[Canada_Rockies]

These were taken after we got back from Palo Duro Canyon a couple of weeks ago. These PALE in comparison to all the other great pics on here. These are all hand held with the little black rounded thing that came with the lens and the 1.4 converter. Most all were taken at 1/250 and f /16 or there abouts and ISO 400. Hope to get better with it as I get mote time with it
The only PP is to crop the images. These little suckers sure are hard to keep in the viewfinder

I find the best results I get are from focusing carefully on the spout or popular flower with the camera on a tripod, remote release locked down, camera on CIF, aperture f/8, ISO 400, Aperture priority. Those aren't bad at all for hand held shots. As you say, they are hard to keep in the viewfinder.

[Des]

I find the best results I get are from focusing carefully on the spout or popular flower with the camera on a tripod, remote release locked down, camera on CIF, aperture f/8, ISO 400, Aperture priority. Those aren't bad at all for hand held shots. As you say, they are hard to keep in the viewfinder.

Hummingbirds must be tough to photograph. Catch-in-focus sounds like a good plan.

My suggestion to Kenny would be to try a much faster shutter speed - at least 1/800th second, and preferably 1/1250th or 1/1600th - for a bird in flight, whenever conditions allow. You could widen the aperture to compensate. I'd say f6.3 or f8 would usually give you sufficient DOF; at a greater distance, f4 or f5.6 may be enough. Anyway, by the time you get to f16, diffraction will have reduced the resolution significantly, so I'd suggest avoiding that. In good light you could take the ISO to 800 or maybe even 1600 if it's necessary to get the faster shutter speed. Also, that lens seems to have a lot of purple fringing - you'd see an improvement from cleaning it up in post-processing. Good luck with it.

[normhead]

Hummigbirds, first start in close to your feeder, back away a little at time until you figure out how close you can be and the bird will still come. Usually for me it's about 12 feet.

Use AF.s and burst mode, Focus on the feeder perch.
As soon as the bird gets close to your position start your burst. You should be able to lock onto the hummer.

The bird will fly in and out of your focal plane. Don't lift your finger off the button until it leaves.
I set up a tripod with the head tightened just enough I can still move it with a bit of force.

Plan on being out there at least a half hour and don't leave until you get what you wont or the Hummingbird stops coming.





Try and get a minimum of 1/1200s, 1/2000/s is better. The more DOF you have the better your results are likely to be. You really need to bump your ISO for these guys, to the highest you're comfortable with usually.

[Canada_Rockies]

Hummigbirds, first star in close to your feeder, back away a little at time until you figure out how close you can be and the bird will still come. Usually for me it's about 12 feet.

Use AF.s and burst mode, Focus on the feeder perch.
As soon as the bird gets close to your position start your burst. You should be able to lock onto the hummer.

The bird will fly in and out of your focal plane. Don't lift your finger off the button until it leaves.
I set up a tripod with the head tightened just enough I can still move it with a bit of force.

Plan on being out there at least a half hour and don't leave until you get what you wont or the Hummingbird stops coming.

Try and get a minimum of 1/1200s, 1/200-s is better. The more DOF you have the better your results are likely to be. You really need to bump your ISO for these guys, to the highest you're comfortable with usually.

My first successful shots were with my SF-1 and M 135/3.5 on tripod, focused on perch at feeding station, f/8, 400 ASA film, CIF, remote shutter release locked down. I got three very nice shots while I was eating supper.

[Des]

I've joined the DA*300 club unfortunately just as the cricket season ends so I will have to find other uses for it.

Very nice Moh. If you are missing cricket, and want to try out the DA*300 some more, head for the southern hemisphere!

[Kennygee]

Thanks all for the suggestions, I will try with the tripod and see how that works The feeder is under a cover, so it is in the shade. Great shots Norm. Now that the weather has cooled I think I will move the feeder to under a nearby tree that still gets more sunlight. I don't know how much longer they will be hanging around as it is going to be in the mid 50's for the highs next week. NO **** any time soon---- I Hope!

[zzeitg]

DFA 150-450

[Canada_Rockies]

DFA 150-450

Another three marvelous shots from that lens, Zzeitig!

[Des]

DFA 150-450

Fine shots @zzeitg What lighting did you use, or was it just natural lighting?
BTW, you should X-post in the macro frog thread (doesn't need to be really macro).

[Des]

This pretty girl turned up at our place again.





Pursued by this guy.




All shots K-3 + FA*300 f4.5.

I tried using my Metz 58AF-1 hotshoe mounted flash, but it was too strong, even when I dialled it down. (I was using PTTL - maybe I should have gone manual, but I didn't want to waste time messing around with settings, and of course I would have lost HSS.) A big diffuser would have been nice, but hey this is wildlife and you don't get long. So I turned the flash off and used a slow shutter and higher-than-desirable ISO instead. Maybe some kind of flag or bounce on the flash would have been better. I'm thinking about a MagBounce, MagSphere or Rogue Flashbender. Any thoughts on these for wildlife in a situation like this?

The MagMod models are the obvious ones because I have the Magmod fresnel extender (MagBeam Wildlife kit) and leave the rubber mount on the flash. The MagBeam is good to concentrate the flash output, but that wasn't what I needed in this situation where I was fairly close (say 4-5m); even the bare flash was too much. What I needed was a diffuser of some kind.

[normhead]

It was good morning to be out shooting. Leaves have started to fall, that means more light, and the sun was shining.

Too many lens combos to list.





[COLOR="Silver"]



Our last grackle, all the others seem to have left. I think he missed the wakeup call.


He got to the rail too late for the peanuts in the shell.(They disappear before I'm even done filling feeders.) He is some kind of annoyed. Sorry dude, you snooze, you lose.


This guy did very well on the peanuts however, no doubt he has a smirk on his face.


We still have lots of sparrows.

[acoufap]

It was good morning to be out shooting. Leaves have started to fall, that means more light, and the sun was shining.

Too many lens combos to list.





[COLOR="Silver"]



Our last grackle, all the others seem to have left. I think he missed the wakeup call.


He got to the rail too late for the peanuts in the shell.(They disappear before I'm even done filling feeders.) He is some kind of annoyed. Sorry dude, you snooze, you lose.


This guy did very well on the peanuts however, no doubt he has a smirk on his face.


We still have lots of sparrows.

Great series!

[siva.ss.kumar]

@normhead lovely shots

[normhead]

I went back out in the afternoon, to try a second hand Tamron M&C 2x TC on the K-1.
My conclusion, the Pentax & Tamron 300 and F1.7x AF adapter or HD DA 1.4 TC on the K-3 gives me sharper images than the Tamron 300, Tamron 2x on the K-1. It's not that the images were bad from the Tamron 2x TC, it's that they weren't what I'm used to.

The difference between 500 and 600 isn't enough to make up for the 1.7x being much better optically than the Tamron 2x. But if you were looking for a solution that would save some money it might work out.

[lukulele]

A few from the first batch from the marshes of Benzie County, Michigan nearing sunset. K-3/A400