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 Tilden Junco-1112 on Flickr Tilden Red-shouldered Hawk pair-0828 on Flickr Tilden Song Sparrow-1226 on Flickr Tilden Hermit Thrush-1212 on Flickr
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Feb 27, 2021 23:07
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 Great Horned Owl by Tyler Huestis, on Flickr
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Feb 28, 2021 01:49
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This weekend I got frustrated by the clarity on the cheap telephoto lens I'm borrowing, so I just placed an order for a Sigma 150-600mm. My descent into madness has well and truly begun. Hung out with some white-winged crossbills for a while. Also saw some red crossbills scattered about, which led to much confusion as we were trying to count each species.   This isn't a great shot, but this is the first long-tailed duck I've seen in the wild. 
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Mar 1, 2021 18:45
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BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:This weekend I got frustrated by the clarity on the cheap telephoto lens I'm borrowing, so I just placed an order for a Sigma 150-600mm. My descent into madness has well and truly begun. Not sure which lens you're borrowing but even with the sigma or tamron 150-600mm lenses you'll need to stop down to f/8 or so to get decent clarity IIRC.
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Mar 1, 2021 19:05
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VelociBacon posted:Not sure which lens you're borrowing but even with the sigma or tamron 150-600mm lenses you'll need to stop down to f/8 or so to get decent clarity IIRC. Thanks - I'm borrowing a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 and yeah I try not to shoot that one more open than f/7.1 unless the light demands it, but the bigger issue is I often have to pull back to 250mm if I want a clear shot. It's not bad at all, but I also want something with more reach because I'm regularly trying to get coastal/river waterfowl from the shore. I'd keep using it if it were my own. Definitely have a tooooooon to learn and I don't want to go gear crazy.
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Mar 1, 2021 20:30
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Congrats! That should be a great upgrade for you. I've got the Tamron (g2), and will echo Velociraptor's suggestion. I try not to shoot at f/6.3 unless it's so dark that whatever softness I get is not going to be noticeable anyway. I'll usually go f/7.1 or f/8. And keep your shutter speed up with a lens that big. The IS on lenses like that are actually not bad but even so your keeper rate can sometimes feel underwhelming when you are fighting the light (and then sometimes you'll miraculously get some crisp shots hand-held at like 1/30 sec so it's definitely always worth trying). I have much better success rates when it's on a tripod but I'm definitely not going to hike around too much with those unless I know it's going to be a good shot.
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Mar 1, 2021 20:50
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Congrats! That should be a great upgrade for you. I've got the Tamron (g2), and will echo Velociraptor's suggestion. I try not to shoot at f/6.3 unless it's so dark that whatever softness I get is not going to be noticeable anyway. I'll usually go f/7.1 or f/8. And keep your shutter speed up with a lens that big. The IS on lenses like that are actually not bad but even so your keeper rate can sometimes feel underwhelming when you are fighting the light (and then sometimes you'll miraculously get some crisp shots hand-held at like 1/30 sec so it's definitely always worth trying). I have much better success rates when it's on a tripod but I'm definitely not going to hike around too much with those unless I know it's going to be a good shot. I have to ask actually, how do you know if you have G1 or G2 of the tamron? I think I have the G1 and recently it's started to do the thing I've seen online where it doesn't do any AF unless you pop it in and out of MF/AF a few times (on the lens). I've been meaning to find where to buy that kit to repair that if anyone here knows about it.
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Mar 1, 2021 21:10
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Is anyone a member of NANPA? I'm the wrong side of the Atlantic to be the primary target for membership but they've started to do a month episode on the Wild and Exposed podcast so I've been hearing a bit from them. Sadly the UK lacks a decent wildlife photography organisation.
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Mar 1, 2021 21:36
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VelociBacon posted:I have to ask actually, how do you know if you have G1 or G2 of the tamron? I think I have the G1 and recently it's started to do the thing I've seen online where it doesn't do any AF unless you pop it in and out of MF/AF a few times (on the lens). I've been meaning to find where to buy that kit to repair that if anyone here knows about it. The G2 has the push-pull zoom lock and the zoom lock switch. The G1 only has the switch. Pablo Bluth posted:Is anyone a member of NANPA? I'm the wrong side of the Atlantic to be the primary target for membership but they've started to do a month episode on the Wild and Exposed podcast so I've been hearing a bit from them. Sadly the UK lacks a decent wildlife photography organisation. I follow them but I'm not a member. If I ever get to the point where I have too much money I'll probably join. They seem like a pretty good org.
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Mar 1, 2021 22:03
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I have also just ordered the Sigma 150-600 contemporary, it should be here on Wednesday and I'm really looking forward to getting outside at the weekend to try it out. My other lenses are £1-200 affairs and so it's my first big purchase in the hobby outside of the body. Is the dock a required purchase?
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Mar 1, 2021 23:48
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General Ledger posted:I have also just ordered the Sigma 150-600 contemporary, it should be here on Wednesday and I'm really looking forward to getting outside at the weekend to try it out. Assuming the dock is just to fine tune back/front focusing, most bodies have this functionality built in and will remember the lens and apply the adjustment when you use it.
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Mar 2, 2021 03:53
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If I remember right the sigma 150-600 got some updates that improved AF but 20-40%. I suppose once you get it you can decide if you feel that speed increase would be worth another for the dock £40-50. I've had my eye on the sigma 150-600 myself for ages so once you do get it id love a little review.
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Mar 2, 2021 10:47
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VelociBacon posted:Assuming the dock is just to fine tune back/front focusing, most bodies have this functionality built in and will remember the lens and apply the adjustment when you use it. Because it's a 3rd party lens sometimes firmware is changed to fix bugs / solve compatibility issues with newer cameras.
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Mar 2, 2021 11:43
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jarlywarly posted:Because it's a 3rd party lens sometimes firmware is changed to fix bugs / solve compatibility issues with newer cameras. Isn't that just a micro usb usually to the pc? Having a dock feels like that just want to squeeze you for more money.
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Mar 2, 2021 11:54
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I did order the dock but I'll return it if transpires to be unnecessary. I did see on a review video that they advised to assign a non-default IS profile to the custom 1/2 switch which is done via the dock but I'll let you know if that's true or I've misunderstood. I'm coming off a cheap and cheerful tamron 70-300, the one without IS, it's by all accounts 'quite bad' but for the money it's been a great gateway to telephoto bird and nature stuff. Its actual reasonably good as a macro lens.
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Mar 2, 2021 13:11
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I don't know what IS is like on the Sigma 150-600 but on the Fuji 100-400 it's an absolute godsend and makes you so much more flexible with light and shutter speeds without pushing ISO through the roof or dragging a tripod around everywhere. You're gonna love it.
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Mar 2, 2021 15:27
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Mega Comrade posted:If I remember right the sigma 150-600 got some updates that improved AF but 20-40%. I suppose once you get it you can decide if you feel that speed increase would be worth another for the dock £40-50. I got this lens back in January and I love it. I have it paired with a crap APS-C body (Canon T7i). I have the dock and used it to set the custom settings buttons. I have a couple Sigma lenses so the dock purchase made more sense to me. One thing I noticed so far with mine is when shooting small backyard birds at relatively close range, 5-10 meters, it works very well and is very sharp. When I'm shooting raptors or something in the field at a distance the quality suffers a bit, but not terrible. This could have a lot to do with my body and might not be the lenses fault. Shooting at f/6.3 definitely isn't as sharp as f/7.1 or f/8 as others have said, but at close range like I mentioned above f/6.3 looked fine. Here's some examples: 600mm, 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO800  600mm, 1/1600, f/6.3, ISO800  600mm, 1/4000, f/8, ISO800  600mm, 1/1600, f/8, ISO800  600mm, 1/640, f/8, ISO800  600mm, 1/320, f/6.3, ISO800 
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Mar 2, 2021 20:57
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Jerm324 posted:I got this lens back in January and I love it. I have it paired with a crap APS-C body (Canon T7i). I have the dock and used it to set the custom settings buttons. I have a couple Sigma lenses so the dock purchase made more sense to me. One thing I noticed so far with mine is when shooting small backyard birds at relatively close range, 5-10 meters, it works very well and is very sharp. When I'm shooting raptors or something in the field at a distance the quality suffers a bit, but not terrible. This could have a lot to do with my body and might not be the lenses fault. Shooting at f/6.3 definitely isn't as sharp as f/7.1 or f/8 as others have said, but at close range like I mentioned above f/6.3 looked fine. Here's some examples: Thank you very much for sharing. I'd be really pleased if I could harness similar results on the raptors, I think those look great. I'm going to be pairing with a Canon M50. I never expected to be buying a lens that cost more than the body when I picked the M50 prior to getting hooked on the hobby - but here I am.
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Mar 2, 2021 21:09
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Yeah, this lens is pretty sick (Sigma 150-600mm contemporary), very excited to put it through its paces. The lens arrived last night, and I went out for 30 minutes before work and almost immediately nabbed a sharp photo of a white-throated sparrow. f/9, 1/250  In time, I'll be able to get a printable shot of the jerk buffleheads right out my door that only forage smack in the middle of the river.
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Mar 4, 2021 21:27
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BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:Yeah, this lens is pretty sick (Sigma 150-600mm contemporary), very excited to put it through its paces. The lens arrived last night, and I went out for 30 minutes before work and almost immediately nabbed a sharp photo of a white-throated sparrow. Awesome mate
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Mar 4, 2021 21:40
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the yellow eyebrows on white throated sparrows are always so hilariously stern
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Mar 5, 2021 05:22
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I got out today as I had the day off as annual leave, and am super happy with the sigma lens. Getting used to the size and weight of it, and how to hold and carry it, but overall very pleased. Here are a couple from this morning:  Wood Pigeon by Jack R, on Flickr Heron by Jack R, on Flickr Little Egret by Jack R, on Flickr Robin by Jack R, on Flickr Magpie by Jack R, on FlickrI actually had a great chance to capture a fox sat in the meadow behind that Robin, but I thought it was a dog shaped pile of sticks; by the time I realised my mistake it bolted.
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Mar 5, 2021 16:06
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Getting the first signs of spring migration in Massachusetts. First red-winged blackbirds of the season, and the return of the grackles. They're kinda obnoxious birds, really, but when they land in the right light... 
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Mar 6, 2021 23:52
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Grackles are great. We had a ton in Austin, and I enjoyed seeing them roaming around and squeaking at the grocery store parking lot. And nice light on that picture!
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Mar 7, 2021 16:16
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DorianGravy posted:Grackles are great. We had a ton in Austin, and I enjoyed seeing them roaming around and squeaking at the grocery store parking lot. gently caress a Grackle. Those poo poo birds are the scourge of Fort Worth.
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Mar 8, 2021 05:35
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Snow's all melted but it got colder again so no signs of all the migratory birds yet. It'll probably be another couple weeks before the first ones start showing up. Still, the locals are hard at work as always: Woodpecker at work (great spotted woodpecker, to be specific)  Great tit  The duality of nuthatch
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Mar 8, 2021 22:11
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This is a cool shot! I have an irrational love of shots of nuthatches facing into the camera because they look so silly, and I make a point of trying to get them in that pose. Like this red-breasted blobhatch. 
BRAKE FOR MOOSE fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Mar 9, 2021 |
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Mar 9, 2021 01:44
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 Bush stone curlew.  Territorial superb fariy wren.
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Mar 9, 2021 04:52
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toggle posted:
Dang what a badass
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Mar 9, 2021 05:12
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Bush Stone Curlews are rad but gently caress the ones in particular that live in front of our house. Their calls are not soothing at 1am.
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Mar 9, 2021 05:23
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BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:This is a cool shot! Haha, nice to see that nuthatches are the same everywhere! Pointy at both ends when seen from the side but total goofs from the front 
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Mar 9, 2021 10:45
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seravid posted:Dang what a badass Napoleon complex in bird form Megabound posted:Bush Stone Curlews are rad but gently caress the ones in particular that live in front of our house. Their calls are not soothing at 1am. I hear them in the distance all throughout the night, I can only imagine how calming a 1am call outside your window would be. For those that don't know.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB8T0dV5YNA
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Mar 10, 2021 04:41
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There’s a Yellow-throated Warbler, rare for Massachusetts, at the hotspot near me. It’s been regularly visiting a feeder at an apartment building that backs up to the woods. I managed to spot it yesterday after a few tries. Yellow-throated Warbler (albilora)  Yellow-throated Warbler (albilora)  Yellow-throated Warbler (albilora)
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Mar 10, 2021 16:34
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Snack time! [edit:] vv yep, it's a hooded merganser! and a tasty crayfish, which they eat by orienting it just right and swallowing it whole. BRAKE FOR MOOSE fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Mar 11, 2021 |
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Mar 10, 2021 21:57
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BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:Snack time! that's awesome What bird is that though? Looks kinda like some sea duck or diving duck? e: hooded merganser? TheFluff fucked around with this message at 11:08 on Mar 11, 2021 |
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Mar 11, 2021 11:05
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Bufflehead! Male. And they do dive to feed, it's fun to watch!
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Mar 12, 2021 05:26
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TheFluff posted:that's awesome Yup! Similar to the bufflehead with the white on the head but the hooded mergs have a more punk rock hairdo, thinner bill, and the brown on the sides.
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Mar 12, 2021 06:17
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Yup! Similar to the bufflehead with the white on the head but the hooded mergs have a more punk rock hairdo, thinner bill, and the brown on the sides. Aaaa!! I was so close...
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Mar 12, 2021 17:03
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Yeah, it's a hoodie, but buffleheads are cool too! Similar feeding behavior. The male buffleheads also have this awesome iridescence on their dark head feathers, along with sharp dark/white contrast, which is making it really tricky for me to get a good shot of them as an inexperienced photographer. There's a resident group near me, but they're skittish and stay away from the shore of the river, so even though I see them about half the time I'm out and get great looks through binoculars, I've never had a day where I can get a clear and properly exposed photo in good light. This is my best attempt so far:
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Mar 12, 2021 18:47
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A flock of Cedar Waxwings hung around my workplace for about a week eating every single little berry off the bushes in the parking lot. They've since moved on but I took my camera to work one day and they put on a show for me.    
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Mar 12, 2021 20:47
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