Herring Gulls using Canon 2x Tele-Ext

[poker]

Taken at Malibu California yesterday...

BTW, I was using a tripod....

[Loupey]

Nice job, Eric. Were you at the 200mm end of your zoom? Is this a full frame image? Only asking because you did a great job encapsulating virtually the entire bird in the DOF (judging by the sand).

How do you like using that tripod thingy? Does the head allow you to pan moving subjects like you had envisoned?

[poker]

Hi Loupey,

I cropped and resized the full body shot but with no color/contrast adjustment and no sharpening either. I've started to notice how the ground (sand) can be a measure of how much DOF you originally had, as you stated. It's pretty amazing.

Shooting Date/Time 7/7/2006 16:27:32
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/500Sec.
Av(Aperture Value) F7.1
Metering Modes Evaluative metering
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 100
Lens EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM +2.0x
Focal Length 270.0 mm
Image Quality RAW
White Balance Daylight

I went to Malibu to take pictures of the fishing pier and therefore brought my tripod. I wasn't expecting to take bird shots. Walking on the beach with a tripod and a white lens brings attention I'm not interested in having. As far as panning, I was able to pan this bird with the ball head on my tripod but it wasn't moving very fast to begin with. I'll have a better answer when I use it more.

Thanks. Glad you like it.

[paulnj]

Hey good job on the ID. Though this isn't a very hard ID, you have a few similiar species in your area . The DOF looks perfect to my eye, but the gull is facing slightly away. The best head position by "rule" is slightly towards you. I for one take many a rule breaker myself, so take it as just a hindsight thought.

[poker]

Hey good job on the ID. Though this isn't a very hard ID, you have a few similiar species in your area . The DOF looks perfect to my eye, but the gull is facing slightly away. The best head position by "rule" is slightly towards you. I for one take many a rule breaker myself, so take it as just a hindsight thought.

Thanks Paul. I kinda cheated. You ID'ed this bird for me a long time ago when I shot these birds off a pier. It's kinda easy to find these birds in my area as you said.

I'll keep the mentioned "rule" in mind.

Thanks again.

[Loupey]

Aww, man. Eric you had me impressed Just kidding of course. I still can't id a flycatcher for a sparrow.

Eric, don't know about your lens, but based on my results with mine, let me tell you to never, under no circumstances, shoot this setup wide open. So I was happy to see that you stopped down just a bit. Bump up your ISO before even getting close to that f/5.6 mark.

In your mind, keep repeating "no wider than f/8... I should listen to Loupey". :thumbsup:

Actually, if you say it out loud, I won't mind either.

[poker]

Aww, man. Eric you had me impressed Just kidding of course. I still can't id a flycatcher for a sparrow.

Hehehe...I was the guy posting a dragonfly all over the place when it was a damselfly

Go figure?!?

Bump up your ISO before even getting close to that f/5.6 mark.
In your mind, keep repeating "no wider than f/8... I should listen to Loupey". :thumbsup:

That's some serious info....but I can remember that. I'll be testing and comparing out of curiosity....but I trust your experience. Very interesting. Thanks.

Actually, if you say it out loud, I won't mind either.

It's bad enough that I'm walking around Malibu with a tripod and white zoom lens. I don't think I'll be yelling out anything to add Honestly, I was hoping that surfer locals WEREN'T going to throw me and my gear in the water. Do you know how many beach bunnies there were that afternoon?!?!?! I may have been mistaken for a different type of photog

[paulnj]

I nearly lost my camera a few times.... SHOOTING more than wildlife :lol:

[poker]

Wanted to add this one since it was shot with f/8.0.

Loupey, I appears to be much sharper when I zoom into the original file.

I'll do more birding when it's not 100 degrees outside. I want to keep using the new lens.

Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/500Sec.
Av(Aperture Value)
F8.0
Metering Modes
Evaluative metering
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
100
Lens
EF70-200mm f/2.8L USM +2.0x
Focal Length
250.0 mm

[Loupey]

From this shot, it appears that the DOF cuts right through the middle of the gull. The tail feathers seem sharp but the foot and head seem to be out.

I hear you about the heat. The last few days of shooting here has been 92° ~ 95° and 99% humidity. My front lens element takes a looong time for the fog to dissipate Looks like this entire week is going to be in the mid-nineties too

[paulnj]

OH YES IT'S LADY'S NIGHT AND ...........

I started work today at 6:30 AM and got back in at 6:45pm It was far hotter than the 101 the temp hit today next to a chipper while man handling enough tree to make 40 yards of chips I only drank 2 gallons today Be a man loupey

What you have here is a western gull Manacsa, try shooting the early AM and late day.... that obviously the coolest, but also the best light and when the birds are most active.