900mm Bullfrog

[Andrew McLachlan]

A couple of weeks ago I was loaned the Sigma 150-600mm Sport Zoom Telephoto Lens by Gentec International, the Canadian distributor for Sigma lenses for the purpose of review. I knew right away that I would want to try it out on the Bullfrogs at the cottage on Horseshoe Lake near Parry Sound, Ontario. For this image I selected the 1.5 DX crop on the Nikon D800 for an effective focal length of 900mm at the minimum focusing distance of the lens which is around 8 feet. I place a life jacket over the side of the canoe for some added stability while handholding the lens.

Nikon D800
Sigma 150-600mm @600mm (1.5 DX crop = 900mm effective focal length)
ISO 800
f8 @ 1/80 sec

Look forward to comments.

154572

[Norm Dulak]

Interesting story, Andrew, about how you captured this image! Life jacket canoe stabilization is new to me. And the face and eyes of the frog are sharp, well exposed, and presented beautifully.

If it were mine, I might crop a little off the top and the left side, to concentrate more fully on the subject. That would eliminate the pinkish areas at the top. And there is a vertical line at the upper right quarter of the image that I would try to smooth over by cloning, or by using something like the content aware healing tool of Photoshop.

Despite my suggestions, I really enjoy this image!

[Nancy Bell]

Fabulous detail! Great results with the lens plus 8 ft. min. focusing distance is very good. Life jackets float much better than bean bags if it should happen to slip off the edge of the canoe :S3:! Norm has a good suggestion about cropping down from the top to remove the pinkish colors.

[Diane Miller]

Wonderful sharpness (especially for 1/80 sec!!) and perfect DOF falloff. I don't mind the pinks but I'd try to subdue the yellows a bit except on the frog. The bottom lily pad edge could have a little more breathing room for my taste. If it wasn't a crop, I'd soften the line with partial opacity cloning.

I remember your wide-angles of a "tame" frog -- this same one?? I'd so love to have an approachable frog!!

[Andrew McLachlan]

Thanks so much folks, much appreciated. Will play around with the suggestions...I do have a similar scene created at 600mm so I do have breathing room in additional frames...will try to post one of them upon my return home on the 23rd.

Diane - I do believe that this is same frog that I photograph year after year as it is in the exact same location of the wetland...sadly the number of bullfrogs in this wetland is drastically reduced from what it was 30 years ago...they are getting harder to find with each new season.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Andrew. I'm impressed with the image quality you achieved with that lens - and HH from a canoe at 1/80! Looks like there is a tiny "bug" on top of its left eye. :S3: There are some interesting suggestions above for you to consider. For my taste, this is a very strong image as presented.

[Randy Stout]

Andrew:

Very sharp, esp. considering the shutter speed, canoe , and distance.

The eye is captivating. I would also be tempted to crop a bit tighter, partially to downplay the impact of the reeds in the bg.

Guess I will have to find a frog or two. :S3:

Cheers

Randy

[shane shacaluga]

Nicely done. Great IQ and DOF is spot on! Good work with the life jacket. Agree on the crop from the top. TFS

[Jonathan Ashton]

Well presented I like the limited DOF and the good details in the head/eye region. I like the composition as is.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Thanks so much for the additional comments folks...they are very much appreciated!