American Wigeon

[Doug Brown]

Photographed this female Wigeon yesterday. The ducks are really starting to look good!

http://birdwhisperer.smugmug.com/photos/401174561_kefpt-O.jpg

Canon 50D, 400mm, f/7.1, 1/2000, ISO 400, -1/3 EC, no flash, hand held

[Vincent Grafhorst]

Great exposure Doug and a nicely coloured BG.
Btw do you prefer that 50D over you 1Dmk3?

[James Salywoda]

Excellent details and pose captured she sure is coming into plumage I think the image overall is a bit to dark.....

[Ramon M. Casares]

I agree with James, I don't know if it looks dark or if it need a bit more SAT or contrast, not sure, I like ir as presented though ;) Congratulaitons!

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Great light, details, angle and water colors, I like it a lot! Maybe a tad more saturation.

[Aidan Briggs]

Nice pose, details, and BG. Maybe a bit more room in front of the bird?

[John Chardine]

Love it Doug. Very taken with the colours and the eye of the female.

[Tony Whitehead]

That is one good looking duck. Colours of water and bird work perfectly for me.

[Linda Robbins]

Beautiful subject and pose. Nice low perspective and such nice plumage detail. On my monitor, the image looks a bit dark. Well done.

[Doug Brown]

I've definitely been using the 50D a lot. I like its AF more than my Mark III's for BIF. I like the way pixels look at 1:1 better on the Mark III than on the 50D. I've been using the Mark III for perched birds and the 50D for action.

[Vincent Grafhorst]

Thanks Doug. That surprises me, since the 50D is a 9 point AF just like the 40D and as far as I understand from reviews the AF of the 50D is similar to the 40D's.

[bill kominsky]

Great detail in this Duck and the BG great as well Doug, I have the Male version which I will post in the future, they were here for just a few hours and we never had them back again, great job on this one as always.

Bill

[Doug Brown]

Here's a repost with some added brightness and contrast on the bird. You guys are good! I like this version better!

http://birdwhisperer.smugmug.com/photos/402140384_woP24-O.jpg

[John Chardine]

Subtle but excellent Doug!

[Tony Whitehead]

I really liked the first one - 2nd is WOW!

[Steve Canuel]

Really nice shot Doug. Like the color tone of the shot and great details. Repost made a good shot even better.
Steve

[James Salywoda]

Now thats what I'm talking about you made this excellent shot superb those subtle adjustments worked perfectly.....:)

[Doug Brown]

Don't believe everything you read Vincent. I've shot over 10,000 frames with the 50D already, many of them BIF. It's much better than the 40D (I've shot at least 3 different 40D bodies), and it's quite a bit better than my copy of the 1D Mark III when it comes to BIF. I felt like my Mark III was a big improvement over my 40D; I've never been a Mark III basher. Just like the AF of the 50D for BIF; it locks on quicker, tracks better, handles birds flying at me better, and handles low contrast better.

[Vincent Grafhorst]

Interesting Doug, thanks for sharing your experiences.