Posted by Tim Mulholland on January 27, 2008 at 10:02 PM
Greetings all!
This morning, I was staring out the bathroom window at one of our few nice mornings, anticipating the first warm day in about ten days. And, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but - a red tail hawk! I tried use the bathroom as my blind, but just couldn't quite get a good shot - branches in the way. So, I stepped outside and was able to get a few shots before the hawk flew off.
There has been a nesting pair of hawks a couple of hundred feet out our back door for the past two summers, and this is probably one of them. But, in the summer, we can mostly hear them or see them in flight; when they're perching, the leaves are too thick to get a decent shot.
Pentax *istDL and ~1200mm focal length of glass...
I used a doubler with this image to get the shot. Q: Has anyone tried to use TWO doublers? Yes, I realize the "costs" ($, f/stops, sharpness), but I've never heard of anyone actually trying it and I'm just curious...
Thanks for looking,
Tim!
Posted by Dan Borzynski on January 28, 2008 at 2:56 PM
From the jpeg, the image looks pretty sharp. I'd prefer to have that branch across the body not there, but in a tree, you take what yo can get.
I've used the 1.4x and 2x converters simultaneously on my 180 macro and there is a very noticeable drop in quality. I don't think I have ever kept anything from this combination, and the 180 macro is an extremely high end starting point for image quality.
With regards to the use of two 2x convertors, you already know the downside about them If it is the choice between getting the shot or not, it won't hurt to try, but I wouldn't expect much out of it. Your technique has to be absolute dead perfect, with a high shutter speed and probably a higher ISO.
I really want to say don't ever do it. But on the other hand, it the shot is for personal use and the print is kept small, it might be worth it. If you are shooting for publication, it has to be something absolutely rare since someone else has most likely shot it without the converters.
Posted by Toni Lankerd on January 28, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Other than the branch in front of the Hawk, this is a nice shot, Tim.
Wish I'd had a converter the other day when there were 6 Bald Eagles down at the waterfront. My 80-320 zoom just wasn't quite good enough.
Posted by Chuck Beatty on January 30, 2008 at 3:02 PM
She's a beauty, Tim. The deep blue sky makes her really pop. This kind of image makes me wish for a magic tree lopper to deal with that branch (could be a new Photoshop plug-in?).
Posted by Jack Graham on January 31, 2008 at 2:14 AM
Birda just don't always cooperate!
JG
Posted by Jack Graham on January 31, 2008 at 2:14 AM
Birda just don't always cooperate!
JG
Posted by Jack Graham on January 31, 2008 at 2:14 AM
Discussion
7 repliesThis morning, I was staring out the bathroom window at one of our few nice mornings, anticipating the first warm day in about ten days. And, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but - a red tail hawk! I tried use the bathroom as my blind, but just couldn't quite get a good shot - branches in the way. So, I stepped outside and was able to get a few shots before the hawk flew off.
There has been a nesting pair of hawks a couple of hundred feet out our back door for the past two summers, and this is probably one of them. But, in the summer, we can mostly hear them or see them in flight; when they're perching, the leaves are too thick to get a decent shot.
Pentax *istDL and ~1200mm focal length of glass...
I used a doubler with this image to get the shot. Q: Has anyone tried to use TWO doublers? Yes, I realize the "costs" ($, f/stops, sharpness), but I've never heard of anyone actually trying it and I'm just curious...
Thanks for looking,
Tim!
I've used the 1.4x and 2x converters simultaneously on my 180 macro and there is a very noticeable drop in quality. I don't think I have ever kept anything from this combination, and the 180 macro is an extremely high end starting point for image quality.
With regards to the use of two 2x convertors, you already know the downside about them If it is the choice between getting the shot or not, it won't hurt to try, but I wouldn't expect much out of it. Your technique has to be absolute dead perfect, with a high shutter speed and probably a higher ISO.
I really want to say don't ever do it. But on the other hand, it the shot is for personal use and the print is kept small, it might be worth it. If you are shooting for publication, it has to be something absolutely rare since someone else has most likely shot it without the converters.
Thanks for the response - I appreciate it!
Yes, I agree with what you're saying, and I appreciate that you're speaking from experience, as that's what I was seeking.
Bill Dark posted an eagle photo that he took yesterday, and the quality of his image appears to be better than mine...
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/bbs.cgi?a=vm&mr=26008&b=vf11&st=0&la=722&ph=6&sid=32338&u=32338
Tim!
Wish I'd had a converter the other day when there were 6 Bald Eagles down at the waterfront. My 80-320 zoom just wasn't quite good enough.
JG
JG
JG