Common Goldeneye Over the Rapids.

I was finally able to test the 7DII's AF for birds in flight. The subjects were Common Goldeneyes that were flying back upstream after having drifted down (backwards) across the rapids. Fun to watch. Fun to photograph. I was pleasantly pleased with the performance, especially that I had the TC on. I got a few "cleaner" backgrounds, but I am liking the rapids in the BG here.

Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/3200s., f/5.6, ISO 800, natural light (getting a bit harsh!), handheld, added a bit of canvas below then cropped for comp, a few of the worst offending specular highlights either fully removed or toned down, darkened the brightest whites near the shoulder (looks like I could still go a tad darker).

The oof rapids really set this Goldeneye off and gives excellent sense of place. Full wings down position and really fine details make this a beauty. You've already mentioned the one thing I saw which would be to bring the whites on the shoulder down a bit more. Very nicely done.

Daniel:

Really seems like he is flying over a raging torrent. It might be fun to have a short video clip of them drifting backwards in the current and then flying upstream again.

Great full down position, eye.

Sounds like you are really enjoying the new camera.

Perhaps someday Nikon will release a competitor for it :S3:

Cheers

Randy

Hi Daniel, congrats on the new camera. Would like to hear your view on higher ISO. Tack sharp and great details. The dark and light BG complements the colors of the bird so well. Well done. Like this one a lot. Loi

Hi Dan, good way to test it, but looks like you got things all set. Be interesting how you feel about the ISO range on the new version, however I think I agree with you about going a tad darker on the BKG.

TFS
Steve

A wonderful flight image Daniel. The background rapids look superb. Exposure well handled. These birds are like bullets so nailing these is quite a challenge.

Excellent image Daniel! I like the wing position, IQ, BG and composition.

Good flight image with great wing position. Tough bird to get in flight (and for me, a tough bird to get at all). The rapids are a nice touch.

Hi Dan, killer flight pose, and I do like the feather detail on the near wing. I do like the overall colours on this species, and the bird is nicely separated from the BG.

Congrats on your new toy.

Fine capture with a lovely flight pose. Beautiful details and colour on the bird. Very nice.

Will

Nice flight pose, details and sharpness, Daniel.

All been said Dan AF looks pretty useful
Good picture.
JohnR

Super timing Dan, both the bird and background are very good indeed. Maybe check the shoulder as you mention...... but very good indeed.