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This image was created at La Jolla, CA on the recently concluded San Diego IPT at 9:18am on a rather late on a clear morning with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/1600 sec. at f/8. The 800 is actually too long a lens for the La Jolla Cliffs. A 500 is much more suitable. I had a bear of a time with the head throws clipping the end of the bill about 8 zillion times. Though I would prefer a bit more room above, this was one of the few where I managed to frame the decisive moment fairly well. I did use 45-Point AF for all of my attempts and that worked well as most of the images were quite sharp. And I do like the mottled background here. |
You Folks are Getting Too Smart
With regards to the Heerman’s Gull/pelican image. Most folks surmised that the aperture was either f/11 or f/16. That surprised me. With the pelican so obviously out of focus, I had assumed that most folks would have guessed f/5.6 or f/8. I would estimate that the pelican was less than one foot behind the bird. Even though I used f/16 the pelican is not even close to being sharp. The lesson was supposed to be that with telephoto lenses depth of field is much less than folks think. But it seems that most of you already knew that 🙂
I love lots of things about the second image, the sweet o-o-f distant ocean background, the sweet light, the sharpness, the basic composition, and the distended bill that shows off the red very nicely. But as most folks stated, the head is turned slightly away from us. As a result of that, it seems that the bird is looking away from us as well. If you would like to learn more about head angle–one of the great avian image wreckers–check out the great BPN “Head Angle Fine Points” post here
Two Simple but Great Tim Grey Tips Coming Soon
The brilliant and funny Tim Grey co-led the San Diego IPT with Todd Gustafson and me. I learned that I have been doing two very basic things wrong in Photoshop for about nine years…. And teaching others to do the same. I will rectify that situation with my next blog post.
Shopper’s Guide
Below is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins.
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera bod.y And this is the very best professional digital camera body that I have even used..
And from the BAA On-line Store:
Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card Fast and depen.
If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide.
Nice image. I must go there sometime.
Artie, Nice sharp image. I like the careful framing. The BG is lovely.
Hi Artie, what if you used a full frame camera with your 800mm would that not make it close to the same as a 500mm with a 1.5 crop sensor? I usually carry a full frame camera for just that reason…and a few macro shots. Thanks Ray