Harrier with vole-1200mm

[arash_hazeghi]

This an image from Half Moon Bay coast. It's a young female harrier. I was lucky I saw her when she was hunting before sunset. This time of the year raptors are very sparse and skittish in this area as the rodent population diminishes. You really need long focal lengths to maximize your chances. With the 1DX and 600 MKII the 2X TC III has now found a permanent home in my jacket's right pocket . In the past I had to weigh the compromise between reach and slow AF (that was limited to single point only) and a bit loss of sharpness before using a 2X. Most of the time I would avoid if I could. Now thanks to the 600 II and 1DX, I don't think twice before taking it out and using for flight. Wide-open sharpness is amazing so is the AF drive and accuracy plus I get 4 expansion points too.

In this frame harrier caught me by surprise flying towards me very quickly, I could get only 3 frames before it banked away, but I was lucky she had dinner with her too, a vole with a few small sticks (one coming off the tail) still attached to it

Hope you like this image

1DX 600 II +2X III f/8 1/3200sec ISO 1600 handheld.

[vishaljadhav]

Lovely light you have here, the IQ is superb as always.
Exposure is spot on and the vole adds a lot to the image
The harrier was going away from you and then the slight look back makes it s nice HA , like this image

[Martin Dunn]

Good reactions and steady hands Arash. Neat shot

[Satish Ranadive]

Excellent image with wonderful wing position and very nice HA. Rest as usual superb. Beautiful lights. Love the frame.

Regards,
Satish.

[Grace Scalzo]

Spectacular. Such a difficult image for to capture and then to process so well.

[Arthur Morris]

Quite sick. I love the "walking sticks" as well as the sharpness and perfect EXP. Nice focal length.... For more on the 600/2X III TC, see "The 600II/2X II TC/1D X Combo for Flight and Action" in BAA Bulletin #452 by scrolling down to item 2 here.: http://www.birdsasart.com/2013/12/13...-bulletin-452/ Lots on Bosque there in item 1.

[Bill Dix]

Another excellent image from one whose excellence is the norm. Beautiful light, and amazing IQ for the long reach. The slight turn toward you makes it work.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Love the light and contrast...so rich. The look-back from the harrier is very cool, and of course the prey item is awesome too.

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Pretty amazing Arash. The light is so cool and creates a dark mysterious feel for me which adds to the story of the predator. really nice

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

I guess it will take me a lot of time before I can go out with my 600 and a 2XTC!!!!
I have been playing with the 600 and 1.4XTC but nothing impressive as of yet. You are truly a master on this field and I enjoy seen your work. Very nice light, and the harrier pose is great.

[Holger Leyrer]

Very nice flight pose. Love the background and lovely light.

[Shawn Zierman]

Dynamic flight image of the species. Lighting is superb. Love the flight pose and general shape and form achieved with the wing positioning, sligtly turned tail, and sticks and prey all about. The eye contact is really impressive.

[Henry Domke]

Thanks for the reminder to consider using the 2X tele on the 1DX. I am so happy that the 1.4X works so well that I forget to consider the 2X.

The image is a bit dark for my taste; at least when viewed on my laptop. I tried gently brightening the image (masking out important highlights) and I thought it looked better.

[Troy Lim]

I have been enjoying your 600mm II plus 2x TC III combo images. Another great shot here. I do notice the artifact in the BG. That is something I see in Canon files often in post processing. Do you see what I am referring to?

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to comment.

Henry, brightness is good , I think your screen is not calibrated. Laptop screens are generally very poor for critical viewing.

Troy, I have no idea what you are talking about, Canon files have no artifact. it might be your screen or processing (see above).



best

[Kim.K.K.Lam]

Wow...wow Amazing capture and beautiful light...Arash.

[Henry Domke]

I think your screen is not calibrated.

All of my monitors are calibrated. I have the luminance set to 130 candelas.

Laptop screens are generally very poor for critical viewing.

I couldn't agree more! I do all my serious adjustments on my desktop computer using NEC 30-inch monitors (NEC PA301W). This wide color gamut monitor has a built-in calibration system.

The problem is that I look at the images on this website on my laptop. Even though my laptop is "Retina Display" (i.e. high pixel density) it doesn't come close to the quality of the NEC monitors. Like many laptops the contrast is too high and I can't adjust it.

[Troy Lim]

I have Apple iMac 27", here is the artifact I am talking about.

[arash_hazeghi]

All of my monitors are calibrated. I have the luminance set to 130 candelas.


I couldn't agree more! I do all my serious adjustments on my desktop computer using NEC 30-inch monitors (NEC PA301W). This wide color gamut monitor has a built-in calibration system.

The problem is that I look at the images on this website on my laptop. Even though my laptop is "Retina Display" (i.e. high pixel density) it doesn't come close to the quality of the NEC monitors. Like many laptops the contrast is too high and I can't adjust it.

NEC is prett good but for best results use external hardware calibration that also takes ambient lightning into the equation, such as the ColorMunki or Spyder pro.

Retina refers to resolution, it has nothing to do with brightness or color rendition. Retina displays (or any other laptop) are not suitable for image editing or image critique IMO.

[arash_hazeghi]

I have Apple iMac 27", here is the artifact I am talking about.

It is def your monitor. there are no artifacts there.

iMAc is about the worst display you can pick for image editing, it is a cheap 6 Bit LCD (it's called TN panel as opposed to IPS technology) so it cannot support fine tonal gradations, it will posterize those areas, it is also glossy with a ton of reflection. I can't believe you spend so much on your gear yet use such a poor display to look at your images. ditch that iMac and get a proper S-IPS display such as NEC, EIZO or even HP / Dell

[Henry Domke]

NEC is prett good but for best results use external hardware calibration that also takes ambient lightning into the equation, such as the ColorMunki or Spyder pro.

The SpectraView software does take ambient lighting into consideration. I used the Spyder Pro devices for several years but upgraded to the NEC wide gamut displays with Spectraview II software. It takes calibration to another level. For example, I appreciate the fact that I can control contrast to more closely mimic the paper I print on.

Retina refers to resolution, it has nothing to do with brightness or color rendition.

I understand. I was simply pointing out that even though the laptop has a high resolution display it still has serious problems with too much contrast. That makes it great for reading text but horrible for accurate image editing.

[arash_hazeghi]

The SpectraView software does take ambient lighting into consideration. I used the Spyder Pro devices for several years but upgraded to the NEC wide gamut displays with Spectraview II software. It takes calibration to another level. For example, I appreciate the fact that I can control contrast to more closely mimic the paper I print on.


I understand. I was simply pointing out that even though the laptop has a high resolution display it still has serious problems with too much contrast. That makes it great for reading text but horrible for accurate image editing.

good, you must have the top model that has an external light sensor.

What I find very difficult about retina is the internal scaling. Since the pixels are so tiny if you view a photo at native size it will become too small and judging sharpness is very difficult. To get around this most apps use internal scaling, meaning they will interpolate and blow up your photo so that it fills the screen. This interpolation makes the photos look soft and crunchy. Overall it is really difficult to process images, as you say it is best for reading text and CAD work but not photography.

[Loi Nguyen]

Arash, I don't think i have seen better BIF images at 1200mm than yours and this one is ranked among the top. The vole added more interest to the image, I wish the sticks weren't there though. Loi

[Troy Lim]

It is def your monitor. there are no artifacts there.

iMAc is about the worst display you can pick for image editing, it is a cheap 6 Bit LCD (it's called TN panel as opposed to IPS technology) so it cannot support fine tonal gradations, it will posterize those areas, it is also glossy with a ton of reflection. I can't believe you spend so much on your gear yet use such a poor display to look at your images. ditch that iMac and get a proper S-IPS display such as NEC, EIZO or even HP / Dell

Who would have thought iMac is considered a cheap monitor. ;) I guess I have do more research on the screens. I hope that is because of my screen as that is what I sometimes see on my images too. :)

[arash_hazeghi]

Who would have thought iMac is considered a cheap monitor. ;) I guess I have do more research on the screens. I hope that is because of my screen as that is what I sometimes see on my images too. :)

Hey Troy,

The displays that are suitable for our job are usually made be NEC, Lacie, Eizo and HP/DELL (only select models for the latter two). pretty much everything else is not great for critical image viewing/precessing/printing.

best luck

[arash_hazeghi]

Arash, I don't think i have seen better BIF images at 1200mm than yours and this one is ranked among the top. The vole added more interest to the image, I wish the sticks weren't there though. Loi

Hi Loi,

Thanks for your comment,

The sticks/ dried grass are actually what makes this image more interesting IMO because it shows the behavior, i.e. harriers like owls use the facial disk to pick up sounds, (as opposed to just relying on vision) this way they spot prey from under the grass and branches and often when they grab them they also grab a bit of "vole's hide" with it :)

[Sidharth Kodikal]

Dramatic lighting and excellent IQ. Love the head turns. Vole and grass takes this over the top. Great use of 2x.
A minor mask/selection issue between the tail and the grass that could be easily fixed. Excellent work Arash.

[Doug Brown]

Amazing sharpness for 1200mm!

[yogesh_puranik]

this is another stunning image Arashbhai. Loved the sharpnesss, light, moment and perfect HA. Excellent discussion on the monitors. Can you explain which of HP & Dell's version shall we use for processing?

[Alan Peterson]

Very nice shot. I've spent a good deal of time watching my local harriers, and have yet to see them take flight with their prey (I think the ones around Humboldt Bay are afraid of the White-tailed kites in the area and just eat their meals on the ground). It takes quick reflexes and a practiced hand to get a good shot of an up-close raptor through a long lens, and you pulled it off beautifully.

As for the monitor business, the Apple 27" displays (including the ones on the 27" iMacs) are IPS panels. The color gamut isn't as broad as some of the competition, but it's a big step up from your run-of-the-mill 6-bit LCD (and works much better with an X-rite calibrator than Dell's equivalent, in my experience).

[arash_hazeghi]

thanks for the comments.

Yogesh, If you want HP or DELL, HP ZR30w and DELL U3014 (LED) are good choices.

Alan, You are right I checked Apple website and it does say IPS, nevertheless they are poor in color reproduction compared to monitors that are dedicated to professional imaging and even the high-end 30" HP/DELL models. They are also very reflective "glossy" which makes it difficult to judge brightness.

[David Salem]

Nice shot Arash. I really like the evening light on this cool shot. The look back pose and the feet clutching the prey with the weeds hanging down adds allot to this shot. Killer detail, especially at 1200mm!! Very nice.