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Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

OwlsEyes
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p.47 #1 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

newyork wrote:
Awesome!!

Thank you

Oct 25, 2024 at 10:16 AM

OwlsEyes
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p.47 #2 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

I had to stack converters to produce this shot...
My masters thesis relied on monarch butterflies as I researched how plant toxicity influenced larval survival and rate of development. While my work confirmed much of the findings of the known literature, I was able to contribute a nugget of new information related to the topic of automimicry... but I won't bore you with the details.
Anyway, I'll be working on photographing the behavior exhibited in this photo. We typically associate the clustering behavior observed here with the monarchs that migrate to the Oyamel Mountains in Mexico. Monarchs that live on the Pacific Coast have a shorter migration, and they will cluster in Eucalyptus and Cyprus groves. I am fortunate to now live near a few of these known roosting locations...

Shot by stacking an external 1.4x...
regards,
bruce

Nov 02, 2024 at 08:46 PM

pygmyowl
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p.47 #3 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

Cool photo! Always wanted to see Monarchs down at their winter quarters in Mexico. Last few years we have spotted number of Monarchs coming through SE Idaho and hanging out on milkweed. I believe these Monarchs winter in California? I planted a bunch of milkweed (Swamp Milkweed) but not expecting any Monarchs and none have shown up at my house. Several of us go out and place signs on milkweed next to highway so as to alert county not to spray them (have had limited success).

Nov 03, 2024 at 10:08 AM

OwlsEyes
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p.47 #4 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

pygmyowl wrote:
Cool photo! Always wanted to see Monarchs down at their winter quarters in Mexico. Last few years we have spotted number of Monarchs coming through SE Idaho and hanging out on milkweed. I believe these Monarchs winter in California? I planted a bunch of milkweed (Swamp Milkweed) but not expecting any Monarchs and none have shown up at my house. Several of us go out and place signs on milkweed next to highway so as to alert county not to spray them (have had limited success).

I recently moved back to California after living in Minnesota for about 34 years. My research was on the long distance migratory population. Now that I live along California's Central Coast, there are opportunities to find populations of short distant migratory butterflies.
As for your population, Idaho contributes to both the California winter population and the Mexico winter population. I don't know if they are genetically distinct or succumb to wind patterns. You live right at the border of these two sub-populations.
While I wouldn't plan a trip to California's coast to just see butterflies, it could be part of a trip that includes marine mammals, coastal birds, landscapes and even elk at Point Reyes.

cheers,
bruce

Nov 03, 2024 at 02:25 PM

OwlsEyes
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p.47 #5 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

I just wanted to share a few pictures from an encounter with a bird that I rarely see or photograph. Having lived in MN for much of my adult life, I've had opportunities other than photograph: boreal owls, saw whet owls, screech owls, barred owls, hawk owls, long-eared owls, snowy owls, great horned owls, and great grey owls. Clearly, I have been extremely fortunate to have lived where so many owls migrate, overwinter, and inhabit. What's more, I am grateful for both the chance/serendiptious encounters, tips about locations, and deliberate outings to find owl species.
Of all the owls I've seen and photograph, the barn owl has been in the "rarely seen" category. I once had a "decent" opportunity (and I use decent as hyperbole) to photograph barn owl chicks that were nesting in a lookout tower in Costa Rica. The shot was beyond my technical know-how and tools at the time. The owls were up 60 feet, nesting in a tower box with no access to humans. I put a 100mm lens on a monopod mounted camera, estimated my focus, stopped the lens down to f/11 and pushed the camera through a hole. Using a cable release, I squeezed of a few shot... super-sucky images, but a decent story.
Since moving to CA, I have seen barn owls on a few occasions, normally after they fly over my shoulder, as they are super silent. I did manage to photograph a few at Point Reyes last month, but all pre-sunrise and were small flyers. Enter yesterday... I happened to be out heading to my otter location when I came across a barn owl that was snoozing on a fence post. I've always found this species to be skittish, and never been in a place where I could make a decent photo happen...
Call this "right place at the right time with the right lens."

cheers,
bruce

Nov 06, 2024 at 04:41 PM

NightOwl Cat
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p.47 #6 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

There was a guy who set up an owl box in his backyard, and a year or two later, two barn owls moved in, giving birth to an internet sensation on UStream.

https://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/03/25/san-marcos-famous-barn-owl

OwlsEyes wrote:
I just wanted to share a few pictures from an encounter with a bird that I rarely see or photograph. Having lived in MN for much of my adult life, I've had opportunities other than photograph: boreal owls, saw whet owls, screech owls, barred owls, hawk owls, long-eared owls, snowy owls, great horned owls, and great grey owls. Clearly, I have been extremely fortunate to have lived where so many owls migrate, overwinter, and inhabit. What's more, I am grateful for both the chance/serendiptious encounters, tips about locations, and deliberate outings to find owl species.
Of all the owls I've...Show more →

Nov 07, 2024 at 04:51 AM

lukemeup
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p.47 #7 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

1st SEOs of my season here. Good start - wish I had time to shoot more.

Short-Eared Owl

Nov 07, 2024 at 10:47 PM

Lance B
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p.47 #8 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

OwlsEyes wrote:
I just wanted to share a few pictures from an encounter with a bird that I rarely see or photograph. Having lived in MN for much of my adult life, I've had opportunities other than photograph: boreal owls, saw whet owls, screech owls, barred owls, hawk owls, long-eared owls, snowy owls, great horned owls, and great grey owls. Clearly, I have been extremely fortunate to have lived where so many owls migrate, overwinter, and inhabit. What's more, I am grateful for both the chance/serendiptious encounters, tips about locations, and deliberate outings to find owl species.
Of all the owls I've...Show more →

Great story, fantastic shots, Bruce! I love Owls but we have few here in Oz. We do get our brand of Barn Owl, plus a number of others, but rarely seen during the day.

Nov 07, 2024 at 11:52 PM

OwlsEyes
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p.47 #9 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

Lance B wrote:
Great story, fantastic shots, Bruce! I love Owls but we have few here in Oz. We do get our brand of Barn Owl, plus a number of others, but rarely seen during the day.

Thanks Lance... Like your barn owls, ours are masters of the night. I went back to find it today, but it was nowhere to be found. I'm glad I had the opportunity when I did, as I don't know when I'll get a chance to photograph a wild barn owl portrait again in the future.

bruce

Nov 08, 2024 at 12:26 AM

lukemeup
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p.47 #10 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

One more - it was pure luck to be able to watch it hop around in the grass in such close proximity for a couple minutes before it took off.

Short-Eared Owl

Nov 08, 2024 at 03:53 PM

pietipe
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p.47 #11 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

November is a time of darkness here in Finland. A sunny day is therefore rare.Today the sun appeared for several hours so I had a chance to photograph crossbills.

Red crossbill

ppie
www.petripietilainen.fi

Nov 17, 2024 at 12:16 PM

nmerc_photos
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p.47 #12 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

those are killer SEO/Barn owl shots Bruce and Luke..

awesome lighting, close proximity - a setup to die for!

my best SEO field got turned into a solar plant in the last year so I have to go out scouting and find more locations

Nov 17, 2024 at 05:53 PM

OwlsEyes
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p.47 #13 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

nmerc_photos wrote:
those are killer SEO/Barn owl shots Bruce and Luke..

awesome lighting, close proximity - a setup to die for!

my best SEO field got turned into a solar plant in the last year so I have to go out scouting and find more locations

Thanks...
I had never had an opportunity to photograph barn owls like this in the past... was super excited by how tolerant this one was!

cheers,
bruce

Nov 18, 2024 at 01:23 PM

OwlsEyes
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p.47 #14 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

Just a few shots from the past few weeks...

Nov 21, 2024 at 11:13 AM

pietipe
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p.47 #15 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

Red crossbill

ppie
www.petripietilainen.fi

Nov 22, 2024 at 03:55 PM

OwlsEyes
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p.47 #16 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

I head out to Iceland today, but will be leaving my favorite two pieces of kit behind... the Z9 w/ 400mm f2.8. Given the time of year, this trip will focus on landscapes rather than wildlife. Any wildlife encounters will have to be covered with the 100-400, a lens I purchased for landscape and close focus photography. For those who are unaware, Iclandair has some pretty tight weight restrictions for their carry-on luggage. In fact, I had to go through the game of shoving batteries and teleconverters in my pockets to get underweight. The latter trip was 50% wildlife and 50% landscapes, thus staying under weight was a struggle (just like in life)

So it is with travels planned abroad without my favorite gear, that I'm sharing a few recents here.
cheers,
bruce

Nov 23, 2024 at 07:40 AM

ChrisMak
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p.47 #17 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

OwlsEyes wrote:
I head out to Iceland today, but will be leaving my favorite two pieces of kit behind... the Z9 w/ 400mm f2.8. Given the time of year, this trip will focus on landscapes rather than wildlife. Any wildlife encounters will have to be covered with the 100-400, a lens I purchased for landscape and close focus photography. For those who are unaware, Iclandair has some pretty tight weight restrictions for their carry-on luggage. In fact, I had to go through the game of shoving batteries and teleconverters in my pockets to get underweight. The latter trip was 50% wildlife and...Show more →

Enjoy your trip Bruce!
Travelling all over the world within (mostly) a day is a huge privilige of today's life, although I limit long distance travel for cost and environmental reasons myself.
I know how you feel leaving your best lens behind, I just came back from a birding trip to Costa Rica which was also this years main holiday, and left the 600GM behind because it's size and fixed 600mm focal length made it impractical for this journey.
I took the 200-600G instead, but missed the superior auto focus and IQ of the 600GM nonetheless.

There are rumors that Sony will refresh the 400GM and may perhaps fit a 1.4TC in it. They may also use the new technologies in the 300GM to get the size and weight down a bit, Sony is much into shrinking size and getting down weight in their refreshes of GM lenses. In that case I will jump on it. The combination of 400mm f2.8 and 560mm f4 and the ability to carry the lens with body attached, and no need to switch out TC's would be a great asset for future dedicated birding travels.

Nov 23, 2024 at 08:05 AM

nmerc_photos
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p.47 #18 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

Nov 23, 2024 at 11:46 AM

gannis
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p.47 #19 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

Leopardess Luluka with her 2 cubs, Masai Mara

On a morning stroll! by Ganesh B, on Flickr

Nov 23, 2024 at 12:05 PM

swedishtomahaw
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p.47 #20 · Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

Not sure if this is the place to ask, but I�m highly interested in this lens and was looking for purchasing advice. I purchased my Z8 via FM and had a wonderful experience, but the price tag on this lens is 3-4x the amount so definitely some hesitation.

Since its such an expensive lens, does it makes sense to a) buy the lens new (full price) from an authorized dealer to insure its quality and eligibility for repairs if needed, or b) buy excellent quality used for the cost savings. Are used lens on FM consider �gray�? Im told Nikon won�t recognize gray products for repair.

Current lens owners, how did you buy your lens and any advice you can offer?

BTW: been scrolling this forum all afternoon� you guys are amazing photographers!! Seriously stunning photos, one after another. Will this lens make me that good as well?

Nov 26, 2024 at 05:10 PM

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Official Nikon 400/2.8S image thread + some discussions

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