[aaacb]

DA 55-300 plm at 300mm, one of my few landscape photos at this focal length (pano crop of single image)

Tonight at performance of "Nutcracker". K3II and Sigma 100-300/4 at 300mm, wide open at f4 and ISO 3200. From rear of theater: Drosselmeyer - The Reveal

[marcusBMG]

From November. Trying to get some pics of the water rails usually involves prolonged staring at a patch of reeds, before giving up and going to the caff for a coffee. But what's this? It's a water rail, happily scurrying around in a patch where the reeds have been cleared. Very difficult light, I tried to move as much as I could to one side to avoid looking directly into the low autumn sun, but with the reflection off the puddles as well, this was the best I could do.
Tokina ATX 100-300mm f4, MF, + sigma apo 1.4x tc; prone on the boardwalk.





---------- Post added 15th Dec 2018 at 18:10 ----------

I promised some sort of conclusion to the 600mm f8 comparison (tele-tokina 600mm f8, sigma 600mm f8 mirror). Couple more moon pics, K3 this time. Export from LR3, resized from 1580px.


Tele-tokina, f11.


Sigma.


The tele-tokina was better long range, inc these moon pics albeit for these not by much, the verdict gleaned from consideration of the suite of pics I took. Pics of Conwy castle were more clear cut, the refractive lens handling fine detail better. The sigma did better eg with medium range pics of cormorants. The tele-tokina pics averaged out a bit better for birds at the feeders.
Not bad at all, but not sufficiently impressed to keep either.

[normhead]

Tamron 300 2.8 and Tamron 2x TC.

[pepperberry farm]

while I was out shooting the sunset, this Northern harrier tracked across the field:



but the reason I was out, on my knees in the west field, was the sunset:

[marcusBMG]

I keep an eye open for DA 300's, a few trickle on to the auction site every year. They typically bid up to 500-and-some (£). I had one in my watch list, starting bid 399, 3 weeks or so ago. There were no bids with a day to go but sniping at the last second is normal. But then the next day, I saw that the auction had ended with no bids. leaving me with a dawning sense that something good had just slipped by... When it was relisted the bidding followed a more typical path, it sold for a bit over 500 IIRC.
The DA300 that got away was certainly in my mind when I saw the DFA 150-450mm. Way above my usual price range but hey it's christmas...
I was the only bidder with a snipe a few ££ over the start bid. At ~ 2/3 best retail price I could find on line, I have got to be happy.
Lens proved to LNIB, and with a pricy top-of-the-range sigma protective filter.



First impressions: one immediate small gripe, no strap attachment point. I am going to emulate reviewer BirdDude007 and add an eyebolt to the tripod foot (if anyone would also like to do this but doesn't have the tools PM me). For my visit to Burton Mere RSPB I used a cheap strap that attaches to the tripod foot thread. First pics: this lens makes the vintage ones I play with look positively anaemic with its punchy contrast and detail. Check out this pic of a blackbird that perched near me - 330mm f5.6.



1:1 pixel peep crop.


Pics like this basically don't need pp (I bumped exposure a bit in LR but that was it). Some more: the power station in the dawn light.



Passing jet airbus transporter.




"I'm not getting out of bed till the ice has melted!"




I took some very distant pics of a marsh harrier, but even this lens can't do miracles.
Monopod worked well for me.

Now when is that credit card bill coming in... ouch.

[Kennygee]

I was out taking a couple of shots of passenger jets to see what I could do with the "NEW" to me Tamron Adaptall 31-A lens with the 1.4 F teleconverter when I saw these fly by and snapped a few quick shots. I could barely see them with my old eyeballs as it was quite bright at the time.. The EXIF data is not quite right as I have a PK adapter on this lens, not a PK/A as it will not send correct data either. I think 700mm and F-16 and 1/500 is closer to it. I really need to use a tripod when using this lens as the six pounds it weighs is really hard to hand hold and get any thing close to decent.

Attached Images

View Picture EXIF

File Date

 

[normhead]

From my second camera body, K-3 with Pentax DA* 60-250 with the HD DA 1.4 TC.

[northcoastgreg]

Roosevelt Elk, with the DA* 300 + DA 1.4 converter:

[Canada_Rockies]

Roosevelt Elk, with the DA* 300 + DA 1.4 converter:

That is a beautiful image.

[swip]

Tamron 300 2.8 and Tamron 2x TC.

That looks like a very good lens+TC combo.

---------- Post added 12-17-18 at 12:14 PM ----------

The DA300 that got away was certainly in my mind when I saw the DFA 150-450mm.

Certainly showed the lens' capability. Makes me want to get one now.

[Weevil]

2018.12.17 - Montebello, Québec, CANADA

Evening Grosbeaks at the Omega Park feeders.
One of the rare occasion I have used the video feature on my DSLR, and I got really surprised of the result, especially on that cloudy day.
============================
Pentax K-1 + SMC Pentax-FA* 250-600mm f5.6 ED [IF].

p.s. sorry for the background noise... the motor you hear is the lens power zoom. I should have used the zoom without the motor (In manual mode).


Gros-bec errant / Evening Grosbeak [Coccothraustes vespertinus]

[Ducatigaz]

Common Buzzard from the car with my K-3ii/FA*600mm F4 ED [IF]/ Eckla window mount.

[WPRESTO]

Ibis, DA 300mm f4

[Canada_Rockies]

Ibis, 55~300mm (original version) @ 300mm

Great shot, but the EXIF says DA*" 300 not DA 55-300