First post here in 6 months Need some help

Jack'll do

I really love nature photography and posted quite a bit on this forum up till July 2008. I stopped due to frustration at not being able to achieve the type of detail I hoped for. Some may remember my difficulty trying to get crisp focus with a D80 - Nikor AF 300mm f/2.8 combo as seen in the first image below. I have upgraded my equipment and now have a D700, TC1.4 E II - Nikor AF-S 300mm f/4 Gitzo GT1541 with Gitzo GH2780QR ball head and ML-3 remote control. The second image below was captured with the new equipment. I am quite happy with this first shot taken with it. The 3rd. image added in response to the critique made by Benjamin below.

1. D80


2. D700 100% crop exif: 1/160 f/5.6 iso 200 @420mm shot from about 12 feet


3. image 2. reprocessed

bfjr

Liked to help but am at work and don't trust Monitor colors/sharpness etc.

However I will say that 2nd shots background is distracting to me

NorthernFocus

The second shot is definately superior to the first one. With regard to entering it in a challenge, I would describe it as technically competent but nothing compelling about it

Jack'll do

bfjr wrote:

Liked to help but am at work and don't trust Monitor colors/sharpness etc.

However I will say that 2nd shots background is distracting to me

Thanks for pointing that out Benjamin. I guess I was only looking at the difference in detail in the two images. I re-processed the second one. How does this look?

Jack'll do

articblooms wrote:

The second shot is definately superior to the first one. With regard to entering it in a challenge, I would describe it as technically competent but nothing compelling about it

Thanks for the honest opinion Dan. I appreciate it.

Maestro

The third shot reprocessed is definitely the best of the bunch. I think your sharpness problems have been solved. I agree with Dan about the entrance into the challenge. It'll work but nothing that makes ones pause and say, "Wow!"