Post your best bird shots!

[conropl]

I am new to this... so I hope this works. I have really been enjoying all the great shots.


I just connected the lens to my tripod when this eagle flew up. My daughter started loudly telling me there was an eagle coming. Since the camera was conected to the tripod but it was not set up yet, I picked up the camera with the tripod hanging from it and started shooting as the eagle was landing. So I guess you could consider this hand held []... but it turned out better than I thought it would.


Shot with 7D, 100-400mm<span style="background-color: #ff0000;"]<span style="background-color: #ffffff;"] <span style="background-color: #ffffff;"]<span style="color: #ff0000;"]L @ 400mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec.


[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/800x533/__key/CommunityServer-Components-UserFiles/00-00-00-66-81/IMG_5F00_0013.jpg[/img]

[ddt0725]

I just connected the lens to my tripod when this eagle flew up. My daughter started loudly telling me there was an eagle coming. Since the camera was conected to the tripod but it was not set up yet, I picked up the camera with the tripod hanging from it and started shooting as the eagle was landing. So I guess you could consider this hand held [img]/emoticons/emotion-5.gif[/img]... but it turned out better than I thought it would.

Great shot of the eagle, conropl and welcome to the forums! It would be quite quite a site to see a photo of you taking the photo, though! []

JJ - Your photos are fantastic!! Love the colors &amp; composition!

Denise

[JJphoto]

Hey! you guys make my good day even better, thanks for all the kind words, really appreciate it!


Joel, thanks for that PP work, nice job!. I

[HDNitehawk]

maybe it's the time to say good bye to my 300mm? maybe........

That would make me cry [:'(] I wouldn't give mine up unless I just had to. I know I don't need mine that much but it sure is nice to have a supertele that isn't the size of a rocket launcher to carry around. But if I had to just keep one it would be the 500mm.


I saw those two pic's and noticed you used the 1.4x. It made me remember last year when I bought mine, after about a week I decided it was time to try the 1.4TC and I was pleasantly surprised. I saw the two pics and I thought he is just finding this out to. To me I do not see hardly any degradation, at least not enough to matter on the big prints I like to do.


I see you are using the 7D. After some discussion in the forum, I bought a 7D to use with the 500mm, rather than the 5D MarkII. I am still not sure it is the right choice. The pics out of the 7D have to be worked in Post Process more to make them equal to the croped version out of 5D. Once worked they can be as good and even slightly superior. The AF of the 7D is not as great as of an improvement as one might expect from all the hype, for stationary pics I find the 5D to maybe even be slightly better. But the real negative I found with the 7D is the loss of DOF and I didn't expect this one. To capture a small bird close up you have to narrower aperture to have the same DOF as a 5D Mark II, which means you loose a stop of light, and this often ends up having to use faster shutter speeds. With the 500mm if you think about anything hand held it is all about shutter speed. The shutter rate and the crop factor are positives though for the 7D. So I am still debating about the 7D and 500mm F4L combination is the best way to go.

[JJphoto]

good thoughts and information

That would make me cry [img]/emoticons/emotion-9.gif[/img]

I have been having a really good time with my 300mm, everything is great but the reach. I often had to crop a lot, that maks my pictures has more noise and less details. but to get rid of this such a good lens is hard, but have you ever thought about trade it to a 200mm 2.0 since you have the 500mm too?

I saw the two pics and I thought he is just finding this out to

yes I just found out that Canon has a nice 700mm 5.6 out there but,


I didn't have a lot of chance to try BIF yesterday(with 1.4TC), if it's also good(AF performance) for BIF, it really worth the money.

The AF of the 7D is not as great as of an improvement as one might expect from all the hype,

agreed, that's why I always think about a 1D body, but like I said before, I hate spending 4 grands on a body, maybe a 7D II is a solution!


thanks HD for sharing you thoughts, appreciate it!

[Joel Eade]

Denise, I like your version .... just need to get the purple cast out of the background ... well done IMHO.


JJ : I saw a used 1DMKIII at Adorama

[HDNitehawk]

but have you ever thought about trade it to a 200mm 2.0 since you have the 500mm too?

Yes, but really its probably not a focal length I think I would use much. Maybe if some of my kids and grandkids were involved in indoor sports I would consider it. I had the 500mm F4L when I bought my 300mm F2.8, I really didn't think I would need the 300mm that much but I B&amp;H listed it for $3700 used and it was a +10 so I thought I would take a chance. I take it out sometimes because it is a lot more compact than the 500mm. I have decided not to use the 7D on the 300mm, to just keep the 300mm for the 5D Mark II. I can put the 300mm in one of those sling packs I have, not a full blow back pack like the 500mm, so its more compact. Plus not much degradation at all with the 1.4, so if you go to the local park where all the birds come up to you its somewhat handy.


If you think about it though, with the 300mm and the 500mm you have 420mm and 700mm covered with some really nice IQ as well. So we can skip buying the 400mm and 600mm lenses, all we need is the 800mm F5.6L Is and we would have all the ranges covered. The new II series tele's prices are putting a cramp in this plan though.

[conropl]

It would be quite quite a site to see a photo of you taking the photo, though! [img]/emoticons/emotion-2.gif[/img]
<p style="CLEAR: both"]

I imagine I looked pretty ridiculous.


Here is a snow owl. I do not see to many of these, and I was lucky to get close to this one.



XTi , EFS 55-250mm @ 250mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec.


[img]/resized-image.ashx/__size/800x1200/__key/CommunityServer-Components-UserFiles/00-00-00-66-81/IMG_5F00_4751.jpg[/img]

[JJphoto]

Conropl, welcome here!


I agree with you, it was a hand holding and I think it's harder than regular hand holding!


it's a nice capture of eagle!


PS. this is a beautiful snow owl!, I 'v been hoping that I can see them some day!

[Fast Glass]

Hey Joel,


I know you don't care for a very saturated image but I thought this one needed some more punch.


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/3125.bird.jpg[/img]


Thats the original.


[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer-Discussions-Components-Files/15/4201.bird-2.JPG[/img]


And this is the edited version, I tried to keep a light hand on the saturation. But you know me![]


I used DXO and applied levels, tone curve, saturation andused HLS to selectively applysaturation to certain colors. The red border was applied when I used screan snipping tool to make a screen capture because my paid version of DXO is still in the mail and I'm to lazy to re-download and instal DXO.[:P]


What do you think?


John.