Photo of the day May 2020

[mollyc]

Learning the birds is the fun part. My wife actually has a list of birds we’ve seen in our yard, and she was super excited to see a thrush yesterday. Well, I saw it and photographed it, but it counts anyway! She knew nothing of birds before, and she said “teenage her” would have roller her eyes at this. My 8 year old can use the bird ID book like a champ, too!

My mom always tracked birds. She kept a book in the kitchen to see what came to the feeder. We have rats in our neighborhood since we are so suburban so I don’t want to put up a feeder. But I’m still interested in what comes around naturally. Plus this should help with butterflies ?

 

[Clix Pix]

Being able to reach to 600mm (35mm equiv) really can spoil a person in a hurry! A 600mm full-frame lens on a full-frame camera body is more than delightful! (Speaking from experience here!) That 600mm can capture subjects that otherwise just wouldn't be possible, and it is really fun to look at one's images in the computer and to notice the details and things which often escape us when we actually look at a bird, animal or some other distant subject.....

Definitely that 600mm should help a lot with butterflies! I am just itching to get back to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens whenever it reopens and have some fun with my long lens and the butterflies there..... We don't seem to have many butterflies around my neighborhood for some reason, which is frustrating.

As for small "backyard birds," I have had very little luck in capturing them. When I'm out on a walk with the camera, they'll hear or see me coming and immediately fly off...... Or sometimes I'll get fairly close but then when I raise the camera to my eye, they sense that somehow, see the movement, and then take off. Sigh..... Geese and ducks are a bit more cooperative in that regard! LOL!

 

[jazz1]

Wow! 600mm would be hard to locate the subject In the viewfinder. But, I’d be willing to try!

 

[RogerWilco6502]

Learning the birds is the fun part. My wife actually has a list of birds we’ve seen in our yard, and she was super excited to see a thrush yesterday. Well, I saw it and photographed it, but it counts anyway! She knew nothing of birds before, and she said “teenage her” would have roller her eyes at this. My 8 year old can use the bird ID book like a champ, too!

Birding is a family affair for us. One of us will have a bird ID book and the other two will have binoculars and/or cameras

As for small "backyard birds," I have had very little luck in capturing them. When I'm out on a walk with the camera, they'll hear or see me coming and immediately fly off...... Or sometimes I'll get fairly close but then when I raise the camera to my eye, they sense that somehow, see the movement, and then take off. Sigh..... Geese and ducks are a bit more cooperative in that regard! LOL!

I like to think that the birds are playing with us when they do that.
We had a couple of Goldfinches on our deck today and I would've grabbed my camera, but I knew they'd be gone by the time I had gotten it. In fact, they were gone by the time I had made the decision not to get my camera xD

 

[Clix Pix]

600mm works best when shooting larger subjects if they are far away: wildlife, such as large birds or animals, for instance, present an easier target in the viewfinder than a tiny little insect, for example. Also the minimum focusing distance makes a difference, too. A nice 600mm lens gives you a lot of safe distance between you and a big moose, and yet you can get a great shot nonetheless! Ditto for stepping back a ways from a gorgeous flowering bush while avoiding the bees, and zeroing in on one particular flower.....

That said, indeed one can get some really interesting closeup shots at 600mm, even though standing rather far away from the subject. I haven't done that much yet with my full-frame lens, but I used to do that a fair amount with my RX10 M4 bridge camera and its fixed lens which also reaches to 600mm (35mm equiv on a 1-inch sensor). That is the camera which spoiled me for the 600mm reach, and its days were definitely numbered when I started shooting with the full-frame camera......

My original intention had been to for a while, several months at least, focus more on macro and such with the new gear and still use my RX10 for other stuff, including shooting the geese and ducks from my deck and on walks around the neighborhood and the lake. That idea lasted until the first time I stepped out on the deck with the RX10 to fire off some shots at the Mergansers when I spotted them on the lake one day in December...... Even as I was standing there shooting, I was thinking, "boy, everything would be so much better with my new camera and that nice Sony 200-600mm zoom!" A look at the results in the computer also seemed to emphasize that point. Could I really hold off and wait a few months? Uh...... So, yeah, a few days later, off I went to the camera shop again, coming home with that 200-600mm lens.....

And, yep, the little birdies play with us, don't they?! LOL! Sometimes squirrels do, too -- they stand there and stare at me, and then just as I get the subject nicely focused and framed in a good composition, they turn and dart away! Aaagggh.....!

Since I bought my 200-600mm last January I haven't had much opportunity to take it anywhere away from home, and so most of the shooting I've done with it has been just off my deck, with the lens supported by my hands and also the railing of my deck, although I can and do handhold it. I still need to get a Wimberley gimbal head for the tripod and/or monopod. The lens has internal focusing, it doesn't protrude further out when actually being zoomed, which while advantageous in some ways also means that the lens in its resting state is still always long and large, a bit awkward for an older, slender, petite person like me to handle, but I manage nonetheless! I love that 600mm reach......

 

[RogerWilco6502]

That said, one can get some really interesting closeup shots at 600mm, even though standing rather far away from the subject.

I don't have anything as long as 600mm, but I can attest to this. If I work it just right, I can get really close-up pictures that sometimes almost look like macro shots with my zoom lenses.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

My mom always tracked birds. She kept a book in the kitchen to see what came to the feeder. We have rats in our neighborhood since we are so suburban so I don’t want to put up a feeder. But I’m still interested in what comes around naturally. Plus this should help with butterflies ?

By her count, we’ve seen close to 40 different birds in the backyard. We also include the turkey vultures and the occasional bald eagle that circle at higher altitudes. We’re okay with neither ending up in the actual yard, as that would probably mean something was also dead back there! Also, it’s amazing just how many things eat dandelion seeds. I never noticed it before.

Wow! 600mm would be hard to locate the subject In the viewfinder. But, I’d be willing to try!

Yeah, if you start at 600mm, you’re in for some tough searching. I zoom out to start and the drop in to track a subject. Also, yes, there is some macro capability here. I’ve found the longer lenses are great for butterflies and other critters that don’t want you so close.

 

[Clix Pix]

For some reason, in all the years I've been shooting, it took me a long time to realize that, hey, I could do some great closeups with a fairly long zoom lens, too! Once I figured that out, wow.....

I know we have various species of smaller birds around my neighborhood but couldn't begin to identify most of them except the very common ones such as robins. I am really hoping that during the warmer weather when I'm out and about more often with the camera that I will finally be able to snag some shots of at least a few here-and-there......

 

[RogerWilco6502]

For some reason, in all the years I've been shooting, it took me a long time to realize that, hey, I could do some great closeups with a fairly long zoom lens, too! Once I figured that out, wow.....

I know we have various species of smaller birds around my neighborhood but couldn't begin to identify most of them except the very common ones such as robins. I am really hoping that during the warmer weather when I'm out and about more often with the camera that I will finally be able to snag some shots of at least a few here-and-there......

I probably have been using that technique for ages, but I didn't really identify it as that until maybe a year and a half ago. My 75-150mm f/3.5 I have for my Nikon N2000 is my favorite lens to do it with. Something about the optics are just right.

We have smaller birds as well as various hawks, eagles, and vultures (and some owls we hardly ever see but can hear throughout the year). I'm definitely better at identifying the raptors than the smaller birds, as they are generally larger and have more clearly visible defining features. We also have crows that like to hang around our yard.

 

[Clix Pix]

I probably have been using that technique for ages, but I didn't really identify it as that until maybe a year and a half ago. My 75-150mm f/3.5 I have for my Nikon N2000 is my favorite lens to do it with. Something about the optics are just right.

We have smaller birds as well as various hawks, eagles, and vultures (and some owls we hardly ever see but can hear throughout the year). I'm definitely better at identifying the raptors than the smaller birds, as they are generally larger and have more clearly visible defining features. We also have crows that like to hang around our yard.

Come to think of it, yes, it was back in my Nikon days when I had the 70-300mm that I first began to see the possibilities in using that lens for capturing closeups; I realized that I could reach up higher into a tree filled with cherry blossoms and focus on a blossom or two..... Then some years later one day when out with the RX10, still getting used to it, I took aim at a beautiful hydrangea bush and then narrowed in on one specific blossom with the lens at 600mm and said, "oh, wow....!" and fired away.....

My father was a bird lover and he could identify all the various species, but while I love seeing the birds and watching them, I am woefully uneducated on the different species except perhaps in very general terms, such as, "oh, that's a robin, that's a dove...." Raptors are a lot easier to identify! Crows are, too.

 

[MacRy]

Some....whatever these are in my garden.

M9 with Elmar 90mm @F4

 

[iAssimilated]

Last month, our neighbor's tree started to bud.

Resized in Luminar 4.

 

[Hughmac]

Cheers

Hugh

 

[Apple_Glen_UK]

A glorious day in Sussex yesterday. And here's my local park - padlocked shut for now...

 

[stillcrazyman]

Mr. Cardinal singing for a mate.

 

[tizeye]

Being able to reach to 600mm (35mm equiv) really can spoil a person in a hurry!

Definitely that 600mm should help a lot with butterflies! I am just itching to get back to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens whenever it reopens and have some fun with my long lens and the butterflies there.....

As for small "backyard birds," I have had very little luck in capturing them. When I'm out on a walk with the camera, they'll hear or see me coming and immediately fly off...... Or sometimes I'll get fairly close but then when I raise the camera to my eye, they sense that somehow, see the movement, and then take off. Sigh..... Geese and ducks are a bit more cooperative in that regard! LOL!

My quandary is deciding between the 200-600 or splurge a little more for the 100-400 + 1.4x (or 2x). My current longest is a 70-200 and thanks to the huge files in the a7rIII can crop radically. The biggest issue is not the weight or other features, although the non-expanding internal focusing on the 200-600 would be nice, rather it is minimum focus distance. 1m (same as my 70-200) vs 2.4m. Many times I find that I am too close with small subjects like butterflies and have to back up to focus.

The redwing blackbird (todays and tomorrow's photo) is notoriously difficult to capture for the reason you state plus their tendency to be deep in the bushes.

 

[mollyc]

Some....whatever these are in my garden.

M9 with Elmar 90mm @F4

Lilacs ?

 

[akash.nu]

 

[RogerWilco6502]

Come to think of it, yes, it was back in my Nikon days when I had the 70-300mm that I first began to see the possibilities in using that lens for capturing closeups; I realized that I could reach up higher into a tree filled with cherry blossoms and focus on a blossom or two..... Then some years later one day when out with the RX10, still getting used to it, I took aim at a beautiful hydrangea bush and then narrowed in on one specific blossom with the lens at 600mm and said, "oh, wow....!" and fired away.....

My father was a bird lover and he could identify all the various species, but while I love seeing the birds and watching them, I am woefully uneducated on the different species except perhaps in very general terms, such as, "oh, that's a robin, that's a dove...." Raptors are a lot easier to identify! Crows are, too.

Flowers were what I first used the technique for as well. It's easily one of my favorite techniques and I use it quite a bit. Another favorite of mine is to remove anything that gives reference from a picture of flowers, so you don't know just how large or how small the flowers actually are.

My mother's the same way. She loves birds and is really good at identifying them. I'm ok at identifying them, but I'm nowhere nearly as good as her. Crows are really funny to watch. They just sort of hang around the yard and act like they own the place.

I forget what bird this is exactly, it has a bug in its mouth though
f/5.6, 1/50 sec/ ISO 200

I'd like to shoot some film soon, but sadly the weather hasn't been really conducive to that as of late. It either is hot/cold enough to make me uncomfortable or it's really windy which, in addition to being unpleasent even in moderate temperatures, also makes it really hard to take clear pictures.

 

[r.harris1]

More of the Burrowing Owl. This is with the Sigma's cousin, the Tamron 150-600. The fact that the owl isn't pin sharp is not the fault of the lens but that of the photographer and his autofocus settings, his hand-holding skills, the temperature and the very windy day. Mostly the photographer .

Watching by Ray Harrison, on Flickr

 

[RogerWilco6502]

The fact that the owl isn't pin sharp is not the fault of the lens but that of the photographer and his autofocus settings, his hand-holding skills, the temperature and the very windy day. Mostly the photographer .

I can't tell you how many shots I've missed because the AF system decided to focus on the wrong thing. I'd just manually focus all the time, and I do on my N2000 (because it doesn't have autofocus), but on my D3300 the lenses that came with it have really tiny focus rings, which makes manual focus harder to do. I cans still do it, it's just more difficult than my N2000.

 

[r.harris1]

I can't tell you how many shots I've missed because the AF system decided to focus on the wrong thing. I'd just manually focus all the time, and I do on my N2000 (because it doesn't have autofocus), but on my D3300 the lenses that came with it have really tiny focus rings, which makes manual focus harder to do. I cans still do it, it's just more difficult than my N2000.

Yes!I used to have (and wish I still did) an old MF Nikkor 500mm F4-P that was simply amazing. I built up the skills to manually focus larger birds-in-flight and some smaller birds. It rendered truly beautiful images. Autofocus has its benefits but it's easy to become too independent on it.

 

[RogerWilco6502]

Yes!I used to have (and wish I still did) an old MF Nikkor 500mm F4-P that was simply amazing. I built up the skills to manually focus larger birds-in-flight and some smaller birds. It rendered truly beautiful images. Autofocus has its benefits but it's easy to become too independent on it.

My lens of choice for my N2000 is a Nikon Series E 75-150 f/3.5. It's also manual focus and it is what I cut my teeth on when advancing my knowledge on photography. That lens/camera combo has been with me for some time now. I inherited it from my grandmother, who was also an avid photographer, back maybe five or six years ago and it has been with me through the entirety of that time. The glass is really high quality and I really enjoy using it. I agree, autofocus is nice but it does make it easy to stop thinking about what you're taking pictures of.

 

[splifingate]

Nigella damascena; fruit in the mist (drizzly-overcast); 8.5.2020; iP8

Regards, splifingate

 

[chengengaun]

One thing is for sure - your eyes are very sharp!

More of the Burrowing Owl. This is with the Sigma's cousin, the Tamron 150-600. The fact that the owl isn't pin sharp is not the fault of the lens but that of the photographer and his autofocus settings, his hand-holding skills, the temperature and the very windy day. Mostly the photographer .

Watching by Ray Harrison, on Flickr