also known as the Sweet Spot, is one of the least known factors to achieve sharp photos. I attach a detailed explanation written by Todd Vorenkamp (www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/lens-sharpest-aperture-sweet-spot) A hug and good weekend.

[@donaldmorgan1773]

@@MarioKilianPhotography Started using 7.1 to 11 today for some bird and scenery pics. I already see a difference in the sharpness. Thanks again.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

@@donaldmorgan1773 Beautiful Donald!!!, in my case the sigma 60-600, the sharpest aperture is f10 and approximately 550mm focal length. Of course it's not easy to deal with that aperture when you don't have all the light available, but when the day is sunny, it's the best. a hug.

[@donaldmorgan1773]

@@MarioKilianPhotography My "walk around lens is 18-200 mm" I tried taking pics today at f8 and f10 seems to be producing positive results. Thanks again.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

@@donaldmorgan1773 Donald, what brand and aperture is your lens? f3.5-5.6 ? nikon?

[@julitro68]

Muchas gracias por compartir tus conocimientos en fotografía. Gran video y perfectamente explicado.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Hola Julitro, que gusto saber de ti. Gracias por el comentario y te envío un gran abrazo.

[@tectorama]

A lot of good tips for those just starting out in wildlife photography. Well done.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Thank you very much for your comment 🤗

[@adamromek5386]

Hello Mario, each of your videos introduces us to new topics or expands existing ones. And that's good, because the more often we have reminders from you, the faster we will reach a decent level of photography. Regards, Adam

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

My friend Adam, thank you very much for your words. I am very glad that you are back after that well-deserved vacation. I send you a big hug and I hope that one day we will see each other again. A hug friend.🤗

[@PsychedelicChameleon]

Thank You Mario Kilian!

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

you are welcome 🤗

[@janneroz-photographyonabudget]

Great video. I came across your channel as a suggestion on my home page. I use the same lens as you and the same camera too. Brilliant tips for me to carry forward. Thanks.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Great Janner, thanks for joining the channel.🤗 the sigma lens with the Nikon definitely makes a good team, you have to be patient and learn to get the best out of it, with its restrictions of course, but personally I love it. Big hug 🙂

[@brentwestbrook]

Thank you Mario. Very useful.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Thank you very much Brent, I'm glad the video helped you.

[@GerhardBothaWFF]

The longer the focal length, the more you have to pay attention to additional detail. The depth of field becomes more apparent. So your focus becomes more critical- or you have to stop down and increase DOF. Lens vibration also plays a role. How you hold the lens affects how it vibrates to both movements and things like shutter slap etc. I find from 400mm upwards these aspects affect my images. It looks like soft focus, but it is not. With practice it improves

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

You are absolutely right in what you say. Thank you very much for sharing.😃

[@NatureSoundsImages]

Hello Mario, nice to see you again. I see that the weather in Germany is not improving. In the video it is clear to me that success is the focus, I have often asked myself what I am failing, I have come to think that I do not have the appropriate equipment or that it is obsolete. Now I'm going to try my focusing techniques, see if I can do it. I liked the idea of ​​attracting birds with food, and even more so the option of being able to photograph remotely. I'll see if I can do it with my camera. Thank you.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

The weather here is like a roller coaster!! one day hot, one day rain, hail, storm... Let me know how you get on with the photos, if you have any questions, send me an email and send me a photo and we'll review it together. A hug.

[@walterlappnaturfotografie779]

Wieder einmal toll erklärt Mario👍

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Vielen Dank Walter 🙂

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

Excellent! At a shutter speed of 1/1000 second, I could not detect any difference between using a stable tripod versus hand-held. Being close to the bird and having the early morning sun are keys for getting razor sharp photos with waterfowl. Shooting RAW also as 12-bit pixels have more information than 8-bit JPEG pixels.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Exactly, 1/1000 is a very high shutter speed, years ago it was even the limit. But if you use a 600mm lens on a camera with Crop Sensor (+-850mm) you notice that the field of view is quite small and the vibration of the hand is very noticeable. Now if we photograph small birds in flight, without a doubt 1/1000 is the lower limit. The early morning sun is really a wonderful light. A hug and thanks for commenting. have a nice weekend.

[@musiqueetmontagne]

Thanks Mario for the video, good advice.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

You're welcome, thanks for watching.🤗

[@touchedbynature5445]

Very Helpful And Informative. Many Thanks For Sharing Your Photography Craft. 🇬🇧

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Thank you very much for your kind comment. Have a beautiful weekend.😀

[@Chimboica2011]

Thank you Mario very helpful.

[@luzr6613]

Yesssss. I'm loathe to say it, but gear does matter. With a caveat... with the appropriate gear, correctly configured, it's a more straightforward process to identify problems with technique. When the gear is not so suitable, there's often a degree of doubt around exactly what causes the problems. Constitutionally, i'm averse to blaming 'the tool' - i prefer to feel that everything is my fault. That said, i am looking forward to getting a new(ish) body in a few months time, although it will be depressing to discover that nothing actually improves. Until then i just console myself with the idea that my mission is not to take photos of birds (per se / qua 'bird'), but rather to interpret the 'Idea' of bird in ways that viewers may appreciate as an unconventional sub-genre of ICM - all very Avant Garde. Cheers Mario - great and cheerful vid. Heavy fog here this morning - perfect conditions to get out for some more bird interpreting.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Yes, yes, indeed the gear contributes to facilitating a good result more than improving it, I think. Now, in the equipment I would highlight the lens more than anything, which is mainly responsible for a good result. In the face of a bad result, it is important to analyze well and see what is really not working. In my case, for example, vision is an issue... but I have learned to deal with it. Luzr, with your gear..., I know that if something doesn't work... it's probably not the gear ... a hug.😁

[@luzr6613]

@@MarioKilianPhotography Hi Mario - i still have lots to do with regard to solidifying the techniques. There is also the fact that, at times, i do not work hard enough to get into the best possible position and, because this birding thing is not my main interest, when i am in position i don't tend to remain there for long enough to get the best possible image. So, those are things to change. That said, I do have problems with the gear i am using. Probably the main one is a 13 year old DSLR with limited AF functionality, no tracking, average DR, and low burst rate. The sensor being small is not, in itself, a problem, but it does mean that you need to get the target as large as possible in the frame in order to minimize cropping, and this makes keeping a moving target in frame, or reacquiring it, difficult. I don't believe that the optical quality of my lenses is a problem, despite them being old (they are very high quality and in good condition). What is a bit difficult sometimes is that handholding 3.6kg of lens on over a kg of camera can get a bit wobbly - again challenging for keeping a moving target in frame. They are also, in combination with the body, painfully slow at acquiring focus. All a good game, however - we will carry on!

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

@@luzr6613 Yes, I understand, now the highest requirements are for moving objects such as birds, formula 1, airplanes, etc. For other types of photography, I don't think cutting-edge equipment is so necessary. For many years I took photos of models and jewelry with equipment that was more than 10 years old at that time. On the other hand Luzr, your photos are INCREDIBLE, I must say that they transport me to the place, they make me want to be there and discover more. a hug friend

[@luzr6613]

@@MarioKilianPhotography You're dead right - for certain genres the expectations have been driven through the roof by developments in the technology, whilst in others little has changed. For me, the most important aspect of this is the potential for the technology to provide benefits beyond the image - so, the ability to represent parts of the natural world in ways that were never possible before, and for that to have a positive educative effect. The dark side is that it can also be employed to increase the appeal of things that we really need to be growing out of. And yes... we still have landscapes and flowers and architecture et al where the tech makes little difference, and i'm happy for that! All the best!

[@victordemelofernandes1815]

@@luzr6613 your tool does matter

[@bernym4047]

A mountain of great tips. Thank you. Subscribed.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Hello Berny, welcome and thank you very much.😃

[@artemisrocketman2389]

Really nice video, concise and well-explained

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Thank you so much Artemis. 🤗

[@sinskpenduroteam8256]

Genial !!, muchas gracias por el curso. Saludos.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Gracias 🥰

[@SunojKurian]

Very informative ❤

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Thank you Sunoj ☺

[@mTsp4ce]

Thank you for explaining a lot of camera settings. So what is the one key factory that is most important?

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Hello ! Thanks for your question🙂. The key is to achieve perfect focus on the bird (or other animal or object). To achieve this, I list a series of steps and procedures required to achieve it. A hug and have a good week.🤗

[@billmiller8770]

Great video Mario. Just starting bird photography with a Canon 1DX Mark II and Sigma 150-600. Additionally, cool jacket. What’s the brand of the jacket? Thanks, Bill.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Hello Bill. I really appreciate your nice comment, thank you very much 🤩. Bill, the 1DX Mark II is an excellent camera, with impressively fast autofocus, you certainly won't have any problems with the action, especially with birds in flight. About my jacket, well it's nothing special 😄just a simple jacket from Amazon, this is the link (amzn.to/3W9q7YJ). A hug Bill and good luck with your photography, I'm sure you will get excellent photos!!. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, I will be happy to help you in any way I can.

[@billmiller8770]

Mario, Thanks for your thoughtful response. I’ll let you know how it goes. Will also be taking pictures of a unique type of squirrel in our backyard in North Carolina, US. It’s a fox squirrel. Approximately the size of a large domestic cat!

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

@@billmiller8770 Excellent. There are also squirrels around here, but few, and they are quite small. Many successes with the photos!!

[@MrDiebertie]

Hoi ik mis vogels belichten tegen een scherpe lucht,zonder dat vogels donker worden. Overigens goede nuttige informatie dank u.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Je zou dit kunnen compenseren met de belichting, de lucht zal overbelicht zijn, maar de vogel zou er goed uit moeten zien. Bedankt voor je reactie. 🙂

[@MrDiebertie]

@@MarioKilianPhotographyklopt maar dan blaas je de lucht uit,ik probeer de belichting alleen op de vogel te krijgen dat lukt mij een enkele keer. Mario bedankt voor uw reactie

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

@@MrDiebertie een knuffel en goed weekend!!

[@bolaazul1298]

Olá Mário...Excelente vídeo sobre fotos nítidas de pássaros....em uma das fotos ( de um pato preto) notei que a ave é muito semelhante ao um tipo que existe aqui na nossa região ( Lins SP Brasil) que chamamos de "BIGUÁ" parabéns pelos vídeos... sáo ótimos.....( como você fala espanhol....é fácil entender português ) Abraço....

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Olá Bola Azul!!, Muito obrigado pelo seu comentário, mando um grande abraço da Alemanha. Bola Azul, estive um tempo no Brasil, país lindo, lindo!! Na verdade o Biguá é o mesmo pássaro da foto, aqui é conhecido como “Cormoran” ou “Kormoran” em alemão. Seu nome é “Phalacrocorax Brasilianus”. Para ser mais específico, o Biguá é uma subespécie do "Phalacrocorax Auritus" um pouco maior e mais pesado e com perfil de cabeça mais achatado. Mas é praticamente o mesmo lindo pássaro. Geralmente existem várias subespécies, dependendo do continente onde vivem, e diferem um pouco no peso, na cor do bico e em algumas penas que circundam a cabeça e o peito. Um abraço Bola Azul!!!

[@bolaazul1298]

Olá Mário....obrigado pelas informações sobre o "Biguá" .....o meu "user name" é Bola Azul....mas o meu nome é Daniel Gentili.....costumo tirar fotos de animais, flores, árvores.... que publico no site " Bird Forun" onde o meu "user name" é "orozimbo"....Abraço

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

@@bolaazul1298 Excelente Danilo!!! Chegando em casa e com um bom café vou ver o portal de fotos. Bom final de semana !!

[@mekanicolas]

Great video Mario! I always learn something new from your Videos!!!

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

thanks meka !!🤗

[@Panda-ik4uk]

A+ information - thank you!

[@fly-pedro]

Many good tips, but which one is now the most important and only one, as you promised in the title of the video?I didn’t get it or missed it.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Hello Pedro, thank you for your question. In the video I want to explain that the key point is precise focus, for which I list several considerations to achieve precisely the perfect focus, in turn to close the circle I list some additional details that are important. In summary, I want to say that it is not a factor of exposure, but rather achieving the appropriate focus for each situation. A hug and greetings.

[@jchawkjr2]

So it has to be in focus to be sharp? What a brilliant revelation 😂😂😂

[@luzr6613]

If that's all you heard, you missed the point.

[@RAMGOPAL100]

good video.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

i'm happy you liked it Ram. 🤗

[@mekapiaggio]

I´ll put it in practice !!, thanks Mario.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Great !!

[@voicimavideo]

Merci pour cette vidéo. Ceci dit, je ne pense pas que ce soit une bonne idée d'utiliser une application avec des chants d'oiseaux pré-enregistrés pour les attirer. Ceci ne peut que les perturber.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Absolument, Absolument !!, c'est pour cette raison que dans la vidéo suivante j'explique un peu plus en détail que cela doit être fait avec prudence, et de manière optimale sous la supervision d'un ornithologue. Le plus important est de veiller à ne pas déranger les oiseaux et à ne pas créer de risque dans leur comportement. Merci pour votre commentaire et bon week-end.

[@jonasweiss5817]

The main clickbait.

[@robcourt9727]

I would like to point out that you SHOULD give your lecture in your native German language! We here in America are way more advanced than Europeans when it comes to photography and really don't need a German with VERY limited English vocabulary to educate us. I think your expertise would be better served for your German audience.

[@MarioKilianPhotography]

Thanks Rob, but I've been in Germany for 3 years and I still don't know the language very well, it's very difficult to be honest. Have a good weekend.

[@kbusse]

Don’t take the information presented here as an indicator for the state of photography in Europe. Actually the information presented here is rather basic by European standards, too. I also think that the majority of the “advantage” you claim is due to the much easier shooting conditions in America.

[@zenadventurer69]

As soon as an American (better delineated as US citizen since anyone living in the Americas is technically American) says anything is better in America than in pretty much anywhere else in the world - especially when it comes to art - I immediately discount it. Most “Americans” who make comparisons with other countries have never been out of theirs. And anyone saying it is the best country on earth clearly is not aware that the US isn’t even the best country in this hemisphere. American exceptionalism needs to go.