Last RAW File Before the 1D X M2 JPEG Mystery....

This Black-capped Chickadee image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR ISO 800. Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/10 in Av mode.


Why Av mode here? The light was changing constantly from bright sunny to cloudy and I found it easier to go from -1 stop when it was cloudy to -1 1/3 stops when the sun came out rather than having to make major changes to both aperture and shutter speed whenever the lighting conditions changed as I would have to have done if I were working in Manual mode.

This image was created at a set-up in Noyac, NY


Learn about the beginning of the M2 JPEG mystery in "Shooting Blanks: Do As I Say, Not As I Do," here and then check out the solution in "EOS-1D X News: It Was All My Fault" here.

This is the best exposed image of a BCC I've ever seen. Textbook perfect shot...oh wait - you wrote the textbook ;-)

Thanks Faraaz. A bit of NIK Color Efex Pro Detail Extractor and a small Liinear Burn on the neck helped. The exposure was pushed well to the right.

beatifull bird

Hi Artie - beautifully captured and glad you seem to have sorted out the raw/jpeg issue.

TFS,
Rachel

Artie, Very nice. I wish I could get one to sit still long enough it that sharp. I really like the open beak and te way it is looking back.

Colin

Hi Artie, good choice of aperture - DOF on the bird perfecto. Exposure looks pretty sorted too. That BG is sweet.

The clarity here is just amazing, love the BG too. Great to get him so so sharp, open beak adds nicely.

Wonderful shot.
Love the open beak, exposure is spot on, excellent details, and wonderful background.
Very well done.

Wonderful shot.
Love the open beak, exposure is spot on, excellent details, and wonderful background.
Very well done.

Beautiful shot, tail to head in focus is great! Love the open mouth, exposure is perfect.

Ticks all the right boxes with composition and sharpness......my hat goes off to you using such long focal lengths and slow shutter speeds..

I find myself swapping between Manual exposure and Aperture priority quite a bit, very hard to get the exposure right in manual with little birds flitting back and forth constantly, but generally find Manual makes for better exposure. If I get a chance at an uncommon bird I almost always use Aperture priority rather than take the chance of mucking up exposure and losing the image

Arthur Sir:
Marvelous image with great IQ.Very nice HA.Love the pose with open beak,beautiful colors,lights and sharpness.
I like the smooth BG and perch too.
Learning a lot from your information along with images.

Regards,
Satish.

Masterfully exposed, designed and executed. Just love the pose, the dof, the diagonal perch and the sweet bg.

Hi a nice image but the whites look blown on the neck of the bird is this just down too lose PP work or poor exposure.

Phil.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phillip Tomkinson

Hi a nice image but the whites look blown on the neck of the bird is this just down too lose PP work or poor exposure.Phil.

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Not sure what you are seeing (or trying to write...) but there are no blown WHITEs.... Highest RGB #s are 242...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PhilCook

Ticks all the right boxes with composition and sharpness......my hat goes off to you using such long focal lengths and slow shutter speeds.. I find myself swapping between Manual exposure and Aperture priority quite a bit, very hard to get the exposure right in manual with little birds flitting back and forth constantly, but generally find Manual makes for better exposure. If I get a chance at an uncommon bird I almost always use Aperture priority rather than take the chance of mucking up exposure and losing the image

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First off, thanks all for your kind comments. This little bird actually sat for about 30 seconds, an eternity for a small songbird in most situations. Denise Ippolito made many similar images. The speed of the 1D X helped me catch the open bill pose.

As for Av vs. Manual exposure mode. Phil, you need some counseling :). Possibly psychiatric! Manual mode and Av mode are one in the same. The huge advantage of Manual is that it is best in constant light when either the BKGR or the size of the subject in the frame varies.... It is always more consistent. In this case, the light was not constant so I found it easier to work in Av mode as noted in the original post.

Furthermore, neither Av mode or Manual mode makes good exposures. Smart photographers who understand exposure, histograms, and exposure theory make good exposures..... I recommend that folks who really want to understand exposure study the section on Exposure Theory in ABP and the Exposure Simplified section in ABP II. Save $10 and buy both here.

Hi there are bit's of the image with no detail in them just because you have a RGB # of 242 (I found 251) dose not mean you have not blown some bit's out, your numbers could be the result of trying to recover the blown high lights.

Phil.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

Not sure what you are seeing (or trying to write...) but there are no blown WHITEs.... Highest RGB #s are 242...

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Hi Arthur

I don't want to be the odd one out but I am not a fan of the picture. My biggest issue is that the whole scene is only partly in focus, The birds legs and feet as while as the branch at the back I find very distracting. If the bird and the branch where more in focus I think it would be a lot nicer.

The exposure looks bang on to me no white clipping on my end.

Beautiful pic. But I don't see any detail. I am not sure why? Maybe my monitor. I use a cheap dell laptop...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arthur Morris

First off, thanks all for your kind comments. This little bird actually sat for about 30 seconds, an eternity for a small songbird in most situations. Denise Ippolito made many similar images. The speed of the 1D X helped me catch the open bill pose.

As for Av vs. Manual exposure mode. Phil, you need some counseling :). Possibly psychiatric! Manual mode and Av mode are one in the same. The huge advantage of Manual is that it is best in constant light when either the BKGR or the size of the subject in the frame varies.... It is always more consistent. In this case, the light was not constant so I found it easier to work in Av mode as noted in the original post.

Furthermore, neither Av mode or Manual mode makes good exposures. Smart photographers who understand exposure, histograms, and exposure theory make good exposures..... I recommend that folks who really want to understand exposure study the section on Exposure Theory in ABP and the Exposure Simplified section in ABP II. Save $10 and buy both here.

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A.M. your work is consistently terrific, but the expression is in fact one and the same​. Please know that I am not being snooty or jerky; I am merely offering a correction. You do make a point of asking for such on your blog, after all...

Thanks JB. You are correct. I shall fix it on the blog and try to remember what I mangled!