[Erictator]

Xposted from K-1 thread:

New small series with a Pied Billed Grebe...

I always thought Grebe's looked like such innocent little harmless birds...

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

Until I saw this little guy take on a full grown crawdad

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

For lack of dipping sauce, we just put it back under for a moment

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

You know where this story is going, right? The squeamish should look away about now.

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

My gag reflex would NOT allow this behavior, especially with all the sharp pointy bits.

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

Trying to look innocent, but not fooling me. Now I know why some of its other names it goes by are "devil-diver, hell-diver, and water witch"

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

[Mccsiz]

Xposted from K-1 thread:

New small series with a Pied Billed Grebe...

I always thought Grebe's looked like such innocent little harmless birds...

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

Until I saw this little guy take on a full grown crawdad

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

For lack of dipping sauce, we just put it back under for a moment

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

You know where this story is going, right? The squeamish should look away about now.

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

My gag reflex would NOT allow this behavior, especially with all the sharp pointy bits.

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

Trying to look innocent, but not fooling me. Now I know why some of its other names it goes by are "devil-diver, hell-diver, and water witch"

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

I once attempted to eat a Big Mac in a single bite. No I will not share the pictures!

One question I have been meaning to ask the FA 150-450 folks who post to this site: do you regularly shoot with the hood attached? If so, how does it affect the settings that you choose? If not, when do you use a hood?

Cheers,
Loyd

[Erictator]

I once attempted to eat a Big Mac in a single bite. No I will not share the pictures!

One question I have been meaning to ask the FA 150-450 folks who post to this site: do you regularly shoot with the hood attached? If so, how does it affect the settings that you choose? If not, when do you use a hood?

Cheers,
Loyd

Well, let me put it like this... I've never taken a picture without the lens hood... yet, I guess there's a first time for everything.

Seriously though, from what I know about lenses, if you want the best image you can get, you need to keep stray light from coming across the front element so it can give you the best contrast without flare on the scene in front of it.

I had a buddy doing repair work for the local newspaper, back when they shot film. One "repair" he did on a well know portrait N* lens was to dull black out the shiny black metal trim ring around the front element, along with blacking out the bold white writing, with a satin/flat black enamel that wouldn't flake off. The lens became a lot better in varying light conditions after the mod.

Eric

[gatorguy]

I once attempted to eat a Big Mac in a single bite. No I will not share the pictures!

One question I have been meaning to ask the FA 150-450 folks who post to this site: do you regularly shoot with the hood attached? If so, how does it affect the settings that you choose? If not, when do you use a hood?

Cheers,
Loyd

Sitting under my porch roof shooting birds at the feeders I've been known not to use the hood. Otherwise it's always with hood in place.

[aslyfox]

from my trip out towards Great Bend KS to photograph the greater prairie chickens on the leks displaying for the hens

photographed from trailer van on private property:

. . . The Kansas Wetlands Education Center, invites you to come and witness this wonderful show during a Greater Prairie-Chicken Lek Tour. Staff will drive you to a local Greater Prairie-Chicken lek, where there is a trailer blind sitting. From the blind, you will be able to observe the Prairie-Chickens on the lek, and the guide will be there to tell you all about these interesting birds and the incredible spectacle. . . .

https://wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu/events/greater-prairie-chicken-lek-tours.html

[ did the same trip in 2019, in 2020 and 2021, Covid closed the activity ]

hand held, no hood

crop and pp

[K2 to K50]

Xposted from K-1 thread:

New small series with a Pied Billed Grebe...

I always thought Grebe's looked like such innocent little harmless birds...

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

Until I saw this little guy take on a full grown crawdad

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

For lack of dipping sauce, we just put it back under for a moment

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

You know where this story is going, right? The squeamish should look away about now.

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

My gag reflex would NOT allow this behavior, especially with all the sharp pointy bits.

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

Trying to look innocent, but not fooling me. Now I know why some of its other names it goes by are "devil-diver, hell-diver, and water witch"

Pentax K-1 HD PENTAX-D FA 150-450mm F4.5-5.6ED DC AW ƒ/7.1 450.0 mm 1/1000 iso640

That is some series of shots you have taken there! And taken very well. That was probably a once-in-a-lifetime photo opp. Good job!

[Mccsiz]

Well, let me put it like this... I've never taken a picture without the lens hood... yet, I guess there's a first time for everything.

Seriously though, from what I know about lenses, if you want the best image you can get, you need to keep stray light from coming across the front element so it can give you the best contrast without flare on the scene in front of it.

I had a buddy doing repair work for the local newspaper, back when they shot film. One "repair" he did on a well know portrait N* lens was to dull black out the shiny black metal trim ring around the front element, along with blacking out the bold white writing, with a satin/flat black enamel that wouldn't flake off. The lens became a lot better in varying light conditions after the mod.

Eric

I switch back and forth. Right now I am photographing birds without using the hood. I think my shots are better this way, but my instinct agrees with you. Do you make any adjustments to shutter speed and/or aperture to accommodate the hood? I am currently experimenting with the TvA mode recommended by some of the birders on this site. I am getting reasonable results, though not as clear as before I switched to the latest firmware. Here are a couple of shots, the Kinglet at 2000 5.6, no hood and the Merlin at 3200 5.6 no hood. I may have applied some minor processing using Photoshop Elements.

Cheers,
Loyd

Attached Images

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[gatorguy]

I had less than 2 hours for a marsh visit today, and it was a violent 100+ minutes in a light rain. First up an alligator feeding with a softshell turtle

[gatorguy]

Then 20 minutes later, give or take, a battle of birds:

[aslyfox]

Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias in Cheyenne Bottoms near Great Bend KS

[ https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/chey...toms-preserve/ ]

crop and pp

hand held photographed from van, birds would flush if van not used as a blind

[Mike L]

South Stack lighthouse.
Sadly the chough's proved elusive, but there were Brent Geese over at Penrhos.

I did manage to see the choughs fly overhead when I was there a few years ago but the weather you got was a lot better

[steamloco76]

KP & DFA 150-450mm All at 450mm, all handheld. The cardinal on the 300 railroad mile marker is a 100 percent crop. All images 4-5-22 in Westmoreland County Pennsylvania

[RobG]

Fan-tailed Cuckoo by RobGeraghty, on Flickr

[mattt]

We were both enjoying the nice morning...

K3 iii + HD P-DA 1.4X converter

[gatorguy]

We were both enjoying the nice morning...

K3 iii + HD P-DA 1.4X converter

I really need to spend more time testing the 450/1.4x TC combo to see if it would give the results I like. I've toyed with it, and most of that was pre-gimbel and monopod, and have not spent all that much time shooting and comparing both with and without TC.