Nice tie 
I've got a Helios knocking around that I really should use more.
I've got a Helios knocking around that I really should use more.[PIC_THREAD] Wildlife, Animals, Birds, Zoo
- Thread starter Rojin
- Start date
Haha yeah hes always got his tongue out, I like to photograph him when he's got a longer coat but he does get hot when its not clipped, also he can't see a damn thing so I end up having to get the tennis balls for him.
For the price I love the Helios, nice portrait lens I think at that length.
For the price I love the Helios, nice portrait lens I think at that length.
Soldato
Soldato
Some more Dragonflies before winter turns up!
1 -
Red on a twig by Phal44, on Flickr
2 -
Black and White Dragon by Phal44, on Flickr
3 -
Kinky Dragons by Phal44, on Flickr
4 -
The classic 'Hold a twig' pose by Phal44, on Flickr
1 -
Red on a twig by Phal44, on Flickr2 -
Black and White Dragon by Phal44, on Flickr3 -
Kinky Dragons by Phal44, on Flickr4 -
The classic 'Hold a twig' pose by Phal44, on Flickr
Soldato
I see seabirds on the seashore
1-
Angel Wings by Phal44, on Flickr
2-
Incoming 2 by Phal44, on Flickr
3-
Tough Landing Spot 2 by Phal44, on Flickr
4-
Fabulous Cormorant by Phal44, on Flickr
5-
Sandpiper Walking Away by Phal44, on Flickr
6-
Keeping An Eye On Me by Phal44, on Flickr
1-
Angel Wings by Phal44, on Flickr2-
Incoming 2 by Phal44, on Flickr3-
Tough Landing Spot 2 by Phal44, on Flickr4-
Fabulous Cormorant by Phal44, on Flickr5-
Sandpiper Walking Away by Phal44, on Flickr6-
Keeping An Eye On Me by Phal44, on Flickr
Soldato
They also sound like a squeaky dog toy lol :/
Soldato
Noisycatchers
I work quite close to a river and there's some that nest on a neighbouring roof. You can tell when they're flying off somewhere or when they come back lol
Soldato
Apparently my Sandpipers are actually Turnstones! Another fail for the RSPB bird identifier lol
Collins Bird Guide, by Lars Svensson, is one of the best books for ids. All illustrations rather than photos.
Soldato
Yeah there's undoubtedly better ways to ID birds but truth be told, I'm too lazy to look them up unless I keep seeing them and eventually curiosity gets the better of me lol
Why look things up when there's a load of other people out there that will do it for you?
Associate
There were a few of those little Darter thingies sitting on a fence today, for a change I managed to get a couple of sharpish shots with my Close Up Lens:
Soldato
It's nice when they sit still for ya
Associate
Yeah, I currently use my old 75-300 for them so as I get within range the blighters usually fly off.
I did get a corker the other week, not as sharp but I love the cartoon smile:
Your 2 dragonflies mating is very sharp, I took loads of piccies the other day but few were as sharp:
Although I did see a Grass Snake pottering over the other side of the stream:
I did get a corker the other week, not as sharp but I love the cartoon smile:
Your 2 dragonflies mating is very sharp, I took loads of piccies the other day but few were as sharp:
Although I did see a Grass Snake pottering over the other side of the stream:
Soldato
Yeah the lens definitely helps Dragonflies are tricky because they're often quite skittish but occasionally you can find them when they're cold or if they're busy hunting rather than patrolling their spots.
If they're cold then you can get up to them with the sharpest lens you have and snap away. If they're hunting then they might tolerate you whilst they look for their snacks but the rest of the time I find they don't sit still for long and they often sit in spots you can't get to easily :/
The first few you've posted are pretty sharp The second lot seem to be taken with less light and higher ISO so you'll lose some sharpness there.
You can also use extension tubes even with longer lenses to get a bit more magnification.
Dragonflies are tricky because they're often quite skittish but occasionally you can find them when they're cold or if they're busy hunting rather than patrolling their spots. If they're cold then you can get up to them with the sharpest lens you have and snap away. If they're hunting then they might tolerate you whilst they look for their snacks but the rest of the time I find they don't sit still for long and they often sit in spots you can't get to easily :/
The first few you've posted are pretty sharp
The second lot seem to be taken with less light and higher ISO so you'll lose some sharpness there.You can also use extension tubes even with longer lenses to get a bit more magnification.
Associate
Thanks for the feedback.
My 75-300 is at times shocking, CA is a big issue on some subjects and it is at its sharpest at 150mm or so.
I've rented a 70-200 F4L for this weekend, I'm thinking of buying one and using it with extension tubes for butterflies, dragonflies etc and without as a walkabout lens. Hopefully the optics will be better.
Edit: Minimum focusing distance is 1.5m or so on the 75-300 and 1.2m on the 70-200 F4L, so not a lot in it really.
My 75-300 is at times shocking, CA is a big issue on some subjects and it is at its sharpest at 150mm or so.
I've rented a 70-200 F4L for this weekend, I'm thinking of buying one and using it with extension tubes for butterflies, dragonflies etc and without as a walkabout lens. Hopefully the optics will be better.
Edit: Minimum focusing distance is 1.5m or so on the 75-300 and 1.2m on the 70-200 F4L, so not a lot in it really.
Soldato
Yeah as sharp as my 70-200mm F4L was, it wasn't great for small stuff. My 200-400mm is surprisingly good since it's a 2m minimum focus even at 560mm and I can also put in an extension tube or a 1.4x extender for zoomses.
I've seen people get very good results with reversed lenses so that's definitely worth a look but if you still want distance then I'm not sure how that fares.