Show us some birds...61

A99 + Sony 300mm f/2.8 + 2xTC. I wish the sun was not hiding behind the clouds and I didn't have to resort to using ISO 1600 (M1--> M f/5.6, 1/1250 or 1/1000, AF-C, Wide, C:Hi) for flight and ISO 800 (M2: A F/5.6, AF-S, Local, C:Lo) for non-flight shots. Fortunately, I am happy to report that compared to the A850 + 70400G (and almost smashed to the ground due to the frustration caused by missed or misplaced focus in tons of shots) I used for this purpose last year, focus acquisition was fast, the camera was rarely fooled by the trees in the background, and the focus was dead on. I was surprised how usable the camera was with the 2xTC in spite of the poor lighting conditions.
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Serdar- as usual fantastic shots. I think we had this conversation a while ago but I still find myself confused- the issue is the DOF.

Here is my confusion: with a 600mm lens at f5.6 the depth of field is miniscule- less than a foot if the distance is not far. So, how do you get the birds in focus from front of beak to the end of their tail feathers? At 100ft, you have 3 ft of DOF, and the shorter the distance the less DOF.

And, are these handheld?

Thanks and again, one of these days I have to get to Gainsville and go shooting with you- I fund a couple of researchers at the University and need to do a site visit.

steve


Edited by SteveMRose - 24 December 2012 at 21:46

Sony A77 Tamron 200-500mm/5-6.3 f4 1/100 ISO 400 (cropped)
White Breasted Nuthatch


Sony A77 MinO 300mm/4 1/250 f10 ISO 400
Downy Woodpecker

Fantastic BIF shots Serdar,
You mentionned that the combination a99/300+2x work better than a850/70-400. Now, i was wondering how the autofocus (speed and accuracy)work on the 300mm vs 70-400mmG using the A99.

Thanx and Merry Christmas

Serdar- Thanks for the invitation- I'll see what I can work out in that timeframe and let you know. It will be an honor to shoot with you.

You say "I use a Manfrotto 393 monopod head and a Sirui monopod." I note that the monopod head is a gimble affair- what does that give you vs a regular ball head on the monopod that makes it work for BIF? Is it more flexible and allows better following the birds as they come by?

Thanks and Happy Holidays.
steve

Snowy Owl, young female


Snowy Owl by Dalibor M, on Flickr
Sony A57, Tamron SP 70-300mm F4/5.6 USD

Didn't want to go any closer, it was getting restless and as you can see there is no cover anywhere. It was sitting in the middle of open land fill behind ferry boat terminal.

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