I got lucky this morning with some lovely fog, and after a while the new Bluebird family was out and about. After a while the one on the tiny stick perch got attacked by a sibling, with no damage done.
Feedback Requested
All comments welcome – I’m just celebrating getting to watch these guys for a few minutes.
Tripod/handheld: Tripod
Focus method: AF
Filters: none
Technique: Learning to use a new lens, which is a dream! Tack sharp with the 2X; These were with the 1.4X because of the anticipated need for framing.
Conditions: Soft light
Processing software: LR, with PS on one for distraction removal.
Major adjustments: Minor cropping and only minor global tonal tweaks.
Blending/stacking: None
Other notes:
No words Diane. Such a beautiful bird and an even better series of captured images. Very impressive!
All I can say is that you have motivated me to increase the reach in my own backyard. I won’t ever attain your quality or reach (at 1120mm!!! yikes), but I hope to enjoy what species I do have locally. (I’ve been saving sticks to mount for perches!)
Anyway, love this little guy (?) In the first, is he chirping, singing,… or still in the begging stage?
Thanks, @Lon_Overacker ! He was being harassed by a sibling who apparently wanted the perch. (All I caught of it was feet in the UL corner. ) I was a little surprised as that’s the first sign I’ve noticed of them squabbling. But this one held its ground and that was the end of it.
This 1120mm was with the 1.4X. The lens is tack sharp and quite manageable with the 2X – 1600mm!! I had 1000mm with the 100-500, but putting on a TC limited the short end to the 300mm setting, so I had either 420-700 or 600-1000, and was limited in shooting larger birds unless they were farther away. I love having 400-1600 or 280-1120!
Great images! I really like them all but like the first the best. I love the open beak and the framing. It sounds like your experience with the 200-800 has been very good, even with the extenders. I have been thinking a bit about this lens and really appreciate your comments. Sounds like a great win!
Thanks, @timothy3 ! I’ve been lucky with Bluebirds this year – finally! And I’m loving the lens! My 100-500 often had the 2X on, and it’s the same with the 200-800. It’s slightly heavier than the 1-5 but doesn’t feel much heavier. Also bigger and longer, but the reach is so worth it, even to someone who is willing to crop heavily. The zoom and focus rings are stiffer and require more movement than I would prefer, and with the 2X and the R5, the focus area is limited to a large area in the center. (Haven’t used it bare and don’t even remember if it’s that way with the 1.4X, but I think so.) Hasn’t been a problem. AF is fast enough and accurate with no searching. If I’m on a tripod I use a dot sight, otherwise it’s both eyes open and sight along the lens hood to find the subject.
Great shots Diane, I am quite amazed at the sharpness with a converter at a staggering 1120mm.
It almost tempts me to consider the lens… but f/13 isn’t going to let me get out much when you factor in UK weather!
Thanks, @Ryan_H ! My favorite shooting conditions are fog, although the brighter the better, for sure. My previous BB post was shot in fog and at f/16. The sweet spot is a really shallow curve. If you can get the subject large enough in the frame so details like feathers are not too swamped by noise, today’s NR is pretty amazing. Advantage: long focal length. But just the amount of air in between camera and subject can cause blurring if there is any thermal mixing, and humidity makes it worse. Advantage: Getting closer to the subject. And there are the same two sides of the coin with camera shake, which is a problem at 1600 mm and which confuses AF. I’ll keep pushing my luck with teleconverters when I can’t get close enough, but a big advantage for me is that I’m not losing the first 300mm of zoom range that I need for larger birds when I can get close.
