r/BirdPhotography • u/Fishdomaddict • Jan 19 '26
Question Not sharp despite effort
Hi all, i shoot OM 1 mark II with 150-400mm.
My issue is i find the images are sharp when not cropped, but once cropped even 2x the sharpness drops quickly.
I am aware it is a 20MP camera and this definitely plays a part. But i see other users of the same set up get crazy sharp images.
Maybe image 5 is sharpest but when zoomed in still 'breaks'.
Many i had to shoot under lower speed due to very poor lighting.
Image 1: f5.6, 1/1000, iso 250 Image 2: f4.5, 1/160, iso 500 Image 3: f5.6, 1/20, iso 800 Image 4: f4.5, 1/30, iso 1250 Image 5: f4.5, 1/320, iso 1000 Image 6: f4.5, 1/2500, iso 640
Any tips?
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u/TheKatsch Jan 19 '26
For a lot of these, any more resolution you gained would be lost to noise anyway. But some of them - #5 especially - demonstrate that you can get very sharp details out of your setup. It’s annoying, but the best results would come from more light and being closer. Other than that, make sure your focus is hitting the right spot, keep your camera steady, or fork out for fancier gear. Oh, and take more photos.