Waddel Beach California

Took some pics of the Kite surfers at Waddel. This is a very cool sport to photograph! I used the D3 with the 400mm f2.8 with the TC 1.7x

These are awesome, jacobovs! I remember riding by Waddel regularly when I used to ride motorcycles. That was back when windsurfing was still more popular than kite surfing. I always thought those waves looked nuts, though. And your photos really capture it well. Do you have any wider shots that show the scenery there as well as the surfers? It's a beautiful stretch of coast.

To my eye these all look a hair on the soft side. Is that because you were using the teleconverter with the 400mm lens? How well did the auto focus work for you with that combo? I always have a lot of soft shots when I use my 1.4x teleconverter with my 300mm lens (Canon).

Love #4..... They have some great action and I know you cannot dictate which way they look, so faces may be out of the question, but #4 has him facing the action which i really like.

Nice job..

Phil

Which magazine do you shoot for?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Frog

Which magazine do you shoot for?

---

Nice compliment :D

Great work Shal! You've been doing a great job capturing that sport...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Photo-John

These are awesome, jacobovs! I remember riding by Waddel regularly when I used to ride motorcycles. That was back when windsurfing was still more popular than kite surfing. I always thought those waves looked nuts, though. And your photos really capture it well. Do you have any wider shots that show the scenery there as well as the surfers? It's a beautiful stretch of coast.

To my eye these all look a hair on the soft side. Is that because you were using the teleconverter with the 400mm lens? How well did the auto focus work for you with that combo? I always have a lot of soft shots when I use my 1.4x teleconverter with my 300mm lens (Canon).

---

Thanks for the feedback. You are right, they do seem a little on the soft side. I had no problem with the autofocus using the TC. Is it possible that the DoF is somehow changwd with a TC( besides the obvious change if f stop). It seems to me that at F4.8( with the TC) the focus should not have been soft. Any thoughts?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Frog

Which magazine do you shoot for?

---

That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me on a photography forum. I don't work for a magazine. I shoot for fun and sometimes for money as a favor. But thanks for asking.

Shal

Thanks SmartWombat for the Featured Photo, I'm honored.

Shal

Whenever you increase your focal length you decrease depth-of-field. So it's likely that your depth-of-field was pretty shallow. At 680mm, f/4.8 isn't going to give you much depth-of-field at all. I'd probably be trying for at least f/8 with that kind of focal length. You might also be introducing a little softness just by using the tele-extender. The only way to know for sure is to do some tests on a tripod. I wouldn't expect a 1.7x tele-extender on a 400mm f/2.8 Nikkor to have problems, though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Photo-John

Whenever you increase your focal length you decrease depth-of-field. So it's likely that your depth-of-field was pretty shallow. At 680mm, f/4.8 isn't going to give you much depth-of-field at all. I'd probably be trying for at least f/8 with that kind of focal length. You might also be introducing a little softness just by using the tele-extender. The only way to know for sure is to do some tests on a tripod. I wouldn't expect a 1.7x tele-extender on a 400mm f/2.8 Nikkor to have problems, though.

---

Thanks for that, just a quick question. At that distance is your DoF still that shallow? Since the subjects were a good 200yards from me does the F stop still matter?

Sebastian Inlet State Park, offers many amenities including hiking trails, boat ramps, and picnic areas. Enjoy surfing, fishing, spotting wildlife and relaxing on beautiful sugar-white sands. This is one of Florida’s most underrated beaches! While a bit further away from Orlando than some of the other beaches it’s definitely worth the drive. beaches near orlando