Yep,.. more Herons. BUT A NEW LENS!

[CyberDyneSystems]

If you havent heard me raving in the EOS forum yet :)

Monday I received my new (USED) Sigma 500mm f/4.5 EX :D

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18266

I can not explain how significantly superior the images and performance of this lens is over any thing else I have used.

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=1393371&outx=980&oq=0&noresize=1&nostamp=1

This is the first time I have pointed this lens at a bird in flight,.. and the image is FAR superior to any of the hundreds of attempts I have made with my other lenses.

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=1393372&outx=980&oq=0&noresize=1&nostamp=1

[Guillermo Freige]

Wow, that's amazing!!!

[charr5]

CDS,
Looks like that Sigma realy paid off! Those shots are dead on CRISP! You must be a happy man!
Good for you. Congrats.
Great shots..keep em coming.
I like the way the grass leads off to the right on the first shot. Nice composition.
Christopher

[Laziferous]

That first shot is super, man. You totally nailed it. Everything about it is great. Very impressive!

[CyberDyneSystems]

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=1384300&outx=980&oq=0&noresize=1&nostamp=1

You all have to appreciate that these are obviously resized and compressed jpegs... the full size images are unreal. :D

[CyberDyneSystems]

Thank you Guillermo! :)

-------------------------------------------

Christopher,.. you can bet I will be taking more pics!
Thanks for your kind words.

--------------------------------------------

Laziferous, I really appreciate your comments. It means a lot :D

[JoseC]

Hi CDS.
It is my dream to be able to get so beautifull shots.
Jose C.

[Laziferous]

These are the kind of shots, that make me want the 10D. You deserve every compliment you get. The one above with the wings spread back is unreal man.

[xuxu1]

Beautiful shots CDS!

You and your new Sigma lens are doing a great job. Have fun with your new lens (and 10D) and keep them coming.

Regards
Ed

[BCdives]

CDS, I looked at your pic's with your new glass and have come up with a few thoughts.

WOW!..............Wow!...............and WOW!

Certainly the best, sharpest and clearest pic's I have seen you post.

[marie]

CyberDyneSystems wrote:

You all have to appreciate that these are obviously resized and compressed jpegs... the full size images are unreal. :D

~~~~~~~
oh yeh
yawn yawn ..........enough is enough

know when to stop :D :D

poor rocky will be having a hard time from now on.
the ' f ( l )ight of the herons' best shot is on !



they are terrific cyberdynesystems
congratulations.
the birds don't even look as depressed (1st shot here) as they usually do.
they must have known that you just needed a better lens.

are you still branching out ?
(on a tree)

best wishes

marie

[stoneylonesome]

Great shots, Love the first one dead on sharp...

[yason]

Hi CDS,

you have just put me in a very un-comfortable spot...now I got to save more $$ to get prime lens... I was thinking about 70-200L IS f2.8, now that I see your photos...I am wondering if I should reconsider...hmmm.

Opps, before I forgot, those are really nice pics....

[CyberDyneSystems]

JoseC,

Thank you so much,. I have to admit,. it was my dream too! :)

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xuxu1
I will endeavor to perservere! :D Thanks :)

-----------------------------------

BC

I thought so too,.

....it is a bit melancholy to realize that the last 14,000 pics I took were hampered in comparison to this lens,. but it is all part of the learning curve as well. Having to work very hard with your equipment to get great looking images makes for strong training.

Switching to this lens seems analogous to track training with weights around your ankles... then after months of training with those weights you have your first race, and the weights come off!

Recenly I made the switch to full time RAW shooting,. it was only in the last month or so that my confidence in my own skills had let me take a few RAW images of a subject as opposed to the dozens of jpegs I used to take. I guess what I am thinking is that after that switch,. which was a bit of a breakthrough I was actually ready for a lens like this,. the same way I had to build up to feeling ready for a DSLR

------------------------------------

Marie,
Don't stop ribbing me! I need it! :D
Thank for your kind words as well,. :)

The first two images were of a complete stranger, A blue Heron that I happend upon while trying to get images of some Egrets (still no egrets :) ) near a salt marsh. The third image is my buddy Big blue at his usual roost late afternoon.

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Thanks Stoney!

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yason,
The "Prime Dilemna" is a big one! We all here people "saying primes are better"
time and again,.. but we don't how much better,. are they all betteer etc. All I can say is THIS Prime is better, and there fore I need to rethink my own equipment.

[new girl on the bloc]

wow! these are stupendous shots! i love them, esp. the third one!

[Leighow]

The 1st shot is my favourite You have it sitting on a rock, with beautiful left to right composition and framing. Pretty slick I would say.

Allow me to show my ignorance by asking what kind if heron this is anyway?

And what were your A, T., and Focal Length settings ?

You the birdman.

HOWIE

[Hatem Eldoronki]

CDS, that lens is just craaazy!!! I love your shots, especially the one in flight.

[Sheri]

Leighow wrote:
The 1st shot is my favourite You have it sitting on a rock, with beautiful left to right composition and framing. Pretty slick I would say.

Allow me to show my ignorance by asking what kind if heron this is anyway?

And what were your A, T., and Focal Length settings ?

You the birdman.

HOWIE

And are they hand held?

Beautiful shots.

Sheri

[Guillermo Freige]

Handheld? With a 500?
Schwartzenegger probably can do it, but no regular mortal I think will be able to take that beast handheld for more than a few minutes....

[new girl on the bloc]

Guillermo Freige wrote:
Handheld? With a 500?
Schwartzenegger probably can do it, but no regular mortal I think will be able to take that beast handheld for more than a few minutes....

According to Schwartzenegger he can do anything...

[CyberDyneSystems]

I can shoot with it handheld,. :D



.......for a few seconds!

But no ,. it is a tripod lens for sure! In fact I was convinced my existing tripod/head would be of little use,. but as it is the lightest 500mm prime around it works quite well with my set-up. I do think I will want a beefier head,. like a gimble mount (Wimberly is the pricey one but Manfrotto makes one that looks really good)

Allow me to show my ignorance by asking what kind if heron this is anyway?

And what were your A, T., and Focal Length settings ?

Great Blue heron,

EXIF;

The "Wingshot";
Shutter speed: 1/250 sec
Aperture: 5.0
Exposure compensation: -1/3
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Partial
Drive mode: Continuous
ISO: 200
Lens: 500.0 mm

In the marsh;
Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: 9.0
Exposure compensation: -2/3
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Partial
Drive mode: Continuous
ISO: 400
Lens: 500.0 mm

Flight;
Shutter speed: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: 10
Exposure compensation: -2/3
Flash: Off
Metering mode: Partial
Drive mode: Continuous
ISO: 400
Lens: 500.0 mm

[CyberDyneSystems]

I see I made a booboo,.. on day two (the flight and marsh shot) I had started the day @ iso 400,. but based on my aperture and shutter speeds I clearly should have been down at 100 or 200. Whereas on the fisrt day I gad the lens I took "the wingshot" and would have benifitted from an iso of 400,. but I had left it at 200....

[Tiger1]

http://images.fotopic.net/?id=1384300&outx=980&oq=0&noresize=1&nostamp=1

You all have to appreciate that these are obviously resized and compressed jpegs... the full size images are unreal. :D

I can't figure out this wing on the Heron. There is only supposed to be one red burnished spot on the top of the wing, but this wing has 2 and it is extra long - HMMM

Any Idea -

Gene

[CyberDyneSystems]

I think there is one at the "wrist", ( the one we usually see, ) but there is one on the shoulder as well.. which is not as often visible,.. see the back/shoulder feathers all puffed up? They normally cover it I guess.

I'll look at some other shots to see if I can find more examples.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Here's another good example,.. see how the shoulder patch is actually still partially covered by those long breast feathers?
Note also the nice rust color on his "pants".

All of this is Mating season plumage too I think.

http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=ya955b&outx=600&noresize=1

FYI this is the same bird, just three years later. "Big Blue" is a dedicated bachelor that "winters over" in the local park,. despite Ornithologists that say that's not possible! :) He's an odd bird.

[canonloader]

I just checked my archives and found several birds with red at the wrist and more at the armpit. Hard to see unless the wing is unfolded.