I’m struggling to get sharp wildlife shots with my D500 and Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary lens. Do you have any tips?

Jason says... Your camera and lens combination is certainly capable of very sharp shots, but the ‘effective’ DX focal length of up to 900mm can pose problems. To avoid camera shake, aim for a fast shutter speed of

atleast 1/1000 sec at the long end of the zoom range. The lens’s optical stabiliser can help, even if you’re using a monopod, but you’ll still need fast shutter speeds to freeze any motion. If necessary, increase your D500’s ISO setting by a sufficient amount to get the shutter speed that you need.

Using a tripod is the most effective defence against camera shake, but even with a tripod, if the moment of exposure isn’t critical, try using the camera’s exposure delay mode, too; this reduces any vibrations caused by mirror bounce – a reaction to the reflex mirror flipping up just prior to the shutter being released.

When photographing wildlife with long lenses, a faster shutter speed is critical for sharp shots