I guess I'm drawn to Redheads - Finally caught a hot one; Didn't last but 8 minutes

[tom turner]

Tom, great shots. Getting the exposure right on solid white birds takes skill.

The 400 f5.6 L is lens I wish I never sold. It was razor sharp, gives a pleasing bokeh, light weight and most of all focused very fast. I sure miss that lens.

I traded mine off for a 100-400 f4-5.6 L IS which is nice but it is slow to focus. Like most things with photography there are always trade offs with that trade I gave up focus speed for flexibility and image stabilization. The slower focus speed really bugs me and I've missed more than one shot because of it.

How are you liking the 7DkII? I got tired of waiting for the update to 7D and bought a 70D which is nice but I could use the weather sealing of the 7D for some of my work.

Thanks Bill! I usually shoot manual so I can meter to make sure the BIRD'S exposure is correct for, just like good focus, the subject needs to be sharp AND perfectly exposed.

A hard thing is for me to let go, put the camera in the correct on of many special menus, and then trust the camera to do better than one can do manually. That's strange but it is true with the 7D mkII in the correct menu mode!

Yes, I'm finally loving the mkII, after learning how to "drive" the thing. For bird-in-flight photography there are SIX types of shooting menus, some for birds of predictable speed and direction, one for erratic moving birds, another for erratic motions and varying speeds of flight. Wow! I've had wonderful results with it too . . . when I yield control. In the fastest locking custom menus, which allow the camera to start firing even just before focus is perfect, to get the fastest lock on time, it can shoot 10fps. Then in other modes it won't fire until it absolutely nails the focus for less throw away images.

A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN . . .
The new EF 100-400 II zoom has changed everything! All the reviews are raves, and I've seen so many stunning images from this lens on the POTN site!

1. It actually locks on FASTER than the 400/5.6 L
2. It has such an advanced IS system in it, that it is supposed to give one FIVE STOPS of stabilization . . . a true tripod-less revelation.
3. Image qualitly is BETTER than the prime too
4. Sharpness? Ditto
5. Bokeh? Better too!

Check out the new version II if you are interested. It amazes me that it could lock on faster, and I could handhold five stops slower. It is a game changer! Oh yeah, and it is a conventional zoom vs. a push/pull "Dust Pump!"

PS: The 70D is a very fine camera in its own right, it its sensor is more like the 7DmkII than the old 7D.

 

[STCM(SW)]

Birds with red heads are OK, but my "X" was a redhead...
Nothing more need be said.

 

[labworm]

Feed em everyday in the back yard

Photo taken with a inexpensive Canon SX500is, not a bad little camera.

 

[Bill Bates]

Tom, thanks for the review of the &D MKII.

There was a time when I spent a bit of time photographing birds but it has been years. These days it is 40 hours a week of taking the same lame 10 or 12 photos of firearms 40 hours a week with the occasional odd job shooting sports, glamour photos, senior pics and a wedding here or there. Heck, I bought the 70D with a couple of junk kit lenses because it shoots video for a wedding shoot in Mexico. It was light compact package that if it went missing it wouldn't be huge lose. I'm glad I picked it up my old 20D died recently but it had over a 1/4 million clicks on the shutter which was a good 100K more than it was rated for. My next upgrade will likely be a 5DS R to replace my old 5D which is getting pretty long in the tooth.

Here are a few from the past shot with a Canon 20D plus 400 f/5.6L

And one shot with the 20D and a 300mm f/2.8 plus 2x extender for 600mm By far and away the 300 f/2.8 L IS is my favorite lens.

 

[tom turner]

Wow . . . MAGICAL images. Outstanding!!! Thanks for sharing . . . and inspiring!

 

[50 target]

Woodpeckers

Since I posted about my red headed wife already I thought I would give equal time to the real subject matter. Really funny. The main office of my employer is 25 miles from my office and I have to attend meetings weekly. My custom is to get my coffee, paper and cigar and go to a park about a block away from Main Office, quietly read my paper, enjoy my coffee and cigar. No one is ever around at that time of morning, very early, really quiet. One morning deeply engrossed in my paper, there was suddenly a burst of tinny sounds like a machine gun and then it quit. Scared the dickens out of me. As I try to look around and see what is going on, it suddenly starts again, like a burst from a sub gun, loud and metallic. It quits before I can locate the source. My bench is next to a baseball field for little leaguers and it has night lights all around the field Metal light fixtures on metal poles. It starts again and this time lasts long enough for me to locate this red headed woodpecker on top of one of the metallic light fixtures and he is giving it He**, I mean he is trying to knock the bottom out of it. I started laughing and for the next 30 minutes trying to read the paper I would have to stop and laugh at him when he started up. He was still at it when I had to leave. I had to think about my wife, being red headed, she has a head that hard.I look for him every time I stop for coffee and paper time.

 

[Cpo1944]

I am using a Nikon D-800 and just bought a "new 10 year old " 300 mm afs F4 lens- It`s one of those lt grey painted ones ,trying to look like a Canon??? Anyway I think I`m really going to like it-once I learn how to use it.
Tom you better be careful with that heat each incident makes it easier to get another. I know, since I`ve had heatstroke/heat exhaustion many times, Its awful!

 

[tom turner]

Thanks for the tip, I didn't know that!

 

[LouisianaJoe]

I have the 70D. Last December, I bought a Sigma 150-500 lens for it.

This is a 208yd shot at 439MM croped.

I was surprised at the detail.