Sony A7 III High SS gives me more blur than Lower SS

[Myrimma]

Hi everyone,
I think i'm doing something wrong ...
At launch time I went to photograph some European bee-eaters, both in flight and still. The sun was really bright, so I cranked up my shutter speed to 1/2500 and more on the SONY A7III paired with the SONY 200-600G lens. I shot all my pictures wide open and set the stabilization mode to 3 (which to my understandings is the same thing as 1 while shooting but the differences is just that when half-pressing the shutter it doesn't displays in the EVF nor the screen right ?).
After 30 minutes of getting pictures I finally realized I hadn't yet checked the quality of the pictures I was getting. So I checked, and what was my surprise when I saw that almost all the pictures are blurry ... Like motion blurry...
I shot a standing bird to check, and again blur !! I don't quite understand ... I lowered the shutter speed and the blur was less significant ...
Any idea what I'm doing wrong ?
I thought maybe by standing in the sun, the lens cap overheated creating heat distortion within it, but i'm not quite convince ... I tried without and didn't see much of a difference ...

If anyone as any idea what i'm doing wrong ?

Thanks a lot !
I send pictures hopefully demonstrating it later on !

PS: I was standing on dark grey sand with some, but not much vegetation on it. I was crouch so I don't think the heat waves coming from the sand impacted the shots but I might be wrong ...

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

The problem will be having stabilization on. There is no need for it at shutter speeds over 1/1600 (or lower on some lenses). It's something I've spoken of before and not everyone agrees with it, but it's a pretty well known and researched subject and something I have no problems backing up. Give it a try, you'll be surprised

 

[Myrimma]

Alright I'll sure give it a try next week!! It's makes so much sense!
Thanks a lot for the tip! I'll let you know!

I wish you the best!

 

[Slug]

Interesting! I leave stabilization on all the time except when using a tripod and haven't noticed any motion blur problems with my images at high SS.
When you consider how fast 1600th + of a second is, I seriously doubt that any internal movement of the stabilizing system would have an effect.
Remember the stabilization system helps to compensate for camera movement, not subject movement.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Interesting! I leave stabilization on all the time except when using a tripod and haven't noticed any motion blur problems with my images at high SS.
When you consider how fast 1600th + of a second is, I seriously doubt that any internal movement of the stabilizing system would have an effect.
Remember the stabilization system helps to compensate for camera movement, not subject movement.

Yes it does, but if it's on a faster speeds it tries to correct shake when it doesn't need to, because the shutter speed is high enough to eradicate the movement. No one is 100% still. The way the stabilisation works will cause blur. Tamron actually say to turn it off over 1/500th on the G2 lenses.

 

[evacguy]

Interesting! I leave stabilization on all the time except when using a tripod and haven't noticed any motion blur problems with my images at high SS.
When you consider how fast 1600th + of a second is, I seriously doubt that any internal movement of the stabilizing system would have an effect.
Remember the stabilization system helps to compensate for camera movement, not subject movement.

I don't have the 200-600 lens, but when using my A7iv and GM 70-200 f2.8 II, I always have stabilization on - except when using a tripod. Even with the 2.0x TC I have no problems with stabilization on. But this may not be relevant for your issues as I am at shorter focal lengths.

 

[evacguy]

Hi everyone,
I think i'm doing something wrong ...
At launch time I went to photograph some European bee-eaters, both in flight and still. The sun was really bright, so I cranked up my shutter speed to 1/2500 and more on the SONY A7III paired with the SONY 200-600G lens. I shot all my pictures wide open and set the stabilization mode to 3 (which to my understandings is the same thing as 1 while shooting but the differences is just that when half-pressing the shutter it doesn't displays in the EVF nor the screen right ?).
After 30 minutes of getting pictures I finally realized I hadn't yet checked the quality of the pictures I was getting. So I checked, and what was my surprise when I saw that almost all the pictures are blurry ... Like motion blurry...
I shot a standing bird to check, and again blur !! I don't quite understand ... I lowered the shutter speed and the blur was less significant ...
Any idea what I'm doing wrong ?
I thought maybe by standing in the sun, the lens cap overheated creating heat distortion within it, but i'm not quite convince ... I tried without and didn't see much of a difference ...

If anyone as any idea what i'm doing wrong ?

Thanks a lot !
I send pictures hopefully demonstrating it later on !

PS: I was standing on dark grey sand with some, but not much vegetation on it. I was crouch so I don't think the heat waves coming from the sand impacted the shots but I might be wrong ...

Please share some of your images with the noticeable blur.

 

[jmbsmt63]

Hi everyone,
I think i'm doing something wrong ...
At launch time I went to photograph some European bee-eaters, both in flight and still. The sun was really bright, so I cranked up my shutter speed to 1/2500 and more on the SONY A7III paired with the SONY 200-600G lens. I shot all my pictures wide open and set the stabilization mode to 3 (which to my understandings is the same thing as 1 while shooting but the differences is just that when half-pressing the shutter it doesn't displays in the EVF nor the screen right ?).
After 30 minutes of getting pictures I finally realized I hadn't yet checked the quality of the pictures I was getting. So I checked, and what was my surprise when I saw that almost all the pictures are blurry ... Like motion blurry...
I shot a standing bird to check, and again blur !! I don't quite understand ... I lowered the shutter speed and the blur was less significant ...
Any idea what I'm doing wrong ?
I thought maybe by standing in the sun, the lens cap overheated creating heat distortion within it, but i'm not quite convince ... I tried without and didn't see much of a difference ...

If anyone as any idea what i'm doing wrong ?

Thanks a lot !
I send pictures hopefully demonstrating it later on !

PS: I was standing on dark grey sand with some, but not much vegetation on it. I was crouch so I don't think the heat waves coming from the sand impacted the shots but I might be wrong ...

I can tell you that the heat waves will affect the image more than you think, especially with a long lens like the 200-600. I would suggest trying again but when it is cooler, you might be surprised.
I live in Phoenix, AZ so I struggle with the heat effects with the long lens all the time this time of year (summer). I start to think it is equipment or technique then I try it again at first light and all is back to normal. It is hard to exactly duplicate the exact light since by 8:00 AM it is too hot already so the ISO has to change but if I time it right (before the ground and surfaces get hot and start radiating heat) I can get close.
I have experimented with having stabilization off for higher shutter speeds and the results were not conclusive but I usually will leave it off if using the 200-600 at over 1600th...Since that lens is used outside in daylight it is almost always over 1600th or more anyway

 

[Wannes]

Hi everyone,
I think i'm doing something wrong ...
At launch time I went to photograph some European bee-eaters, both in flight and still. The sun was really bright, so I cranked up my shutter speed to 1/2500 and more on the SONY A7III paired with the SONY 200-600G lens. I shot all my pictures wide open and set the stabilization mode to 3 (which to my understandings is the same thing as 1 while shooting but the differences is just that when half-pressing the shutter it doesn't displays in the EVF nor the screen right ?).
After 30 minutes of getting pictures I finally realized I hadn't yet checked the quality of the pictures I was getting. So I checked, and what was my surprise when I saw that almost all the pictures are blurry ... Like motion blurry...
I shot a standing bird to check, and again blur !! I don't quite understand ... I lowered the shutter speed and the blur was less significant ...
Any idea what I'm doing wrong ?
I thought maybe by standing in the sun, the lens cap overheated creating heat distortion within it, but i'm not quite convince ... I tried without and didn't see much of a difference ...

If anyone as any idea what i'm doing wrong ?

Thanks a lot !
I send pictures hopefully demonstrating it later on !

PS: I was standing on dark grey sand with some, but not much vegetation on it. I was crouch so I don't think the heat waves coming from the sand impacted the shots but I might be wrong ...

Try filming the scene in those conditions, you'll be surprised how the air vibrates with the 200-600.