More Wildlife.

CT

CT

TPer Emeritus
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Well - a bit more of a fruitful day today. For about a week now I've been judiciously putting out bird seed around a low fir tree, which is just right distance -wise, and ideal for an oof background. The trouble with feeding birds on the ground is that's where you get 'em and it's usually not ideal with messy backgrounds and too much in focus. The idea was that the birds would start to associate the tree with food and start to land there to do a reccy. It finally seems to be working. :)

Anyway - a few from this morning...

Tit1.jpg


Tit3.jpg


Tit2.jpg


I was robbed of some great chaffinch and robin shots by this thug who kept coming and beating everybody up! :suspect1:

Squirrel.jpg


Squirrel2.jpg


Thanks for looking. :)
 
Some lovely shots CT ... really rich and vibrant colours !

You have done very well to catch this wildlife in such fine detail ... really like these - especially #1 & #4 ! And the gear/technique was ... ?

TFS ..
 
Cracking shots CT. Which lens did you use?
 
Soz! 100-400L Tripod mounted. IS0 400. Servo focus.Through an open window with the net curtains taped around the lens, so only the front element is showing. I've found that if I keep hold of the camera and loosen the ball head completely, I'm free to track the birds as they flit around, but because there's still sufficient lens movement with me holding it, the IS still works. If you lock the head then it doesn't, but with a locked head you're never pointing in the right place and you lose a lot of chances messing around.

Edit shot in RAW, lens wide open. No idea what the shutter speed was but the light kept changing anyway.
 
Now that's what I am trying to achieve! All my images seem far softer than the viewfinder is showing. Is it me? The 350D or Sigma 70-300 macro or a combination of all three? I shall have to get management to put up the net curtains and move the feeders nearer the house.
 
It wont be the 350D and I very much doubt it's your Sigma lens. Hmmm what does that leave? :D

Seriously, try using servo focus, and you just can't have a shutter speed that's too fast for these guys - they're never still. :)
 
Love the last one, great colours and bokeh on all of them aswell.

Thanks for sharing:thumb:
 
All are absolutely cracking but first and last my faves :thumb:

Is the 100-400l image stabilised? This might be the next one in my armoury. Just got my replacement wide zoom after breaking my old one last week. Got the 16-35 f2.8L which is to date the most expensive lens I have bought. Snow storm outside at mo so maybe try it later.
 
Thought 16-35L was weather sealed;)

Go on, get out there and get:snap2:

:thumb:
 
NIce CT, thoase things are quick and you've got great backgrounds as well:thumb:
 
HIMUPNORTH said:
Is the 100-400l image stabilised? This might be the next one in my armoury. Just got my replacement wide zoom after breaking my old one last week. Got the 16-35 f2.8L which is to date the most expensive lens I have bought. Snow storm outside at mo so maybe try it later.
Click to expand...

Yes, the 100-400L is stabilised. It has 'normal' mode and also 'panning' mode which is useful for well... panning shots. :confused: :D

It's not weatherproof though.
 
CT said:
I've found that if I keep hold of the camera and loosen the ball head completely, I'm free to track the birds as they flit around, but because there's still sufficient lens movement with me holding it, the IS still works. If you lock the head then it doesn't, but with a locked head you're never pointing in the right place and you lose a lot of chances messing around.
Click to expand...

Now that is a tip worth trying - never used VR on a tripod like you suggest (mainly 'cos the instructions suggest it doesn't work and can be damaging !). :ponders:

Thanks for the methodology break down CT ! :thumb:
 
Well... give it a try Ven, do some test shots first. You'll know when the IS isn't working (but trying to) you get some very strange banding effects.
 
I like that first shot most. :)
 
hi CT, great shots as per usual, but could i just ask why you used ISO 400.
TIA
 
Boon said:
could i just ask why you used ISO 400.
TIA
Click to expand...

Well most of the time the lens was zoomed out to 400mm and I was shooting into the light and compensating for that. I find I usually end up shooting this sort of stuff at ISO 400 anyway unless the light is really favourable, as the fastest shutter speed you can get is seldom fast enough. These tiny birds are so twitchy and animated that you get lots of spoiled shots where they just twitch their heads at the crucial moment. I find I get noise at ISO 400 but it's rarely objectionable, and usually I quite like it. These shots have had no noise reduction. :)
 
thanks CT, gosh, i wish i was clever..
 
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