Not Lepidoptera (Birds) - 3

[nick patel]

It's not much and the pictures speckly, but if anyone's looking for these guys (Black Guillemots), Oban's the place to go!

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[eccles]

Shirley, the 500mm mirror cannot accommodate most teleconverters due to the shape of the rear baffle, which is the bit inside the mount and behind the rear glass element. However, even if it could, it probably wouldn't be very good. This is because the aperture of the lens is only F8, and adding a 1.4x teleconverter would knock a stop off that making it F11. This wouldn't be bright enough for the camera's autofocus to work, and also the image would be rather dark in the viewfinder making manual focus difficult as well. As it stands, it's just about the best production mirror lens in existence, but although it's quite sharp it's not the same as a good quality glass telephoto nor is it as versatile. It is not a lens for a novice.
The lens I used on the chaffinch is a 100-300 F4 Sigma zoom, and optically is reputed to be the best zoom Sigma has ever produced. Image quality even with the teleconverter attached is first class, but at around £740 and with the matched teleconverter a further £130, it ain't cheap. It's quite heavy too. Where it scores over the mirror is the larger aperture, which can be stopped down (the mirror can't - it's fixed at F8), and out of focus areas are much smoother than the mirror which can be busy and sometimes distracting.

Sigma have put the price up of many of their lenses including the 100-300 F4, and the latter in some places is now around £1,000. This is an own goal in my opinion as stocks of the new Sony 70-400 'G' are now available with prices around the same level.

If you're looking for a telephoto to get you going I would go for the Tamron or Sigma 70-300 F4-5.5 Macro. Either will give you a bit of reach for the garden birds and also close focussing for butterflies. Leave the mirror for now.

BTW, nice goldfinch shot.

[Shirley Roulston]

Eccles, If you bought a new lens, how could you possibly improve on your photos, is there something beyond perfection?

Nick, Oban is a fantastic place for a holiday, last time I was there, there were seals swimming in the harbour and the scenery was breath taking.

In the meantime at home Feeding time.

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[eccles]

Eccles, If you bought a new lens, how could you possibly improve on your photos

It's nice of you to say so Shirley but these are quite small prints. The real challenge is to have enough detail to print decent sized prints and still be sharp. Not all of my posts in this thread would cut it.
Incidently, I suggest you look back at your bird posts over the last three months or so and give yourself a pat on the back as your photos are showing far more detail now. Part of that is perhaps due to the extra reach you're getting from your add-on tele attachment, but undoubtedly technique is part of it as well.

[Shirley Roulston]

Another Blue Tit, I have a most odd problem, yesterday I bought a wide 22inch screen monitor and all the colours of my photos are very pale even this website is extremly pale, I've been trying to brighten things up in settings but it only work for the main screen, the white is too bright. Very odd.

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[eccles]

Nice bluetit Shirley, but cropped a bit tight to the left and top.
To fix your monitor you will need to go into the colour correction options in your desktop display settings and lower the gamma setting.

[Shirley Roulston]

Thanks Eccles, I lower the gamma setting and it worked. I brought my computor downstairs so my Dad could see the photos and I've just got a web cam so he can see his great grandson, I've very pleased with the colour now, thank you very much.
Shirley

[Neil Hulme]

Hi all,
After 10 days without an internet connection (thrashing the computer with a big stick didn't work, so I had to call in the geek squad) I'm only just catching up! The waxwings I posted on the 17th are still in the area, although they've moved to another location, after stripping every berry from the tree. I got the odd extra shot, although I never managed to be there while the lighting was good. Since then I've been watching some very nice Hawfinches, although I've yet to get anything better than silhouettes.
Neil

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[eccles]

They're stunning birds, Neil. No sign of them around here unfortunately. Hawfinches are still around though.
I visited the Forest of Dean yesterday with Xmilehigh. It's been years since I'd seen any nuthatches and we got directed to a place called the Cyril Hart Arboretum. There's a huge log at the centre of the car park there where people drop bird food and birds are there by the dozen. And I got some nuthatch photos.

[twitcher]

Nice pics all,
Glad you got to see your Nuthatch again Eccles.Waxwings still hanging around here in smaller numbers but so is the naff weather.Ive
been staking out a field for a good place to catch these Hares boxing,managed to get them practising last year but not the full monty .
Shaun.

[eccles]

Impressive! Were you in a hide?

[FISHiEE]

I was asking the same myself as it looks like you were pretty close to the Hares(s) for these great shots!

[twitcher]

Thanks both,
No I wasnt in a hide I watched a buck following the scent trail of a doe and managed to squeek it up to about 20 ft away,
Shaun.

[Shirley Roulston]

Fantastic photos of your Hares Shaun, its rare to see those creatures now a days. Not a single butterfly anywhere here but the birds are still coming to the garden, got this Robin to-day, bad weather on its way again

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[sahikmet]

A jay on the lawn this afternoon. Pictures taken by Olympus E510 camera, 40-150 mm zoom. Nice picture of robin Shirley.

Sezar

[Shirley Roulston]

Very nice photos of a Jay, always wanted to get a photo of those myself but their so quick and timid. Such bright colours, after all the feed I've been putting out for the birds a rotton sparrowhawk shot through the garden having caught a Blackbird.
Shirley

[FISHiEE]

All part of nature Shirley... I actually think birds of prey are quite amazing, and predators in general. My dad has one regular taking birds from his feeders at the moment. We set up the feeders to draw in the prey so the predators will inevitably follow. They ain't stupid

[Dave McCormick]

Very nice Jay. I'd love to have a few bird feeders around here, but living on a farm with a grain store nearby, attracts rats, and don't want any rats in our garden/house ugh. But I know someone who lives about a mile away which I can go and watch the birds go to her feeders. I once saw a pheasant jumping up to feed from one of her feeders, was quite funny.

Love the nuthatch Eccles, great shots Like the Hare shots too. I have seen a hare going nuts once during mating season, I remember thre was a pair and one was jumping up and down and jumping over the other and other things. Guess that's where the term "Mad as a march hare" came from, cause that's the mating season for them, March.

[sahikmet]

Green woodpecker (Male) on the lawn in the back garden. Picture taken from behind double glazing. Changed the picture to another one taken on the same day.

Sezar

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[johnb]

I have just noticed this thread so heres a go.