Posted by Tom Stermitz on January 12, 2013 at 1:24 AM
The Common Redpoll isn't so common South of Wyoming. A good-sized flock has been exciting birders in Ft Collins this Winter. I got some good pictures near the new science museum on the North side of town.
These birds are pretty small finches, but cheerfully clustered for close shots.
300mm on Pentax K5. Depth of field is pretty shallow with a 450mm equivalent when the subject is so close. Also, I think I have some front focus issues.
Posted by Tom Stermitz on January 12, 2013 at 1:28 AM
This shot shows the pretty pink breast of the male.
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on January 12, 2013 at 2:11 AM
I've never heard of this finch. Love the little red patch.
The focus on #1 does appear to be on the wings rather than the eye.
I hope the K5 lets you mircroadjust the lens focus.
Posted by Morris McClung on January 12, 2013 at 10:38 AM
Beautiful little birds. The red going down the breast of the second one makes it look like it's a carnivore.
Posted by Tom Stermitz on January 12, 2013 at 4:31 PM
Carnivorous Redpoll?!
Number one is the best photo I have despite the focus issues, because the environmental portrait with branch is more interesting than the second, sharper photo of a still bird in the snow.
Bird photography is a lot harder than just pointing a big lens at a bird! Besides the front-focus issues, you need good autofocus, and the ability to select an individual focus point on a sufficiently contrasty, small area (like the eye), while the little bird is hopping around.
I really like the Pentax F 300mm f/4.5 lens as it is very small for a tele, and very easy to hand-hold. I'm not fast enough to follow the little birds when they are moving, but I can focus on them when they pause for a moment. I have to work on several possible technical problems in order to get the eye precisely in focus:
(0) Did I actually aim at the eye?
(1) Is the focus point is sufficiently small to "focus" on the desired location?
(2) Is the autofocus sufficiently fast?
(3) Do I need to hold the focus a moment before triggering the shutter?
(4) Did the bird move after I froze the focus?
(4) Does the lens/camera have a front-focus issue? (I can adjust this in the menu system.)
(5) Is the focus issue only a problem in dim light? (A known issue on the K5 with the earlier firmware.)
(6) Can I close down the aperture for better depth of field? (Thank god for sensor stabilization, great dynamic range and high ISO on modern sensors.)
You sometimes have more insidious problems, like focus only locking properly when you go from near to far or vice versa.
Good autofocus and tracking autofocus is why you pay Nikon & Canon the big bucks for a pro DSLR. But, even there I've seen focus complaints listed in some reviews. Supposedly the new Pentax K5 II has improved autofocus.
Once they achieve pro-quality autofocus Micro Four Thirds will end up as an excellent platform for bird photography. You get double the telephoto and double the depth of field, and "more pixels on subject" than FF, as Thom Hogan says.
Discussion
4 repliesThese birds are pretty small finches, but cheerfully clustered for close shots.
300mm on Pentax K5. Depth of field is pretty shallow with a 450mm equivalent when the subject is so close. Also, I think I have some front focus issues.
The focus on #1 does appear to be on the wings rather than the eye.
I hope the K5 lets you mircroadjust the lens focus.
Number one is the best photo I have despite the focus issues, because the environmental portrait with branch is more interesting than the second, sharper photo of a still bird in the snow.
Bird photography is a lot harder than just pointing a big lens at a bird! Besides the front-focus issues, you need good autofocus, and the ability to select an individual focus point on a sufficiently contrasty, small area (like the eye), while the little bird is hopping around.
I really like the Pentax F 300mm f/4.5 lens as it is very small for a tele, and very easy to hand-hold. I'm not fast enough to follow the little birds when they are moving, but I can focus on them when they pause for a moment. I have to work on several possible technical problems in order to get the eye precisely in focus:
(0) Did I actually aim at the eye?
(1) Is the focus point is sufficiently small to "focus" on the desired location?
(2) Is the autofocus sufficiently fast?
(3) Do I need to hold the focus a moment before triggering the shutter?
(4) Did the bird move after I froze the focus?
(4) Does the lens/camera have a front-focus issue? (I can adjust this in the menu system.)
(5) Is the focus issue only a problem in dim light? (A known issue on the K5 with the earlier firmware.)
(6) Can I close down the aperture for better depth of field? (Thank god for sensor stabilization, great dynamic range and high ISO on modern sensors.)
You sometimes have more insidious problems, like focus only locking properly when you go from near to far or vice versa.
Good autofocus and tracking autofocus is why you pay Nikon & Canon the big bucks for a pro DSLR. But, even there I've seen focus complaints listed in some reviews. Supposedly the new Pentax K5 II has improved autofocus.
Once they achieve pro-quality autofocus Micro Four Thirds will end up as an excellent platform for bird photography. You get double the telephoto and double the depth of field, and "more pixels on subject" than FF, as Thom Hogan says.