Dying sun in the evening with no birds as usual and me with the 400 DO on the R5, and a pigeon wheels past. 400mm on FF is my favourite for BIF because of the field of view. I'm leaning to keeping this lens.
Show your Bird Portraits
- Thread starter 1982chris911
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Not my bird portrait...but a neat story!
If you mean Feral Pigeon - nope, this is the Wood Pigeon. Increasing in numbers in some parts of Europe (mostly the Northern parts and England) but hardly "rats".
Agreed. I look upon them as flying fast food for Peregrine Falcons and so don't mind them fattening themselves on my birdseed.
I certainly enjoy reading these kinds of comments here...from people who have real-world experience with gear I have (or would like to have).
With my 5DIII, I find the 100-400 II to be easily handheld (both weight-wise and volume-wise). It turns out that, to my eyes, the 1.4x III teleconverter, when added to the 5Diii/100-400 II combination, yields images that retain a whole lot of detail. So occasionally I set up this way.
But in order to get the best images, in my hands, with the 5DIII/100-400 II/1.4x III trio...I really need to carry a monopod!
And I can't explain it...it just isn't the weight. The whole package just doesn't feel quite right...and after a few minutes it definitely affects my ability to acquire good images.
It is the same sort of thing with our family of M's. Using a tripod, I was able to acquire good-enough-for-us images of the total eclipse a few years ago...with an M10/EF-EFM adapter/100-400 II trio...but the tripod was essential. The 100-400 II...on any M...with the necessary converter...just doesn't feel right.
But my-oh-my, the M6 II, when connected to the 70-300 II via the EF-EFM adapter...that 'system' feels great, handles well with the M-series and is capable of acquiring very very good images (not quite as good as the 100-400 II but is much smaller-and-lighter and does carry-on easy-peezy).
I could go on and on...but thanks for posting, AlanF.
And what software did you use to generate the quite-large gif file?
I just use an on-line gif maker. The M-series are too small in my experience to handle with the 100-400mm II and are unbalanced. You need high shutter speeds for hand-held telephotos.
...downy woodpecker, I think.
After several days of really nice (lower sixties Fahrenheit, sunny) weather, this morning clouds rolled in and the temps are a bit cooler. Many birds (some that I don't see often) showed up at our front yard tree, which at this date has very few berries remaining. It was as if the birds know weather changes are afoot.
I left the front door of our home open to acquire these images...this very woodpecker flew from the tree toward our home and nearly flew inside (sad emoji) before attaching itself to the stone exterior only inches to the left of the open door and subsequently flying away (relieved emoji).
Every morning this time of year we get a few bird strikes on the windows nearest the berry tree. I've looked everywhere for sure-fire methods of preventing bird strikes and tried several of them. The only intervention strategy that seems to work for us is to place a ladder...more-or-less in front of the windows. For a time I thought that my presence shooting pictures outside, near the tree, worked a bit, but while shooting a flock of cedar waxwings in the tree they got spooked by a couple of incoming robins and left en masse. One of the waxwings flew within a few feet of my head...at full speed...right into the window pane.
Often the birds that strike the windows literally only knock themselves out for a few minutes. Not this one. Sad day.
Of interest here:
Bird Imprints on Glass
When birds fly into windows they leave an impression of themselves on the glass. These imprints are often highly detailed and produce a beautiful image of feathers and the overall shape of the bird. People often refer to these imprints in terms such as 'ghostly', as if the imprint has left a...
www.flickr.com
I hope you'll forgive me for posting a link to a youtube video from Chelsea Northrup, but it compares Nikon, Sony & Canon bodies, and also various long lenses for birding, including Canons 800mm f11. The R5 bodies turned out to be very well received by her, as did the 800mm f11 and EF 600 f4 III. You might find it an interesting post - I certainly did.
Here's the link:
Here's the link:
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Bufflehead duck: R5 with RF100-500mm L + EXTENDER RF2x.
Pied-billed Grebe: R5 with RF800mm F11 IS STM
I think the quality of images are somehow comparable, and 800mm F/11 is much lighter on the arm and pocket.
Pied-billed Grebe: R5 with RF800mm F11 IS STM
I think the quality of images are somehow comparable, and 800mm F/11 is much lighter on the arm and pocket.
Beautiful shots. I've seen a few Buffleheads in posts recently and I'd love to see them in the flesh. It's also good seeing the 100-500mm works well with the 2xTC. Is the 800mm f/11 noticeably lighter on the arm? Also, if I had one, I would have to take a 100-400 or 100-500 as well with me.
I'll forgive you but if I was a priest I'd make you say a few Hail Marys. Did she test the Nikon Z7II or Z6II?
Thanks, bhf3737, for the comparison photos of the 2 long RF lens options. I'm still waiting on my RF 100-500 but I do have the 800 f11, and it's absolutely amazing how this "pirate lens" (I like to call it due to its shape and pull out style) is so light and so (relatively) sharp, and so inexpensive (especially for a new RF lens near R5 launch).
Your photos are really beautiful, too, particularly the colors in the first one!
I wasn't planning on getting a RF 2x TC for the 100-500, but rather rely on cropping. Are you happy with your results (and on-off use) of the TC? It's always good to hear from those using it. I'm curious - when you zoom the 100-500 back towards 300mm and reach the TC, is it a gentle stop from a rubber interface or a more jarring stop of hard metal/plastic?
No just the D850 and 600 f4 because that is her current wildlife setup.
OK - I'll say a couple "Hail Murrays!"
(yes, ... that was a fantastic last minute win by Arizona from Murray to Hopkins).Chelsea only talked about (& showed) her Nikon D850 & 600 f4, and I don't recall her talking about much else from Nikon. It was more about what was competing with it in mirrorless for her to change how she takes long tele birding photos.
Thanks Alan. Buffleheads are really small and beautiful, specially the male ones. We are lucky to have quite a lot of them here in winter.
RF 800mm is actually very light compared to the 100-500mm and extenders, and even lighter than the camera and grip and no stress on the arm at all. It wieghts like 24-105mm glass but longer, therefore very handholdable.
The ideal case for me is having both 100-500mm for smaller, faster and closer birds/insects and 800mm for slower and farther away animals and no extenders. But then switching lenses and harsh conditions may be a problem. I may end up going out with only 800mm on sunny days and 100-500mm with one of 1.4x or 2x extender on snowy days.
