Author Topic: The Birds, the birds.  (Read 49479 times)

Owen

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The Birds, the birds.
« on: 14:02:45, 02/04/19 »
Feeling very frustrated at the moment as I can't get out much due to my damaged ACL. So, here are a few bird photo's from my local nature reserve.









Owen

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #1 on: 14:04:21, 02/04/19 »
This one got mist off, not sure why.

beefy

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #2 on: 15:23:54, 02/04/19 »
Great pics owen O0
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Jac

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #3 on: 16:21:32, 02/04/19 »
 :) O0 lovely pics
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April

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #4 on: 19:39:51, 02/04/19 »
Lovely stuff Owen  O0 Love the shots of the great tits, they are hard to get, they normally move too fast  :)
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Owen

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #5 on: 20:24:45, 02/04/19 »
Love the shots of the great tits, they are hard to get, they normally move too fast  :)


What you don't know is how many mist shots I have ;)

richardh1905

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #6 on: 22:26:37, 02/04/19 »
Lovely telephoto shots, Owen.
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pdstsp

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #7 on: 07:58:33, 03/04/19 »
Lovely shots, Owen.  What length lens are you using? (If you don't mind me asking)

Owen

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #8 on: 08:45:47, 03/04/19 »
A 300mm f4 + 2x teleconverter, not the best set up but all I can afford.

pdstsp

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #9 on: 17:50:59, 03/04/19 »
Cheers Owen - you've got some lovely pics. I love the last one.


I've just bought a sony mirrorless, but Sony zooms are so expensive - I have lashed out on their 300mm lens but would like to go longer for wildlife, so am looking at either a teleconverter or an adaptor so I can use less expensive lenses.  Your results with a converter are great.  I never realised how complex the world of photography is!  And I'm not good with complex.

Owen

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #10 on: 18:45:45, 03/04/19 »
The thing you need to keep in mind with teleconverter is while they multiple the focal length by 2 or 1.4 they also divide the aperture by the same factors. So a 300mm f4 with a 2x teleconverter becomes a 600mm f8. With such reduce maximum aperture you have to watch whether your autofocus will still work.

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #11 on: 19:42:14, 03/04/19 »
Teleconverters also typically slow down autofocus, so may make photographing birds in flight more difficult. They also exacerbate any lens defects, so work better with higher quality (more expensive) lenses. Also, be aware that not all lenses will work with or even fit a teleconverter. I know this is true for Canon lenses / converters. You will also need more light to capture the photos and / or increase the ISO.


That said they can definitely help capture pictures that would otherwise be impossible and quality is usually better than cropping. Also, a 300mm lens plus TC is much cheaper than a 600mm lens.

pdstsp

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #12 on: 22:01:34, 03/04/19 »
Thanks both of you , that's food for thought.


Paul

adalard

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #13 on: 10:48:00, 04/04/19 »
I don't have any technical knowledge to share but the pictures look fantastic. I especially like the chaffinch - such handsome birds, always a pleasure to see them.

Bigfoot_Mike

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Re: The Birds, the birds.
« Reply #14 on: 14:30:58, 06/04/19 »
Something else to consider with longer focal lengths, whether using a TC or not, is that good technique is required to achieve good pictures. The longer focal length means faster shutter speeds are required. Image stabilisation can help, but can slow down autofocus. It can also be difficult to get and keep the target bird in the viewfinder, as the angle of view gets smaller. It is easy for the focus point to slip off the bird onto the background. There is plenty of advice online about long lens technique. A tripod or monopod can be a great help in getting sharper shots, although these can can get in the way of getting birds in flight. Taking the camera out of auto mode is a must, so that you can balance shutter speed, aperture and ISO and achieve the best results. Shooting in raw, rather than JPEG, gives you more control for post processing (I use Adobe Lightroom). Basically, if you let the camera have control, rather than taking control yourself, you are less likely to get the results you want.  There is a learning curve, but it is worth it.

 

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