Snow Buntings and vingnetting/

[tameigh]

What causes the vignetting? The lens mount is slightly damaged, would that be the cause? I cranked the exposure two stops, the only PP was a minor crop and Alien Skin Exposure 3 - Fuji Velvia emulation.

ISO 400 - 1/800 - f 5.6 - EF 55-250 mm at 250 mm.

[Geoff F]

Have a read of this lens review, Tim http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/19...report--review

It does suggest some vignetting at 250 mm is common with that lens.

Otherwise, I suspect that scene would present a challenge for anybody. Adding extra exposure will keep the snow a pure white but you will lose contrast and fine details with the dark and white birds. Setting a Custom White Balance often helps.

I would be tempted to keep the exposure around the standard recommended settings then increase it as needed with some 'clever' editing. Snow usually presents exposure problems due to it's reflective nature. This is a slightly different situation from flying birds against a bright sky, and you don't want to lose the snow 'texture' by over exposure.

If you get a second chance, try again; and I would be tempted (if possible) to get a little closer and concentrate on getting better fine detail from a smaller number of birds.