I found a new spot for Rose Robins about 1.25 hours from home on the western outskirts of Sydney at the base of the Blue Mountains in a national park. There is a small pool of water that this little guy comes down to bathe in the late afternoon - his bedtime bath it seems.
Even though these photos of Budgerigars, or as we locals call them "Budgies", are from the zoo, I thought they would be interesting due to the behavior of the male feeding his mate in their tree hollow nest. The male has the blue "cere" about its beak, whereas the female's "cere" is pinkish-brown. The cere is the soft waxy swelling above the upper beak where the nostrils are. These are quite small birds, the body size slightly larger than a sparrow but has a long tail.
Lance B wrote:
Even though these photos of Budgerigars, or as we locals call them "Budgies", are from the zoo, I thought they would be interesting due to the behavior of the male feeding his mate in their tree hollow nest. The male has the blue "cere" about its beak, whereas the female's "cere" is pinkish-brown. The cere is the soft waxy swelling above the upper beak where the nostrils are. These are quite small birds, the body size slightly larger than a sparrow but has a long tail.
Very nice shots
Are they feeding or kissing in public ?
bs kite wrote:
I’ll start this post now, to grab a position, just below Philip and Gary... and then edit as needed.
I have had the 500PF and 200-500 for years now.
Philip’s comment on the 500PF focusing is right.
My 500PF’s huge advantage is its lightweight. It’s a “walk-about” 500. However, I sometimes have fits trying to focus the 500PF, but that may be partly due to my daltonism. Literally, I am blind to the red or green boxes against foliage.
After reading the 2 above posts, I compared the AF of the 500PF to the 200-500. The 500PF AF is “snappy” while the 2-5 is smooth and slower but usually sufficient in speed.
Gary’s post is very informative. I remember when all zooms were too soft. As I look back on my loon work, the 200-500 has been the most valuable of the two above lenses. All my captures of loons "taking to flight" were done with the 2-5 (and it's considered slow to AF?) But its weight is too much. Yes, I can still heft it. No, I do not want to. But I will continue to deal with the weight.... simply because I need the versatility of a super telephoto zoom. In loon work both the watercraft and the loons are always moving.
I’ve combined Gary’s assessment of the 180-600, with Terry Vander Heiden's “deep dive” into it. I’ve been putting off buying this lens. While editing this post, I ordered it. I hope I become as excited about it as everyone is
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Here’s an edit after shooting it a few days: Reasons I love it! - I can zoom the entire 200-600 range with just one sweep of my thumb. I shoot long lenses at f8; this lens is very sharp. It has the smoothest VR I've ever experienced. Thanks Nikon for such a great lens at a great price. ...Show more →
Hey Robert. Congrats on the new lens ! I was going to mention to you before, you probably aren't going to see a major difference in sharpness but you should notice a major difference in usability. It seems you've already discovered that I agree, the internal zoom is a huge plus and the VR is also excellent. I also think the out of focus transitions on this lens are very, very nice, (for a 6.3 lens). I'm looking forward to seeing your results and hearing your impressions going forward.
sum1sgrampa wrote:
Hey Robert. Congrats on the new lens ! I was going to mention to you before, you probably aren't going to see a major difference in sharpness but you should notice a major difference in usability. It seems you've already discovered that I agree, the internal zoom is a huge plus and the VR is also excellent. I also think the out of focus transitions on this lens are very, very nice, (for a 6.3 lens). I'm looking forward to seeing your results and hearing your impressions going forward.
Thanks for your thoughts Gary. I think you know that lens best. I think I’m just finding that the “Normal” option in VR is a little smoother than “Sport”. Not yet sure though. Then there is the versatility of the zoom. I have 30 days to "test her out"
Lance B wrote:
I found a new spot for Rose Robins about 1.25 hours from home on the western outskirts of Sydney at the base of the Blue Mountains in a national park. There is a small pool of water that this little guy comes down to bathe in the late afternoon - his bedtime bath it seems.
Like Bruce, I love that image of the little Robin you travel to see bathing in the pool. Was going to comment this morning but just could not find the words. I still can’t. I do know that I love everything about the image and the story that goes with it.
A cold winter's afternoon late and dark in the forest. Tried to see how low I could go with the shutter speeds and keep ISO's as low as possible. These were completely unbraced, standing and not leaning on anything. I started off at 1/40sec and then dialed down and a number at 1/25sec where most were sharp, and also at 1/20sec where most were also sharp. I also did a short burst of 3 shots at 1/13sec with a sharp shot in a short burst of 3 shots. IBIS and VR worked well! Run through Topaz noise reduction.
Like Bruce, I love that image of the little Robin you travel to see bathing in the pool. Was going to comment this morning but just could not find the words. I still can’t. I do know that I love everything about the image and the story that goes with it.
Thank you very much for your kind comments, Robert. Much appreciated!
Sometimes a long drive pays off. The Rose Robin had been reported on eBird, but we only knew of the general area but not the specifics of where the bird would be. The only thing I could remember was the photo on eBird where the Rose Robin was perched on a stick and was wet. I assumed that it must have had a bath somewhere (as it hadn't been raining) and as there was a river nearby, we ventured there to no avail, it didn't match the habitat of forest that these little birds would usually inhabit. We backtracked and went into an area where there was a forest more conducive to what the bird would inhabit. We then saw two people sitting on stools with cameras and I then saw a stick near them similar to the one in the photo on eBird and then saw the little pool. Obviously, a spot that the Robin frequents for his afternoon bath and possibly a drink. We introduced ourselves to the other photogs that were also after shots of the Robin and we sat down and waited till he turned up about 15 minutes later. I have a few shots of him bathing, head spinning in the water etc.
A cold winter's afternoon late and dark in the forest. Tried to see how low I could go with the shutter speeds and keep ISO's as low as possible. These were completely unbraced, standing and not leaning on anything. I started off at 1/40sec and then dialed down and a number at 1/25sec where most were sharp, and also at 1/20sec where most were also sharp. I also did a short burst of 3 shots at 1/13sec with a sharp shot in a short burst of 3 shots. IBIS and VR worked well! Run through Topaz noise reduction.
dsdickson wrote:
Amazing Lance! I still can’t comprehend how you get those results hand held, just wow!
Thank you very much, DSDickson. However, I don't think I can take the credit as I think the kudos has to go to the amazing IBIS and VR of the camera and lens. Oh, and it also helps to have a bird that stays stationary!
Yes, IBIS is amazing technology. I’m putting it to work with this new 180-600 now. My forte is nature, not so much technology. So when I saw the acronym IBIS, it did not register with me. I’ve recently learned to use Ai. So, I dictated the question into my computer, asking what Nikon’s IBIS is....... and hit return a couple of times The explanation/answer is almost instantaneous!
Lance B wrote:
Thank you very much for your kind comments, Robert. Much appreciated!
Sometimes a long drive pays off. The Rose Robin had been reported on eBird, but we only knew of the general area but not the specifics of where the bird would be. The only thing I could remember was the photo on eBird where the Rose Robin was perched on a stick and was wet. I assumed that it must have had a bath somewhere (as it hadn't been raining) and as there was a river nearby, we ventured there to no avail, it didn't match the habitat of forest that these little birds would usually inhabit. We backtracked and went into an area where there was a forest more conducive to what the bird would inhabit. We then saw two people sitting on stools with cameras and I then saw a stick near them similar to the one in the photo on eBird and then saw the little pool. Obviously, a spot that the Robin frequents for his afternoon bath and possibly a drink. We introduced ourselves to the other photogs that were also after shots of the Robin and we sat down and waited till he turned up about 15 minutes later. I have a few shots of him bathing, head spinning in the water etc. ...Show more →
This is a very interesting experience and your descriptions are always lucid. And remembering that stick!
