Sony DSLR "Picture of the day"

[dr4gon]

achk, so windy today, 40mph gusts and a wind advisory!

[DonSchap]

Nice work, Ryan. Might want to "Photo Gallery" this one!

[bigw00dy]

Taken in the vicinity of the Millstone River off Rte. 1 - West Windsor, NJ

From about 175 yards away. Thats as close as I would get considering her nest was very close to her.

Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: +0.3 EV

After I did some cropping.

[DonSchap]

My friend, we have to get you a longer lens! This bad boy rates a TAMRON SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD if ever there was one. Remember, tell the spouse ... "You see, if I had this lens ..."

Good capture, though ... just need some s-t-r-e-t-c-h to wrestle him on in. You could also hold up a rabbit and invite him down for lunch.

[dr4gon]

Nice work, Ryan. Might want to "Photo Gallery" this one!

Thanks!

Taken in the vicinity of the Millstone River off Rte. 1 - West Windsor, NJ

From about 175 yards away. Thats as close as I would get considering her nest was very close to her.

Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: +0.3 EV

After I did some cropping.

Nice job on the focus, still looks ok even with the crop, but yeah.....

My friend, we have to get you a longer lens! This bad boy rates a TAMRON SP AF 200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD if ever there was one. Remember, tell the spouse ... "You see, if I had this lens ..."

Good capture, though ... just need some s-t-r-e-t-c-h to wrestle him on in. You could also hold up a rabbit and invite him down for lunch.

... Don is right you do need a longer lens for birding and in general, most wildlife!

[DonSchap]

One of the drawbacks of buying a DSLR ... is looking through the veiwfinder and getting that sinking feeling ... "I'm not there!"

A little personal anecdote: I was on a river with a beautiful Eagle on the opposing side. Man, sitting up there, in the highest tree on the waterfront ... just waiting for someone to come along and take his portrait. Problem was ... from my rather decent vantage point, even with a 500mm, he was a dot ... at least 60 feet off the ground.

@500mm - f/11 - 1/800 sec. - ISO-400 - A Mode - Direct Sun - (Actual frame, no crop)

Going for the crop ... well, you get this:

Two things ... I need to get closer ... and I had to do it so he would not feel threatened. So, I got the neighbor to take me out, on a float boat, and we cruised up and down the river ... looking nonchalant ... non-menacing ... you know, like typical moron boaters. The eagle bought into it ... at least until we actually stopped, lined up the 200-500mm and commenced fire.

476mm - f/6.3 - 1/1600 sec - ISO-400 - A Mode - Shaded Daylight - (Actual frame, no crop)

He tolerated about two minutes of our loitering and then, with a sweep of those awesome wings ... 'bugged out.' Without that lens ... he would have looked like my first picture.

Cropping, yes the image has some issues with backlighting ... had I used a power flash ... I'd have had better subject lighting, but he also would have probably dived down and killed me!

Shooting through trees, against a bright sky, from a bobbing and rocking boat, is always a little rough to get a good angle. Tree shots often throw off CA (Chromatic Aberration), but as you plainly see ... there isn't much with this particular lens. There is a lot to like about it. Also, since there is a lot more bird to work with in the original image, pixelation is almost nonexistent.

My rule of thumb ... pack the lens for the job. If you cannot get 'em with a 500mm, he's too far away, anyway. This particular bird was the very reason I spent the cash for the 200-500 (~$800). I tried a 2x T/C on a high quality 70-200mm f/2.8 thinking I would have it knocked ... all of the images were soft and still small. Very unimpressive for the effort. There is nothing like the REAL glass on your camera. Please try it and see for yourself.

Sorry, back to POTD ... I sometimes get carried away. You guys are super.

[dr4gon]

I've come to the conclusion that 2x TCs are really only good for macro lenses (achieving 2:1) and moon shots where every mm counts!

[bigw00dy]

Excellent shots Don!!!

I just turned 27 and that was the 1st time I ever saw a bald eagle in person. Luckily, I had my camera. I was working and its not always easy to carry my camera bag & little bit of acessories I own.

Nice job on the focus, still looks ok even with the crop, but yeah.....

Thanks dr4gon for the kind words

[DonSchap]

bigw00dy,

I understand getting surprised with photographic opportunity. Man, it's the story of our lives, isn't it? Again, thank you for sharing your eagle shot. You were fortunate to even have your camera with you, at the ready. More often than not ... we find it nowhere handy, either at home or stuffed in luggage.

My intent was simply saying that some shots require a little more ... well, a lot more. I knew the eagle images I took would require a significant investment ... and still, some uncertain luck in addition to that. Thanks for your comment on my image and someday, the good Lord willing, that Eagle and I will meet, again ... and perhaps, I will capture the image I can only now imagine, having the right tool and being prepared ... for that moment.

One of the other aspects that has only been briefly covered in our forum is having a "nature" lens. This is not the 200-500 we have been discussing, but something a bit more ... well, practical. The lens I have in mind is the SONY 70-400mm f/4-5.6 G SSM (54oz). This would be the glass you would carry into the woods, when you only have room and want to carry one lens. You also might pocket the 50mm f/1.4 ... but, basically it is you, the camera and one long range zoom.

An older lens, no longer made, also fits that bill: The Tokina AT-X 840 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6

The "Be Prepared" lens

It is not as refined or even as heavy as the "new" SONY, but it can offer you a much broader range of options for a lot less money (roughly $300-400), if you can find one out there. It only weighs 33oz ... and that is quite nice on those long nature hikes into the woods or wherever. It has a tendency to 'zoom creep', so a small piece of gaffer's tape can quickly put that to rest. In my opinion, for the money, this is the lens. Coupled with "SSS' ... you have almost everything you could ask for in a lens of this kind. It puts most of the 'super-zoom' P&S camera results to shame.

So, if you find yourself out in the woods ... having a lens like that already on your camera can provide a lot more comfort when you reach for "the quick shot." In other words, this kind of lens takes the "surprise" out of your photography and puts it back where it belongs ... with the subjects.

[sparkie1263]

achk, so windy today, 40mph gusts and a wind advisory!

Great image even with the wind.

Frank