Long-tailed Duck

[Isaac Grant]

This adult male was photographed off of the Barnegat Jetty in New Jersey last Friday. The forecast was for full sun for the whole day but as it turned out the sun was only out for a few scattered minutes in the late afternoon. There are more birds there this year than I have seen in many years. Last year I was there 3 times and only had a single Red-breasted Merganser fly by in close range. Going back this Friday to try and get some more opportunities with these sea ducks.

After having my gear stolen in Spain I thought long and hard and did many tests between Canon and Nikon. Thankfully I have some very patient friends who allowed and indulged me to use their gear. In side by side comparisons of the same birds shot at the same time at the same settings, the resolution and fine feather details of the D850 was no match for either the 5d4 or 1DX2. Ultimately I decided to switch systems and sold all of my Canon gear. For those that were on the fence like me, it was kind of a no brainer when I viewed the images on my screen. In addition to the D850 I purchased a 600 F4E and the 500 PF. Both lenses are outstanding and that 500 is just insanely light and easy to use. With regards to auto focus the D850 in group is for sure better and more consistent than the 1dx2 in zone. Combined with the 500PF it really made shooting these fast flying ducks easy. So another Nikon convert and so far I could not be happier about it. The images are noisier than what I am used to and have been testing raw processing with Capture 1, Lightroom and Nikon NX-D. All seem to have their merits and I have not decided which I like more yet. This image was processed using Lightroom and PS.

Nikon D850 and Nikon 500 PF at ISO 800, F8, SS 1/4000.

[William Dickson]

Very nice Isaac. What a great capture getting one of these beautiful ducks in flight. Good detail and a lovely flight pose with the down stroke wings. Some may say the water is too choppy, but I like this, it looks natural. These birds, because of their long tail, can cause problems with the crop, but I think you cropped well here. Overall a solid frame.

Will

[John Mack]

Nice view of this duck. The composition is solid and i like the down stroke pose. Have fun with the new gear.

[Krishna Prasad kotti]

Very Nice Shot of Long Tailed Duck. I haven't seem them out in the Field.

I like the sharp eye, Wing position and the tail.

TFS

[annmpacheco]

Hi Isaac,
Wonderful capture, light, colors, and sharp. Nice to see you posting with your new gear , congrats

[gail bisson]

Good flight shot of this LTD. It is not easy to get them in flight.
Nice wing position and very sharp.
I feel like you could bump up the saturation slightly or perhaps warm up the picture very slightly.
How much of a crop is this?
Glad to see you out and about with the new gear,
Gail

[Isaac Grant]

Hey Gail this is about a 55% crop so 45% of original frame. And to be honest, it was an easy shot to get. Using the d850 and the 500PF, tracking and locking on to these ducks was super easy. Focus was fast and accurate and the only thing that was hard was getting the perfect wing position at the perfect sun angle so there were no shadows on the birds. The lens is so small and light that it is a pleasure to use. Now compared to my old Canon 500f4 ii, hand holding the 500 PF is a night and day difference. Sure it is not an f4 lens but it will get shots that I was not able to get with the 500 f4 because it is so light and easy to use. I chose not to take the 600 f4 out with me because of that reason. I am going back there tomorrow as the forecast is for full sun. May bring the 600 with me to compare. And I do not disagree with you at all re the saturation or warmth as I never mind a bit more of either :S3: What is also difficult is the timing of this type of shot at that jetty. Probably using a camera with a higher frame rate like the d5 would yield a few more keepers with optimal wing position. The sun is never really directly at your back here but the birds are flying parallel to the jetty so often times when they are on the perfect sun angle they have already passed you by.

[Alex Becker]

Love the pose and the look at the tail. Great details and exposure. Processing looks great. Sounds like the new switch is working out well, the 500 PF looks great. TFS

[David Salem]

Nice first post with the new gear Isaac!!
I love these guys and it's one of the waterfowl I really want to capture before I'm done. Details and exposure look great and I like the wing position and the flight angle.
HA could be a bit better but not bad at all considering. Glad you are having a good time with your new gear!!
Keep em coming Jackson!!

[Jim Crosswell]

I like the wing position, sharpness, exposure and composition. Congratulations on the new rig and look forward to seeing more.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Isaac, firstly, bad luck with the stolen gear, and congrats on your new kit. Excellent flying pose, and love the curvature of the duck from beak to tail. I like the overall colours and detail, and nicely separated from the water.

Happy Shooting.

[Mike Poole]

Getting resultls like this must take the sting out of the theft! Great flight shot, ticks all the boxes, and a great subject to boot

Mike

[Arthur Morris]

I kept telling you but you would not listen for a long time :) I call the noise that you are seeing small pixel noise. It is of course exacerbated by cropping away 55% of the image. Love the wing position and the IQ held up just fine. For Dave, Barnegat Jetty is the place to go after these guys. Folks who would like to learn the basics are directed to the BAA Barnegat Jetty Site Guide (http://birdsasart-shop.com/barnegat-jetty-site-guide/)by Denise Ippolito.

with love, artie

[Daniel Cadieux]

Holy s***, I saw your reply on Artie's post and got confused a bit...so I went back to see your latest thread here and low and behold I am not so confused any more:t3. Glad for you, and that it is working out for you. I should have brought all my gear down to the Dominican Republic and left it out out for theft LOL. Beautiful image man, nicely done.

[Isaac Grant]

Hey Dan, my gear got stolen in September. It was all taken when someone broke into my rent a car when we stopped to eat. Turns out we randomly parked in tourist central and a spot that thieves target cars all the time. I had insurance and it was a blessing in disguise I guess because I got to get all new gear and the opportunity to switch. I did lose some killer shots of Lammergeier but can't change that now so will just look at the bright side. If anyone does not have their gear insured I will strongly recommend that you get it insured ASAP. They get well over $20,000 worth of gear from me. For the last few months I was shooting with a borrowed 500 f4 i and I had purchased a used 1dx2 while I decided.

[arash_hazeghi]

What happened to zone Isaac? :w3Glad you saw the light, I knew you would do it...don't you wish you had done it earlier?

welcome to the dark side buddy...

[Isaac Grant]

Zone > Surround but Group > Zone :cheers:
I do wish I did it sooner and was “fortunate” that my gear was stolen and insurance allowed me to switch so easily. But i switched as soon as I saw the side by side comparisons between the d850 and 5d4. The AF advantage is clear over Canon once you have used it a bit. No contest really.