Male Tree Swallow at 800mm

[fortinaa]

I discovered a great new spot within 15 miles of my house this weekend. It is full of wetland area and hiking trails. There have been nestboxes put up in a variety of places and seem to attract a variety of different birds. I got lucky enough to set up a tripod and remote close enough for this capture.

http://www.msu.edu/%7Efortinaa/bluebird.jpg
Photo was taken w/ 20D, 400 5.6L+2x MKI on a cheap tripod

I must say that I find manually focusing to be fairly difficult if you can't fill half the frame. Most shots came out decent, but only very few with the sharpness I hoped for.

Comments welcome!

[einsteinsauntie]

Beautiful shot, you must be happy with the focus on that one.

[Scottes]

Fantastic shot.

[Leorooster]

Beautiful shot.

[ssim]

That's a beauty. Love the colors.

[skade]

That is just fantastic! What great colours this bird has!

[nitsch]

Very impressive! What a beautiful bird and to get a shot like this at that focal length too is amazing. :D

[fortinaa]

Thanks for the comments guys. I was happy with the focus on that one. The 2x converter does take some of the sharpness out of the 400mm (which luckily is pretty darn sharp!). I would have liked to have gotten closer, but didn't want to disturb the birds.

[paulhillion]

Thanks for the comments guys. I was happy with the focus on that one. The 2x converter does take some of the sharpness out of the 400mm (which luckily is pretty darn sharp!). I would have liked to have gotten closer, but didn't want to disturb the birds.I've been thinking about getting the 2x extender for a while now & read all sorts of reports about how much it deteriorates sharpness, but looking at your shot you can see that's not always the case!

A beautiful looking bird, thanks for sharing.

[threadders]

Was a tripod used for this shot ?

[cfcRebel]

Wow, the picture is awesome! *****jaw dropped*****
Thanks Aaron!

I want to learn. I must ask:
1. what creative mode did u use, Av, Tv, M?
2. what type of remote did u use? Does the remote behave just like the shutter button on the camera, i.e. half-press to autofocus, press down to snap?

Thanks in advance!
cfc

[CrazyCrease]

I have the same questions as the guy above:)

while i know u used a remote and tripod, the question of creative mode and remote auto focus still lingeres....hehhe
thanks
chris

[fortinaa]

I am happy that everyone is enjoying the picture. That little guy looks like quite the character. To answer some questions:

1) Cheap Sunpak7500 Pro tripod w/ 488RC2 Ballhead was used
2) I used the Adidt T3 remote for the 20D
3) Mode was set to AV w/ neutral exposure
4) Had to manual focus. F5.6+2x = F11 (shot was at F13 I believe)
5) Sharpness is very acceptable, and might even be a little better if I had a sturdier tripod. 2X converters do make a noticable difference, but not so much that an image is unacceptable. The MKII converter is supposed to be slightly better optically than the MKI, so I don't see any problem using them with a good prime lens.

[martin-images]

Fantastic stuff, magnificent capture

Martin

[Ballen Photo]

What a wonderful photo Aaron. You had to use both a remote and an 800mm lens to capture this? Are you talking about some sort of motion detecting remote, or a corded remote for your camera? WOW! Those Birds must be cagey! :D
-Bruce

[HJMinard]

Beautiful bird and an outstanding shot ... I hadn't really considered a TC purchase, particularly a 2x ... 'til now.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Perfect.............

[marie]

I discovered a great new spot within 15 miles of my house this weekend. It is full of wetland area and hiking trails. There have been nestboxes put up in a variety of places and seem to attract a variety of different birds. I got lucky enough to set up a tripod and remote close enough for this capture.

http://www.msu.edu/%7Efortinaa/bluebird.jpg



Photo was taken w/ 20D, 400 5.6L+2x MKI on a cheap tripod

I must say that I find manually focusing to be fairly difficult if you can't fill half the frame. Most shots came out decent, but only very few with the sharpness I hoped for.

Comments welcome!


wonderful shot.
right down to those beautiful legs http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif

the perch detail (wood) looks good too
amazing how the head is turned right around ( for the shoot)http://www.photography-on-the.net/forum/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif
without moving the body

[PacAce]

Absolutely gorgeous! The colors are stunning. Hard to believe it was taken with a 400 f/5.6 and a 2x TC! :shock: Great job!

[Wayne Wood]

Marie thats a stunning picture awesome job I totally love it

[marie]

Marie thats a stunning picture awesome job I totally love it


thanks a lot liv2trip:lol:

you should come here more often :lol:

it's not my picture:shock:


but I fully agree with the rest of your sentence

:cool::cool:

[Wayne Wood]

thanks a lot liv2trip:lol:

you should come here more often :lol:

it's not my picture:shock:


but I fully agree with the rest of your sentence

:cool::cool:
my apologies to Fortina I didnt scrool far enough down the post but the comment stands (stunning):cool:

[sparker1]

Simply outstanding photo. The bird is beautiful, but the bokeh is wonderful.

[marie]

my apologies to Fortina I didnt scrool far enough down the post but the comment stands (stunning):cool:

it was actually my fault for putting the picture on again
I thought it may get lost in the replies and needed to show up further down the post

to help
:confused:


it's a great shot
and no harm has been done to it

:)

[Bald Eagle]

That is an excellent photo, and really showcases the skill of the photographer. To take such an exceptional shot at that range takes skill. Bravo.

[boomer1959]

WOW is that sharp :D

[Airedale1]

Amazing capture!

[LazyPhotographer]

Beautiful!

[felix21685]

wow 800mm thats not to shabby !..nice shot as well !!!

[fortinaa]

:) Thanks everyone for the replies! I have been in search of good places for nature shooting close to home so that opportunities to shoot birds and creatures like this would come up. Finally, I found it, and went back the day after finding it with all the gear. I ended up using the Camera remote to help stabilize the shot at 800mm. As I mentioned, the tripod isn't the best, and even handling the camera controls introduces shake. I originally took the remote to shoot nesting herons that were backlight (and with me shooting from under shade). Settings were like F13, ISO200, 1/160th and I didn't want to take chances w/ shaking the camera. I am definitely pleased that I came across this little guy in good light and was able to come away with a few captures. Again, thanks for all the positive comments!

[kenyc]

WOW!

KAC

[PhotosGuy]

Nice shot!
I noticed on another post you said, "We Michiganders need to get together sometime" but you didn't comment on my PM re: "Michigan, Ohio, Sarnia, Ontario Race weekend." Whasup? ;-)

[BlueTit]

Great photo of a beautiful bird. Is that cropped or is that the full frame? I have the TC 2 but have not used it much, this picture is encouraging.

[scottbergerphoto]

Nice shot. Looks alot like this one. Same camera, lens, 1.4x Tamron TC:
http://www.pbase.com/scottbergerphoto/image/43883275.jpg

[fortinaa]

Great photo of a beautiful bird. Is that cropped or is that the full frame? I have the TC 2 but have not used it much, this picture is encouraging.

This photo is cropped. Actually, what you are seeing here is only a slight resize of the actual pixels after cropping. I probably could have gotten closer, but I always want to give nesting animals their distance. Where I was at, this guy just sat for about 5 minutes and didn't seem to mind me.

Scott, you got a great capture as well in a little more natural environment and a bit less harsh lighting.