Yes, it's another weekend zoo walk

robbins.photo · May 3, 2014

Hit both the zoo and safari park today, had a great deal of fun. First, a really big sparrow... or something:

20140503 s200 1390 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

A sly fox.

20140503 s200 879 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

For you gorilla fans:

20140503 s200 121 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

The required kitty pics:

20140503 N85 058 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

20140419 S200 625 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

The End:

20140503 s200 1670 by robbins.photo, on Flickr

412 Burgh · May 3, 2014

do you have season passes? lol. Anyways I'm assuming these were with the 70-200 and TC?

robbins.photo · May 3, 2014

412 Burgh said:
do you have season passes? lol. Anyways I'm assuming these were with the 70-200 and TC?

Yup, I purchased a yearly membership - it costs about as much as 4 trips to the zoo so it paid for itself in less than a month - lol. If I remember correctly everything was shot with the 70-200 mm with the 2x teleconverter attached except for the Bengal Tiger and the Gorilla. The Gorilla shot is with the 70-200 without the TC, the Bengal was shot with the 85 mm 1.8.

Oh, the fox too I think was shot without the teleconverter, pretty sure that one was just the 70-200 mm.

DarkShadow · May 3, 2014

How did this happen Hmm you got a shot of my mother in law Gorilla.:lmao: You really mastered the Zoo shots, now just let them all free and get some on ground in flight shots. Great set.

Raj_55555 · May 3, 2014

So does that mean you change lenses and teleconverters at the Zoo, or do you carry a spare body? I'm asking this as I thought it wasn't safe to change DSLR lenses in dusty environments.
BTW thanks for the gorilla shots, the silverback looks great as always. But this time the sparrow takes the win

robbins.photo · May 3, 2014

Raj_55555 said:
So does that mean you change lenses and teleconverters at the Zoo, or do you carry a spare body? I'm asking this as I thought it wasn't safe to change DSLR lenses in dusty environments.
BTW thanks for the gorilla shots, the silverback looks great as always. But this time the sparrow takes the win

I usually take both D5200's to the zoo, one will normally have the 85 mm mounted on one and the 70-200 mm on the other, I'll hit most of the indoor sections first then head back to the car, mount the teleconverter and shoot the outdoor stuff with the TC attached.

If I'm hitting the aquarium I'll swap the 85 mm for the 50 mm. Works pretty well overall.

robbins.photo · May 3, 2014

DarkShadow said:
How did this happen Hmm you got a shot of my mother in law Gorilla.:lmao: You really mastered the Zoo shots, now just let them all free and get some on ground in flight shots. Great set.

Well I waited around for a couple of hours today waiting for a good "in flight" shot but those dang Gorilla's refused to cooperate. Lol

412 Burgh · May 3, 2014

I need to pick up a TC for my 70-200... I think the 1.7 would work well. Do the TC's effect autofocus speed?

TheNevadanStig · May 3, 2014

All great shots! I think the eagle is my fav. I really want to go to a zoo soon. The nearest one worth while is about 550 miles round trip though :lol:

baturn · May 4, 2014

Wow! I thought I had some nice sparrow shots. That's amazing. Hard to pick a favorite here, but I'll immediately reject the bison calf's butt. There is nothing wrong with the photo, but it is a butt. So I pick the close-up of the lioness.

astroNikon · May 4, 2014

A great sparrow shot !!
Great perspective and angles .. makes it look like a fabled eagle !!

:thumbup:

SCraig · May 4, 2014

Beautiful shots! Very nicely done. I think that first one is a buzzard or something though, not a sparrow

I do so wish the zoo here had an eagle or two. The only spot around here that I regularly see them they are way too far off for decent shots. They are such gorgeous birds I'd love to get a few up-close-and-personal shots of one.

robbins.photo · May 4, 2014

412 Burgh said:
I need to pick up a TC for my 70-200... I think the 1.7 would work well. Do the TC's effect autofocus speed?

Nope, AF speed stays pretty much the same provided their is enough light. Haven't had any issues there with the 2x as long as I use it in good lighting, it does cut the amount of light coming in by 2 fstops of course but 140-400 mm at F/5.6 works pretty well.

manaheim · May 4, 2014

I know everyone does this, but I honestly always feel like shooting at the zoo is like shooting fish in a barrel.

SCraig · May 4, 2014

manaheim said:
I know everyone does this, but I honestly always feel like shooting at the zoo is like shooting fish in a barrel.

Probably true, but it's the only place I'm gonna get shots of a Lynx or a Tiger or a Cougar or blah, blah, blah since it's unlikely I'll ever be in their part of the world.