Great set Jonathan.....that must have been a lot of fun.
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Great set Jonathan.....that must have been a lot of fun.
Jonathan:
I went through all the shots you posted on your web site... all I can say is wow, and I am a bite jealous. Really great trip.
Pat
Amazing birds with dreamy light....great great set of shots
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2
Thanks everyone -- that's very kind. I went there with quite a bit of firepower in terms of camera and lens, and discovered that there is still a huge amount of technique and skill required to get the shot. My keeper rate of less than 1% proves that there is still much to learn, and having a chance like this to practice is really invaluable.
The camera focused very easily on snowy owls in flight, thanks to the huge contrast between the bird and the background. For the short-eared owls, I had to choose the centre points only, and try to keep the bird in the middle of the frame. When the bird is the same colour as the background, full-spread focusing is impossible. It probably would have worked better if I had a 600 without an extender, and could shoot at f/4. But I'm hardly complaining... when the focus did latch on, it did a superb job.
I like the GPS attachment for the camera, since the location information gets displayed on my SmugMug site automatically. I set the location update frequency to every 2 minutes, to avoid battery drain over the course of the day.
Snowy owl population irruptions are infrequent, and can occur every 6-9 years. Here's hoping the next one happens sooner than later. When it does, you can bet I'll be right back there!
Thanks again.
Great series Jonathan, thanks for sharing!
I went to a nearby park/reserve which is more for beginners and the focal length limited, Here is a Snowy Egret with a 70-300 and I had to zoom out. Clearly not as challenging to shoot as Jonathan's owls :-)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8186/8...310cb88c_b.jpg
101 _MG_9323 by ahab1372, on Flickr
Ready for take-off
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8...3fe8abe3_b.jpg
101 _MG_9305 by ahab1372, on Flickr
tried a different style for a change, the image invited itself for a desaturated look:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8...2fd68e24_b.jpg
101 _MG_9171 by ahab1372, on Flickr
and after all these white birds, a crow to balance it out:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8...28722bb3_b.jpg
101 _MG_9251 by ahab1372, on Flickr
Thanks for viewing
Arnt - Those are great --- and I have to respectfully disagree, it is definitely challenging photography. When you are shooting a white bird in broad daylight, it is quite a trick to get the exposure right. Using centre-weighted metering will often do the job, but you still have to pay close attention to the histogram. With the snowys, I had an easier job when it was overcast, but the sunny days gave the best shots when I occasionally managed to do it right.
Red Tailed Hawk
1DX
700mm
ISO 1000
f/9
1/2500
Hand held
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....87025462-5.jpg
Joel:
Nice action shot... and at ISO 1000.
Now that you have had the 1DX for awhile, how do you think it compares to the 1D IV for your type of shooting? Would the Red Tailed Hawk been difficult to get with the 1D IV or would the 1.3 crop factor have helped by not needing the 1.4X converter?
You have been fairly quiet about your new camera... so I was wondering how it is working for you.
Pat
Great Blue Heron
1DX
ISO 100
f/5.6
1/250
Shot from my truck window. Just received my 1DX late this afternoon and found the Red Tailed Hawk and this Heron in the last hour or so of good light:)
These were both shot as JPEG's in camera (because I didn't check what mode I was in)
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....87063654-4.jpg
Sorry... for some reason I thought you had the 1DX for a little while already. Sorry for not giving you the chance to enjoy it a little and figure out the camera before I started badgering you about it.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel Eade
Pat
Thanks Pat,Quote:
Originally Posted by conropl
Just got the camera today around 4pm so I rushed out to a couple spots close to home and got these images....so far, so good. It definitely seems to auto-focus faster than the MKIV and the frame rate was amazing (of course it was jpeg's). I will hopefully get some more chances this weekend to make some valid comparison but after about 2 hours of use it's great:cool:
Joel: Really nice shots..I can only dream of a 1DX, glad you're enjoying it :)
I know this isn't any superb BIFs or wild birds..but it's my favourite bird since childhood :)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8494/8...79319826_z.jpg
Barn Owl
Thanks, what a gorgeous Owl .... something I have not been able to find although I know they are around my area. Great shot!Quote:
Originally Posted by francongphotography
Thanks Jonathan!Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan Huyer
just saw your reply today. On that day, being so close, partial metering and Exposure lock did the trick most of the time because the birds filled the metering area almost completely and did not move too fast. The "Recovery" slider in aperture and flattening the default contrast boost in the RAW tuning did the rest for areas that were still a little blown out, but they were few. The sun was also not at its brightest. On other days, I wish I had a thumb wheel for the AE up or down, especially when a crow comes along all of a sudden after all the whites ...
Congrats Joel on the new camera! Awesome results already, just by "rushing out to a couple spots" for 2h ...
Congrats on the new camera Joel! I'm sure you'll put it to good use.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel Eade
Dave
Congratulations Joel on the 1Dx.... the images look really nice... guess u just can't stop thinking the 600mm II to replace the 500mm... haha!, can't wait to see more pictures from the 1Dx....Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel Eade
You are correct......I have been thinking that since they first announced the new supertele's:rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by JJphoto
Anyone who is interested.....Amazon has a 1 year no interest deal on the 1dx if you use their credit card and make minimum monthly payments.
The auto focus on the 1DX leaves the MKIV in the dust!
1DX
500mm f/4L IS USM
ISO 1000
f/6.3
1/2500
Hand held
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....88591682-4.jpg
I have to agree with you! Congrats on the great decision to upgrade, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing more great shots like this one in the near future.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel Eade
Superb capture, Joel! I love the warm colors as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joel Eade
Thanks. The reason for my comment is that I was imaging ducks swimming around at this one suddenly decided to fly....it travelled maybe 30 feet or so and landed again but I was able to point the camera and fire a burst of 3 frames. It locked on instantly (albeit at very close range) and all 3 images were sharp. The system of AF point auto-switching is amazing for flight shots. That shot would have been near impossible (for me) with the MKIV. I shot pictures all afternoon yesterday. The speed of the camera and AF system are the most impressive features so far....may have to put the MKIV up for sale to offset the financial blow but I am lovin' it so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGreenBug
I also attempted some images at 600mm......no not the new supertele.....my old 300mm 2.8L + 2X TCIII. Works quite well actually. These 2 images demonstrate what it can do. These were converted with ACR with the clarity slider at around 15 but no more sharpening in post.
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....89089630-4.jpg
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....89084870-4.jpg
These are both full frame images (uncropped). The light was quite good so the 2X TC may not perform as well in poor light but these look pretty good to me.
Of course with the 600mm lens you would have the option of adding the TC's and get even more reach. Anyway, just a little more 1DX info for those interested.
A few more (then I'll stop:rolleyes:) from my first outing with the 1DX, these are with the 500mm lens
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....89558534-3.jpg
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....89140592-3.jpg
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....89252560-3.jpg
First time I have gotten to shoot in some time (not the best lighting conditions). Male House Finch:
Canon 40D, EF 400 f5.6, 1/200s, ISO 320, full power flash aimed into reflector at the top left.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8373/8...2c2235ab_b.jpg
test shots of my new 5D III, 6fps is really a minimum for BIF, this is the only keeper for the day:confused:
5DIII, 400mm5.6, f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 2500
http://imageshack.us/a/img152/9207/3k5a5891.jpg
5D III, 500mm4.0, f4.0, 1/400, ISO 2000
http://imageshack.us/a/img824/82/3k5a5616.jpg
thanks for viewing
Quote:
Originally Posted by JJphoto
Congratulations on the new camera.
Great shots JJ.
Dave
Nice Finch image dsiegel and congrats on the 5D3 JJ !!!!
Thank you guys! Compared to the 7D, when doing BIF, the AFof 5DIII seems the same as 7D.... Kind of disappointed,I felt that it took about one second to focus and lock on the flying duck...maybe coz the 400mm5.6 is group E lens or duck fly a little too fast...? Will try the 300mm 2.8 to see any difference... Isn't that AF system is as same as the 1DX's?
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2
Jealous of all the new camera bodies everyone seems to be getting on here.
Heres a few recent ones
Female Anhinga sitting on a nest.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8080/8...1b9e4de7_c.jpg
American Bittern
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8505/8...4a806809_c.jpg
Female Painted Bunting
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8...f6d59e7f_c.jpg
And a pair of nesting Great Blue Herons (very heavily cropped)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8509/8...d1cb2b26_c.jpg
Great shots Nick, looks like you don't need another body ;)
JJ, Congrats on the new camera. Only one keeper but a good one. Could it be the settings? There is a whole multi page pdf on the camera's AF.
Great shots, and sweet composition of that heron shot! Have you tried to do any noise reduction on that image?
Beautiful images, nice variety of species.Quote:
Originally Posted by nvitalephotography
Got home from work just a few minutes before sunset and was lucky to get an image of a Northern Flicker at my back yard set up. Also a little test of the 1DX high ISO ability.
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....93676348-4.jpg
1DX + 500mm f/4L Version I IS USM, tripod mounted
Manual mode
ISO 5000
f/4.5
1/500
580 EX II + Better Beamer at 1/64 power
A very cold Cardinal
1DX
500mm
ISO 3200
f/6.3
1/500
Manual mode
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....98173612-5.jpg
Female version of the Northern Cardinal from this morning
http://joeleadephotography.zenfolio....99783818-4.jpg
I took a couple hour trip to Clinton, Iowa yesterday and came away with some bald eagle shots I'm really happy with. All were taken with the 60D, 70-200 f/4 L USM, and 1.4 X II extender. I'd highly recommend anyone making the trip if it's a reasonable distance for you.
No 1 On The Look Out
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8325/8...bf202691_c.jpg
2013_01_26_2842_upd8x10 by dthrog00, on Flickr
No 2 In Flight over the Mississippi
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8047/8...b8563bcd_c.jpg
2013_01_26_2829_upd by dthrog00, on Flickr
No 3 Flying Nearby
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8...e07bbd7d_c.jpg
2013_01_26_2814_upd_croptight by dthrog00, on Flickr
No 4 Landing
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8071/8...a2f71c3f_c.jpg
2013_01_26_2730_upd8x10 by dthrog00, on Flickr
No 5 Dozens of Eagles at Lock & Dam #13 (Fulton, IL all others were taken in Clinton, IA)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8502/8...7cd0eff8_c.jpg
2013_01_26_2773_upd by dthrog00, on Flickr
Thanks for viewing.
Dave
I can see why. Unfortunately, it's not a reasonable distance from me so I'll just have to enjoy your great shots.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Throgmartin
Last weekend was the "Big Garden Birdwatch" in the UK, orgainsed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The idea was for as many people as possible to spend an hour recording the birds that visited their garden, then submit the results so that the RSPB can track changes in bird populations.
I settled down expecting to see just the usual visitors: blackbirds, blue tits, house sparrows and robins, so I was quite surprised when a fieldfare paid a visit. These birds very rarely visit urban gardens. I had never seen one before. I guess the snow-covered countryside had driven it to search elsewhere for food.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8497/8...8bcca361_c.jpg
Fieldfare by Andrew Stringer, on Flickr
This photo represents another 'first' for me: my first shot at 600mm:) (using my new 2xIII on my old 300mm f/2.8L).