6 Bird Shots - trying to get tips for improvement - C&C welcome

[cgipson1]

Nice shots, Ron! Love the color on that Cardinal!

 

[Ron Evers]

Thanks Charlie.

Here are a couple more:

4. Baseball player

5. Kingbird

 

[Olympus E300]

WoW! That blue really pops in the photo Ron! Looks great! I wish there was a little less foreground clutter hidding the BlueJay though... Other than that I love it! He looks very focused on something. You perhaps?

 

[cgipson1]

Thanks Charlie.

Here are a couple more:

4. Baseball player

5. Kingbird

Ooooohhh purty! But that blue is almost radioactive!!

 

[One2]

Love all the bird shots.

 

[Infinite_Day]

I really like the coloration on that Blue Jay, Ron. Looks like they get a little brighter further north. Ours have a darker blue to them here it seems. I know what you mean about the 300mm not being long enough as well. I knew 300mm wasn't going to suffice so that's why I bought the 1.4TC to accompany my 300mm f/4. I'd still like more reach but it gets pretty good IQ when you are using it right and the only way to go longer would have probably cost a lot more.

I really looked at the 150-500 hard when I was choosing a tele. Ultimately I stuck with the Nikon prime because I didn't think I was going to need the short end and so didn't see the need to deal with the zoom. It would have given me more reach but the image quality of the 300mm & 1.4TC is so good when you actually nail a shot that I'm not going to complain. Now, if I were rich and had a tripod to handle it I would buy the 400mm f/2.8 & 2.0TC. Or at least the 200-400 with the 1.4TC I already have. Pipe dreams, alas.

That was a really nice shot of the heron as well, SCraig. I know where a blue heron rookery is located and I'm hoping to get some good nesting shots this spring IF I can figure out how to get up on the hill above them without getting in trouble for tresspassing.

 

[SCraig]

That was a really nice shot of the heron as well, SCraig. I know where a blue heron rookery is located and I'm hoping to get some good nesting shots this spring IF I can figure out how to get up on the hill above them without getting in trouble for tresspassing.

Thanks. That was one of the lucky ones that comes along from time to time. He was wading along the shore and I was in the trees. I moved to the edge of the trees to get a good shot and as long as I didn't get any closer he was content to just wade and look for food. They usually fly as soon as they see a human but this one wasn't frightened.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

Too many to C&C really, but some general advice....

1) Overall, Watch your exposures and your white balance. Try spot metering the bird if you have to.

2)Try to keep the sun at your back. or atleast the "3oclock-9oclock" positions.

3)Try to shoot early. You will notice in most case, the birds try to get up into the trees and warm up in the sunlight. This not only gets them to sit still a bit, but also will light them with direct golden hour sunlight.

4)If you are going to shoot birds quite often, ditch the 300 f/4 and TC for a 400mm f/5.6. If you are living at f/5.6 with a TC on it anyway, what benefit are you getting? (you're just destroying your IQ ). IS is not that useful in bird shooting.

5) practice getting closer and closer to the birds each time. You will get used to moving very slowly and deliberately. I noticed after a couple years of birding, during a dimly lit morning, I pulled out the 70-200 f/2.8 thinking "what the heck, might as well give it a whirl." Not expecting much. What I found was, I had gotten much better at approaching birds and suddenly a 70-200 was as good as a 300mm used to be.

6) be very very patient.

 

[Infinite_Day]

Too many to C&C really, but some general advice....

4)If you are going to shoot birds quite often, ditch the 300 f/4 and TC for a 400mm f/5.6. If you are living at f/5.6 with a TC on it anyway, what benefit are you getting? (your just destroying your IQ ). IS is not that useful in bird shooting.

Thanks for the tips. The only one that I can't use is the one above. Nikon doesn't make a 400mm f/5.6. The closest thing they have is an 80-400mm without AF-S. It's AF and will work on the D7000 but the AF-S is quicker on focus. The 300mm f/4 doesn't have VR on it anyway. I actually don't lose a ton of IQ by using the TC on this lens because it's an incredibly sharp prime to begin with. There is some fall-off but It's what I can afford at the moment. The only 400mm prime Nikon makes currently is te f/2.8 at $9,000. Bit out of my budget!

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

Too many to C&C really, but some general advice....

4)If you are going to shoot birds quite often, ditch the 300 f/4 and TC for a 400mm f/5.6. If you are living at f/5.6 with a TC on it anyway, what benefit are you getting? (your just destroying your IQ ). IS is not that useful in bird shooting.

Thanks for the tips. The only one that I can't use is the one above. Nikon doesn't make a 400mm f/5.6. The closest thing they have is an 80-400mm without AF-S. It's AF and will work on the D7000 but the AF-S is quicker on focus. The 300mm f/4 doesn't have VR on it anyway. I actually don't lose a ton of IQ by using the TC on this lens because it's an incredibly sharp prime to begin with. There is some fall-off but It's what I can afford at the moment. The only 400mm prime Nikon makes currently is te f/2.8 at $9,000. Bit out of my budget!

My fault, I assumed it was the Canon. That combo is often debated among people thinking of getting the 400mm. So I will rephrase--"Ditch Nikon, and get a Canon" HAHA, just kidding with ya.

As for the TC, if its the only option you have to do what you have to do. Personally, I have never been very pleased with anything I have put a TC on. The 70-200 f/2.8 handled it well, but still wasn't good, that is why I went with the 400mm. I would rather shoot with the 300mm bare at f/4 and just get more crafty at getting closer to the birds. That is just my opinion though. I am not saying I wouldn't ever use one if it was some kind of rare shot opportunity and it was either use a TC or miss out on the chance, but for general bird shooting, I would rather pass up more shots and go home with solid razor sharp shots, then get every bird that I possibly can while basically voiding out the IQ benefits of having an expensive prime telephoto lens.