Bald Eagle

[sparkie1263]

Here is the best shot I got. It was hazy and hot. They were just out of reach. I will have to go back early in the morning.



Osprey nest in same area. Same situation as above.

[DonSchap]

Not so easy, is it?

These are challenging shots ... especially against a bright sky. You might try using DRO, just for some variation. I see the lil' guy peeking out of the nest, though. Looking right at YOU! Guess you know how close he'll allow.

An 800mm or 1000mm can be a great lens, in these instances. Not too many made for the SONY, though.

I will not even bother to go "Eagle" imaging without a 500mm ... there's no point ... with 300mm they are just too small an image to do much with, unless you can get right up on 'em. Yeah, like that's going to happen. Might want to break out a "ghilly suit", I guess.

Got a short lens???
Get one of these ... and they'll never know you are there ... LOL

Don't mind the rifle ...

Nice try, though, Frank. Good luck.

[sparkie1263]

They are use to people, they have a nest right near the road. The person I am doing a job for says they come in his yard. Isn't the DRO on? What does it do. Do you see the other two in the background? I have to get up there early in the morning.
Frank

[DonSchap]

DRO = Dynamic Range Optimization

Select "D-R+" ... which isolates by area

There is no effect in the following cases:
- Center-weighted metering
- Spot Metering
- The mode dial is set to "M"
- [Quality] is set to [RAW] or [RAW & JPEG]

Take a look at the discussion on the A700 with this LINK

The cloesest thing I can liken it to is "fill flash" without the flash.

Here's a quick and dirty example:

DRO off

EXIF: 28mm - f/2.8 - 1/45 sec - ISO-250 - AUTO Mode

D-R +

EXIF: 28mm - f/2.8 - 1/45 sec - ISO-250 - AUTO Mode

D-R+ Lvl 5 (A700-only)

EXIF: 28mm - f/2.8 - 1/45 sec - ISO-250 - AUTO Mode

I hope it makes some sense, as it does have limits. It maintains the base exposure (the screen), yet allows the camera to boost the shadowed areas of the image to a certain extent. It may improve the birds a bit more against the bright sky. Hey, it's just an idea.

I know what you're thinking (weird, huh?): "Why can't I just boost them in Photoshop?"

Well, you can ... but generally that affects the main exposure areas, too, unless you mask them out ... and that takes time. DRO can do this very rapidly and automatically ... to a degree. Shooting through tree branches ... well, you can just imagine how long something of that nature can take. Here, the camera can help out BEFORE you ever get to post processinging.

You may also note that there is a lot of purple fringing going on in that first shot.



High contrast exposures can do this, so you may want to refrain from shooting this type of "sky" shot (through the trees) with this particular lens.

[sparkie1263]

Don I had spot and center on. What focus setting should be used for a shot this far. There is too much to think about.LOL I am getting a P&S camera. I used f/8 and turned on raw+ jpeg even though I never had any luck trying to convert a RAW file.
Thanks
Frank

[Rooz]

frank, you didnt do anything wrong. its just to far. no one could have got a better shot with that focal length.

while i applaud your tenacity and ambition at shooting things in the wild like that, i'd just as soon go to your local zoo. you support their wildlife by paying to get in and you also bag some great shots you can smile at.

your not about to get a shot like this in the wild anytime soon.

[DonSchap]

Admittedly, wildlife shots require an incredible amount of patience and "just sheer luck." The animals just are not that cooperative, especially when they see some foreign flashing object being trained upon them. Usually, it's muzzle flash, not reflections from a lens, other than a scope.

The eagle shots I took, up in Wisconsin, had me with about 100 yards ... then, he flapped his mighty wings and it was adios. He would not come back, until I was long gone. As Rooz has correctly pointed out, 300mm just is not enough pop to really get in there and get any detail.

The DRO aspect I pointed out is an optional type of shooting. It doesn't always work out, but it can improve a shot when it does. Photography is often very planned out, knowing your options and being able to make the best of them. You learn from these type of situations, what can and cannot be done. If you get a second chance, you can, perhaps, bring better equipment or an improved technique ... to get a better shot.

Anyway ... good luck in your next attempt. The fun is in the trying. The pay off is in the result.

I shot this image, below, with my older EOS 20D, non-DRO, of course with the TAMRON SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD ... and it was ... okay, but I would like better, also. I felt I was exceptionally lucky to get most of his head against a dark background, as I was floating around in a river on a float boat. DRO might have allowed me to save some of the sky, too, but I can't be sure. It's kind of a newer feature.

[sparkie1263]

Thanks Rooz and Don. I will go back and try again. My customer says they are always there. They don't seem to be gun shy or should I say camera shy. The zoo is my next trip. I never seen an eagle in the wild so just to say I seen one and tried to get a shot makes me happy. I wish they were closer to home because I would drive by there every day. As to my earlier question what settings should I use for a shot like this.
Thanks Frank

[Rooz]

can you hire a longer lens ?
forget the lens and buy a telescope with a sony mount. seriously

[DonSchap]

True enough. One of the things I was preparing to try this summer is the A700 mounted on the Meade ETX-125 Telescope. I am truly dissatisfied with the limited range of the 500mm glass! You still have to be literally on top of your subject to get a reasonable image. Hell, I'm shooting across a river! Guess who lives in that little orange square?



Backside look familiar?


ETX-125 (roughly $950)
1900mm f/15 and pretty cheap, when you think about it.
Yeah, it's not exactly the best birding lens I've ever
seen, but when he streaks skyward ... it'll be right on
his tail. LOL


Then again (big smile ) there is the RCX-400 f/8 14", an Advanced Ritchey-Chrétien
with UHTC Coatings ($10,000) ... oh baby!
Now, this, my friends, is a dynamite piece of glass ... with a price to match


These use the universal T-mount, so Canon, Nikon, SONY, Pentax ...
just get an adapter and you, my friend, are in business.

You go, Rooz ... you're reading my mind