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Birds!
Jul 15, 2021 8:52:26 GMT -8
Post by High Sierra Fan on Jul 15, 2021 8:52:26 GMT -8
rebeccad Unlike landscapes, of which I’ve grabbed some really (imho) nice shots even with my iPhone, birds do seem to benefit from a bit of specialized equipment, longer lenses in particular. There’s the ^above^ 500mm dslr and then there’s this, iPhone 12;
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,709
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 15, 2021 9:27:09 GMT -8
High Sierra Fan, that’s it exactly. Even my compact camera doesn’t really do birds well, and on my local walks I usually only have the cell phone.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jul 15, 2021 9:45:34 GMT -8
High Sierra Fan, that’s it exactly. Even my compact camera doesn’t really do birds well, and on my local walks I usually only have the cell phone. My cased iPhone weighing in at 11.8 oz while my dSLR and that long lens just now clocking in at 100.9 oz probably holds a clue to what is going to be the everyday carry for grabbing that surprise shot.
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Post by cweston on Jul 15, 2021 9:56:58 GMT -8
My point-and-shoot camera has a 25x optical zoom. I usually find that with birds, I need to use most or all of that zoom capability: meaning that the slightest little movement of my hand and/or the bird will blur the shot. I usually compensate by taking a lot of shots and throwing mist of them away. I agree that it's nigh impossible to get good bird shots with a phone.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jul 15, 2021 10:14:43 GMT -8
Oh yeah, camera movement. I’ve been compromising image detail a bit by goosing the ISO to 1000-2000 to try and get some sort of fast shutter speed even with the VR capability my longer lenses have. And my throw away number is still big. Of course flying really adds to the problem…. Yet is SUCH a tempting target. Lately I’ve been around when some ospreys have been soaring and they’re amazing in flight. (Though when I zoom in on the image and 9 out of ten shots they’re looking right back at me is a bit creepy…). And a few days back I caught a Roseate Spoonbill in flight at Bombay Hook NWR, pretty while wading, wonderful in flight with those wings doing their job.
not helped by it being a bit after 9 P. M. (aka, 30 minutes after sunset) When the thing finally came out of hiding. ETA I mean right? Right into the lens… and I was a long ways off (I’ve cropped in to get more detail)
a New Jersey bird. Island Beach State Park. On the bay side of the barrier island park there’s a short nature trail leading to a photo blind overlooking some marsh that has some nesting platforms. This bird took a couple of flights off the platform to soar into a pretty stiff breeze blowing from behind me rendering it a much stabler target than is usually the case. Didn’t do any fishing though. Which seemed a tad odd as I caught a bit of a glimpse of a little white head at the other end of the nest from where it perched.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jul 15, 2021 10:47:23 GMT -8
So here's the platform: And at least one chick (cropped from above). But the adult never went near that end of the nest the entire time I was there.
meanwhile from my 11 oz iPhone: 😁.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,709
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 15, 2021 11:12:34 GMT -8
Fantastic shot of the osprey, even if you do wonder if it's trying to decide if you are edible
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jul 15, 2021 11:34:15 GMT -8
Fantastic shot of the osprey, even if you do wonder if it's trying to decide if you are edible Thanks! Well here’s a different bird in an entirely different state (Delaware). And? Right. Into. The. Lens.
the low angle light late in the day (this was about 7:30 so an hour or so before sunset)gives a chance for lighting their underside when they bank just right. Amazing flyers.
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franco
Trail Wise!
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Post by franco on Jul 15, 2021 14:37:09 GMT -8
If anyone is interested in a relatively light but good camera for bird photography I suggest the Sony RX10 IV. It has a 24-600mm (equivalent) lens, usable at full aperture (f/4) on 600mm and because it has a 1" sensor , about 4x the area of the typical compact camera, you can crop as well. My wife has had one for a few weeks. Her photography has improved a lot since having it. (rather expensive but not if compared with a separate body and long lens combo) Some of her recent photos :
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franco
Trail Wise!
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Post by franco on Jul 27, 2021 18:02:29 GMT -8
This is a Red Browed Finch. I have a real hard time getting them sharp when eating on the ground because they always move and are very small yesterday this one was still on that fence for about a second...
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Post by trinity on Jul 29, 2021 12:12:13 GMT -8
I have a real hard time getting them sharp when eating on the ground Then don't eat on the ground while photographing them....
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franco
Trail Wise!
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Post by franco on Jul 29, 2021 14:45:34 GMT -8
My father used to say that only horses eat standing. He was describing the tourists he used to take around Europe (he was a coach driver) all too busy to sit down to eat. mind you, he grew up in a farm and had horses...
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franco
Trail Wise!
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Post by franco on Jul 29, 2021 14:57:14 GMT -8
Often in the local bird forums folk ask about what camera to get. I tend , for generic enquiries, to comment about different ways of doing it often pointing out that for some a "bridge" camera can be the best way to go. This is because I see many buying an interchangeable lens body with a kit lens, then they upgrade the lens, then the body and some time end up buying a third and yet even more expensive lens , others just get a bridge camera ...or two.... This well describes what myself and a mate of mine have done with Sony and Canon and my wife with her Sony RX10. Yesterday , standing close together we took the same Brown Falcon and posted the photo on our FB page. All photos taken on max magnification, 600mm equivalent, but cropped a different way. I think that the RX 10 did very well... Sony A68 with 70-400mm G, Sony RX 10, Canon D90 with 100-400 L.
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Birds!
Jul 30, 2021 20:12:37 GMT -8
Post by High Sierra Fan on Jul 30, 2021 20:12:37 GMT -8
Now there’s three spoonbills. Stuff is happening. Bombay Hook NWR Delaware.
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franco
Trail Wise!
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Post by franco on Aug 1, 2021 19:49:40 GMT -8
We have just discovered how this Brown Falcon moves its head a particular way before it takes off. So I was ready when it did. (still taking one shot at the time because I am too lazy to sort out from 7 frames per second type bursts...)
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