7D: Kingfisher II

[Doug Brown]

This was a different Kingfisher on a different day than the first 7D KF that I posted. I got more pixels on the bird this time around. It's as good a KF flight shot as I've ever gotten in terms of detail.

http://birdwhisperer.smugmug.com/Animals/Birds/BPN/20091008-MG1627-Belted/674243844_wijKK-O-3.jpg

Canon 7D, 500mm, f/5.6, 1/3200, ISO 400, hand held

[KK Hui]

Just stunning, Doug!
Is this full frame?

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Wing position and eye contact look very good. The dark plumage looks a bit underexposed on my monitor.

[Doug Brown]

The actual pixel dimension of the above image are 2160x1440.

[David Hemmings]

I have been on the fence about getting one of these because I was unsure about the focus speed...I think this says it all:)

[Norm Dulak]

The actual pixel dimension of the above image are 2160x1440.

This is an interesting image of an admittedly difficult subject. Still, if I understand the capability of the camera correctly, a very severe crop (83%) was applied to get this image.:) That seems a bit unusual.

Norm Dulak

[Doug Brown]

Your math is correct. But Belted Kingfishers are small, fast, and skittish. They are tough enough to capture in flight at this distance, much less at a substantial portion of full frame. In my experience they don't tend to fly close to you. 18 megapixels has its advantages, and this is one of them IMO.

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Doug, Sweet light, and well done to capture the full downward stroke of the wings. Did you use the full 8fps on this sequence, and if so, how did they turn out?

[Jim Fenton]

These suckers are fast and you did good (as did the camera) to get this subject in flight.

Other than being a bit detail lacking due to the large crop, the only other comment I have is that it looks like all of the lower luminosity areas could come up a notch in exposure.

[Doug Brown]

Here's a little exposure boost. A definite improvement.

[Norm Dulak]

18 megapixels has its advantages, and this is one of them IMO.

Doug:

No argument there; the main thing is the good end result facilitated by all of those pixels. And the repost is great.

Norm Dulak

[Marina Scarr]

Doug, this is one of the best KF flight pics I have ever seen. IT's tack sharp with great details. Love the wing position. THe repost does work better as far as exposure.

[arash_hazeghi]

Hey Doug,
Nice flight shot and wing position. Did you use DPP or LR for conversion?

[Malcolm Benn]

Capturing any part of a bullet in flight is impressive but getting this amount of detail is fantastic .. a very impressive image Doug.