Dam Osprey.

[matthewo]

Have not been to this spot in a while, it was very busy with herons and egerts, and a few eagles early in the year. Now it seems like the osprey are running the spot. Saw probably 5 or 6 in the air one time, at a good distance. Been working on getting more then just the sky in my flight photos.

Lots of photos but I tried to give a good variety or different background and activity.

1) one photos I was really happy to get. was lucky to have a low angle at the time.

2) doing the hover, looking for a fish

3) got a catfish and coming right at me...(well not really, it was cropped even at 700mm.)

4) closer up with the catfish

5) a dive

6) with the catfish again

7) another hover

8) flight shot

9) a very heavy crop, I just wish he did this closer to me.

10) Thanks for looking....

 

[Tiller]

Nice as always!

I like the inclusion of the trees and background along with the sky in the flying shots.

 

[tirediron]

Outstanding!

 

[Braineack]

wow! amazing captures.

 

[JacaRanda]

Great shots! #'s 4 & 6 Winner Winner Osprey Dinner!

 

[AlexanderB]

Pretty cool. 5, "A dive" is excellent!

 

[biffspandex]

Great captures! Love the dynamic movement of the birds in each frame!

 

[sm4him]

Outstanding! Love that first shot; I think just because it's a little unusual.

I've tried and tried to get the dive shots, but around here, they just always seem to be too far away when they take their dive. Unless, of course, I've just arrived at the scene and am still getting my gear out of the car, or if I've just moved so that there is a tree or large bush in front of me. THEN those suckers will take a dive right in front of me!

 

[DarkShadow]

Great set as always.I also like the first,I never seen a Osprey taking a bath.

 

[matthewo]

Great set as always.I also like the first,I never seen a Osprey taking a bath.

thanks all, but that was him diving to grab a fish.

 

[Modifeye]

Absolutely stunning stuff! My apologies if it was mentioned but I missed it but what lens were you using for these?

 

[matthewo]

Nikon 500mm f4 vr, with 1.4x converter. D800 camera body.

Had to crop a good deal sometimes... Only able to shoot from the bank. Makes me want a 600 f4 . Hmmm

 

[coastalconn]

Love number one! Hard to catch them with nice light and taking off towards you.. Looks like the wind was at your back also.. Very nice series overall! Might be some of my ...ummm.. trained Ospreys heading South, they are starting to thin out here...

Makes me want a 600 f4 . Hmmm

Why such a small step... Pony up and grab the 800 F5.6

 

[matthewo]

Love number one! Hard to catch them with nice light and taking off towards you.. Looks like the wind was at your back also.. Very nice series overall! Might be some of my ...ummm.. trained Ospreys heading South, they are starting to thin out here...

Makes me want a 600 f4 . Hmmm

Why such a small step... Pony up and grab the 800 F5.6

the spot you get a limited number of locations to stand, with the tree line opening up at some spots, but get a pretty good field of view from a few location. I took my kayak out one time there, but it wasn't a good day and the water was super high and running hard, so I hardly made it back across the 150 or so foot main channel they where really letting water out of. this last time would have been a great day for it, pretty low levels and very slow moving water. if I had the kayak I could have possibly gone down river a little ways and gotten some eagle activity, and not killed myself trying to paddle back.

kayak photography below a dam letting out water fast is really a pain, you cant paddle up stream, so you paddle or float down, then when your tired and done you get to paddle against the current back


too much money and too much reach really. IMO 500mm is usually fine, but still needing to crop slightly most of the time, I rarely find it when the 500 totally fills the frame, if so I can usually step back or reposition myself to allow for filling the frame. so 600mm would give me the extra 100mm without having to use a teleconverter, with my 500 the tc1.4e is on it more then I would like. really the biggest determent for the TC is the AF being a little less accurate and hunts sometimes on fast moving objects. I can tell when the tc is on IQ wise, and the min, aperture of 5.6 vs f4 of the straight lens makes a big difference in available shutter speeds as well as iso values. even though I usually stop down to f6.3 and that does not help as well. the 600 would also work decently like the 500mm does with the 1.4 and give a lot of extra reach.

another reason for the 600 would be when I get a secondary body I have thought about the D3, and if I use a D3 I want to fill the frame, as its only 12mp. the d800 gives me a lot more leeway with shorter focal distance with its 36mp.

downside is obviously price and weight as well as size and the stupid 2 piece hood. but IQ wise, the 600 does give you a more dramatic OOF area, which can be helpful, and when shooting larger birds at normal distances, in flight, wide open, then DOF is never an issue, I just shoot wide open to maximize my shutter speed and minimize ISO as well. Im sure you can attest, with that tokina prime, that with high end prime lenses the only reason to stop down is to gain DOF when needed for closer subjects, IQ has such a little difference between apertures, that gaining shutter speed or lowering ISO is always the way to go

 

[coastalconn]

Im sure you can attest, with that tokina prime, that with high end prime lenses the only reason to stop down is to gain DOF when needed for closer subjects, IQ has such a little difference between apertures, that gaining shutter speed or lowering ISO is always the way to go

I wish the Tokina was that good, well I guess it can be.. The vulture in my other thread was wide open. The strange thing is I have to stop down to F5.6 with the 1.4x but only F4 with the 1.7x and I normally get better results with the 1.7x that I have. But that is also dealing with the aperture lever that is bent so it is off by 2/3 - 1 stop in actuality stopping down the blades.. But the lens naked, you are right there probably isn't that much different other then CA/PF.. If you look at my flickr at the vultures one is F4, the others are F2.8....