Originally posted by Eruditass What about the question was about how to get close without scaring the animal away? Or shooting and massive cropping?
I have done both. Massive cropping works better with Velvia 50 than with the K10, but I think that K-7 might come closer. Massive cropping limits the maximum size of any print. The single most popular print I had at a local show cannot be enlarged past 5x7 inches. It is just one of those shots, where the subject is perfect, but the photographer's location isn't.
In the case of moose, you don't want to get any closer than this. Honest. Particularly males during the rut, or females with young. I live in the world of grizzly bear, black bear, whitetail deer, mule deer, coyotes, cougars, etc. The scariest animal is the moose. Note her look. She is keeping a sharp eye on me, despite begin the other side of a ditch and bog. Baby comes first.
To get closer to animals or birds on foot, don't walk directly toward the subject. Zig and zag. Don't look the animal in the eye, ever. That's challenge to them. Move slowly, as if you are just looking around for a nice comfy log to sit on. Stop frequently. This emulates an animal grazing and reduces the threat. If you need to get to 2/3 the distance you are at, seriously consider putting your 1.4X extender on the lens instead. Animals are unpredictable, and just might run away, or worse, run at you.
In the case of birds during the mating season the best way to photograph birds is to watch from a distance with your binoculars. You will find that birds have stopping places, and they make the rounds, just like a city bus. I have a shot of a song sparrow in full song that I got in just this way. I only moved when he was somewhere else on his rounds, and only a few metres at a time. He got used to this strange creature (see my avatar) in his world, and it was not threatening. I got the image at the minimum focus distance of the M400 - 5 metres (16.5 feet), using the 1.4X to increase the image size.
Hope this helps you. The other thing is to study up on the creature you want to photograph. Then wait for the lady photoluck to land on your shoulder. It can take years of trying to get that particular bird shot you want.