It's been a very long time since I've used a SLR, and I've only had my first DSLR for a month. I've been using compact digital cameras for years, but consider myself a DSLR newbie. And I need a huge refresher on getting the best out of interchangeable lenses.

I take a lot of wildlife photos and zoom in. For the first photo, the Sandhill Crane in the rear looks too blurry. These birds are not that fast moving, so I don't think it's movement. I took many similar photos and they are all the same: foreground bird in pretty good focus, background bird, not far away, blurred.

The camera was set at AV 8.0; 1/400 sec; Focal length 135mm.

Image reduced in size:

http://i.pbase.com/g1/14/358814/2/97383108.C8pNNIvl.jpg

URL to same image, unedited except for a 100% crop:

http://www.pbase.com/gailb/image/97383108/original

Question: Is not f8 sufficient to obtain a more deep depth of field?

I know my camera and lens are capable of taking sharp images; but I need a better understanding of settings and techniques. This photo was taken a few minutes after the first:

http://i.pbase.com/o2/14/358814/1/97383111.rlldDPI2.XSiSandhillcraneneedtissues.jpg

Any hints, tips and advice would be much appreciated. Thank you kindly!
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gail ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb
My digital camera BLOGs: Canon XSi, S2, SD700; Pany FZ18, FujiFilm F20, etc.
http://www.digicamhelp.com/camera-logs/index.php