[marcusBMG]

Stopping down to ~f20 may gain some DOF but at some loss of IQ because of diffraction. You might be better at about f8 to f11. Not knowing what kind of flash you're using, it's hard to advise on output adjustment. I would go with manual flash, not pTTL and start testing @ about 1/8 power or less. Kick up the ISO rather than boosting the flash output. Run tests before hand, approximate the distance somewhere else and fire off shots to determine what flash output & ISO are correct. The smaller the flash output, the shorter the duration of the flash and the better the motion-stopping will be. At full power, most strobes have a duration of about 1/1000 second. As the power output is reduced the flash duration goes to 1/2000 at half power, 1/4000 at 1/4 power, and so forth. Most modern flash units with a variable manual output will go to at least 1/16,000 second, some to 1/128/000 of a second. With near black conditions, you should get decent reduction of motion blur once the flash output goes to about 1/8 power or less.

Thanks for those suggestions WPRESTO. Scrutinising my pics I think there is both motion blur, and the tits were flying out of the plane of focus. I browsed through the K5 user manual and googled a bit to see if there was any spec on the on board flash duration but nada - does anybody know?

Anyway I took along my vivitar 283 which has power adjust and set it to the lowest setting. The chicks are ready to fledge " MOM - we're outta here!!" F16, 250mm tamron adaptall 200-500mm SP 31A






Then one of the chicks was on it's way, fluttering to the ground (was he pushed?? ). This seemed like it might be bad, there are various predators just waiting for free snacks. But I couldn't stay to see what transpired. The next day the nest was quiet, chicks and tits were all gone!

Meanwhile, there was a cormorant on this raft down the estuary. I see one here every so often, usually when the tide is in, but normally they hang out on another one in the river near the RSPB reserve. This one just waiting for the tide I guess. 500mm f11.




One thing I've learned about the 31A is that it doesn't like backlighting/reflected light. Fringing and purpling swiftly appears, resolution drops. The novoflex is significantly better in that respect. I pp'ed these shots as best I could, if it's bad dropping luminence and saturation for purple and adjacent colours in LR tends to be the best/only option.
This rabbit was browsing in front of the main viewing window at one of the hides, oblivious. Through the glass, monopod, ~250mm, f11. The jackdaw was on its own mission - 500mm, cropped.





The great crested grebe chicks are doing well, but are most reluctant to come into good pic taking range (I defer to you zzeitg). The swans and cygnets were cruising around again with less concern. These not a direct comparison with the previous cygnet pics with the novoflex, those were taken close enough to be whole frame, these are crops, but for what its worth, if the light situation is favourable I think the 31A is sharper. See rabbit above, and the 100% crop of the swans head below is its own advertisment. 500mm f11.





Finally, just for once I had a clear view of a reed warbler, normally heard (very!) but not seen.

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Last edited by marcusBMG; 06-04-2016 at 04:24 PM.

[ChipB]

DA560

Z - gotta love that 560 - nice pics!!

[WPRESTO]

Thanks for those suggestions WPRESTO. Scrutinising my pics I think there is both motion blur, and the tits were flying out of the plane of focus. I browsed through the K5 user manual and googled a bit to see if there was any spec on the on board flash duration but nada - does anybody know?

Anyway I took along my vivitar 283 which has power adjust and set it to the lowest setting. The chicks are ready to fledge " MOM - we're outta here!!" F16, 250mm tamron adaptall 200-500mm SP 31A


The novoflex is significantly better in that respect. I pp'ed these shots as best I could, if it's bad dropping luminence and saturation for purple and adjacent colours in LR tends to be the best/only option.

The blue images look a lot better.
BTW: If the Novoflex is one of the 400/560 pair made for Leica, it's actually not a telephoto, it's a long focus lens = a relatively simple optical system that is physically as long as it's stated focal length (true telephotos are physically shorter than their stated FL).

[marcusBMG]

"telephoto" has become a term like hoover for a vacuum cleaner - a generic reference to a long focal length lens. All the novoflex optics are long focus, not true telephoto as you correctly point out.

[WPRESTO]

"telephoto" has become a term like hoover for a vacuum cleaner - a generic reference to a long focal length lens. All the novoflex optics are long focus, not true telephoto as you correctly point out.

"Hoover" for vacuum cleaners; "Escalator" for moving stairs; for a while "Xerox" for a document copy, although that seems to be fading away; for a while before WWII "Kodak" was synonymous with simple amateur camera, although I'm not sure if owners of other brands used it for their cameras, "pinks" (correctly "Pinque's") for men's British riding coats is also derived from a specific brand name. Any other brands or terms that have become generic for a type of product? I think in Britain a certain brand of cigarette became a general term for any cigarette regardless of manufacturer, at least from the '20's through the '50's or so ("Player's?"), although not as widespread as "fag" (in Britain, this word never had the derogatory meaning it had in the USA - SFAIK).

[zzeitg]

Any other brands or terms that have become generic for a type of product?

"Robot" used for a fictional humanoid in a book by Karel Čapek published in 1920. The play was called R.U.R. ("Rossum's Universal Robots").

[WPRESTO]

"Robot" used for a fictional humanoid in a book by Karel Čapek published in 1920. The play was called R.U.R. ("Rossum's Universal Robots").

I remember reading that in school. As in all such fiction, the mechanicals are anthropomorphic, hopelessly foolish idea that persists to the present (witness Sony's little "robot"). A mechanical substitute for humans is far better having components suitable to mechanical devices rather than attempting to mimic humans. Pointless to design a robot with legs, as the they require enormous amounts of mechanical complexity and computerized movements when over 90% of the purpose could be accomplished with wheels. R2D2 is vastly more sensible than 3CPO.

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Last edited by WPRESTO; 06-04-2016 at 06:33 PM.

[FreeSpirit9]

MAGNOLIA WARNING: I find these blossoms irresistible so, over the next month or so, I'll be posting magnolia photos in just about every lens club for which I have a qualifying hunk of glass (and, given my advanced stage LBA, that means there's going to be a lot of magnolia photos).

FA* 300/2.8

Beautifully taken Dave, cheers.

[wtlwdwgn]

Yellowheaded Blackbird at a distance. K-3, Sigma 150-500 Bigmos @ 500mm, center crop.

[woodywesty]

K-1+DA*300/4+HD 1.4TC, handheld, native lighting, close crop...



European Skipper

Enjoy the season... M

Wow! and handheld at that... ;-)

[derekkite]

A couple shots of a Pika. Managed to pry myself away for a few hours.

[rkappleby]

I've been watching a pair of Killdeer nest in the same spot for three years now and I have been watching them for about two weeks again this year. I have never walked up to the nest before but tonight curiosity got the best of me so I walked over to see what nest nest looked like and I snapped two quick photos. Last year I saw one of the chicks but was not able to get a photo perhaps this year. It appears they don't spend a lot of time nest building......my apologies but I used an FA77 for the nest shots but I shot the bird with the FA600.

[Racer X 69]

A yellow-crowned night heron attempting to catch a crab.



As the heron gets the crab, the crab grabs hold of the heron. You can see the pincher just under the birds beak.



The bird quickly lets go and jumps back. You can see the crab flipping around close to the bird.



The heron decides to rethink his plan.

Thanks!

DA*300 + 1.4 HD TC on a monopod.

A yellow-crowned night heron attempting to catch a crab.



As the heron gets the crab, the crab grabs hold of the heron. You can see the pincher just under the birds beak.



The bird quickly lets go and jumps back. You can see the crab flipping around close to the bird.



The heron decides to rethink his plan.

You have developed great skill with your tools.

Very good work!

[marquis1955]

As I have been making photographs of the local wildlife at the same location I have began to notice recently the Cardinals have some kind of disease or sickness that is causing their head & chest feathers to fall out along with blotchy patches on other areas of their bodies. Also I have now seen two females with black beaks like the on in the photo I have posted. They normally always have orange beaks. Does anyone out there know what may be causing this or seen anything like it ? I'll be getting in contact with fish game as this is alarming for the amount of affected birds here in this relatively small area.

[r0ckstarr]

As I have been making photographs of the local wildlife at the same location I have began to notice recently the Cardinals have some kind of disease or sickness that is causing their head & chest feathers to fall out along with blotchy patches on other areas of their bodies. Also I have now seen two females with black beaks like the on in the photo I have posted. They normally always have orange beaks. Does anyone out there know what may be causing this or seen anything like it ? I'll be getting in contact with fish game as this is alarming for the amount of affected birds here in this relatively small area.

I'm about 3-4hrs South of you and have not seen it here. I see Cardinals daily. I am curious to know what you find out though.