Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Just for fun – four sequential frames at 20 fps.
Just the raw files, with Shadows lifted, no crop.
Brava - both you and the bird. Fancy footwork for sure. I really need to make an effort to shoot these guys since I see them all the time from the kayak on a couple of rivers (one, basically the backyard). They’re so fun and lively. I often hear them before I see them.
Wonderful little series, Diane. Very fast action when you figure it took two-tenths of a second for all the action. My reaction time is hardly that fast just to start moving! Your settings were spot on if these are unedited files.
That is too fun, Diane. Great sequence and wonderful story they tell.
Cheers,
David
Thanks, @Kris_Smith, @Dennis_Plank and @David_Bostock! Kris, if they are there in the late fall or early winter, find (or plant) a Hawthorn. They will be all over it when the berries ripen.
Dennis, when I can get on one that has a berry, I grab focus (eye, if possible) and get back off the focus button and just hold down the shutter in electronic shutter (20 fps) and hope to catch a toss. There are usually so many intervening branches that as the bird moves focus will often jump to something else. The eyes on these guys are apparently not quite prominent enough. Indeed unedited and no crop, except pulling up Shadows, which I need to do about 90% of the time with the default Adobe Color profile, which I usually like otherwise.
This is an amazing series, Diane! Great persistence on your part . . .and the Cedar Waxing’s’. Nicely done.
Really nice series Diane showing off this behavior. You’re really taking good advantage of this opportunity.
Thanks, @linda_mellor and @Allen_Sparks. They’ve cleaned off the tree now, but I have a few more worth sharing.
Very nice, Diane. Good info on the getting off of the back button focus after your initial focus on the eye. At f16 you should be fine when the bird is staying pretty close to the same spot. The limbs would sure grab focus otherwise. I will have to remember that in similar situations. I love the series.
Excellent sequence. The third shot tells the story well. I’m curious about your thoughts on Canon’s 200-800 lens. Interested? or happy with the 100-500 and 2x extender?
Thanks, @Shirley_Freeman and @Allen_Brooks! Allen, I don’t know anything about to 200-800, but I’m so delighted with the 100-500 with 1.4X and 2X that I don’t see any need to upgrade. I rarely even use the 1.4X – the 2X practically lives on it. And I often crop to 50%, but I have a full-frame body. One thing I would be curious about is how does CA compare? I get some with the 2X, but it is rarely that bothersome. It is trivial compared to a lot of older and less expensive lenses, and may be more the fault of the TC than the lens itself. Weight and balance would also be a consideration. I handheld the R5 with the 100-500 + 2X for a pretty intensive 45 minutes last week and that taxes my limit of strength – steadiness suffers. And that affects AF, especially for eye AF. It was do-able but not ideal. And I’m basically one of those 3/4 scale people at 5 ft and 120 lb, so strength is not my thing. And I’m older than dirt.
So my concerns would be that it’s not an L-series, and is significantly larger and heavier than the 100-500.
