Ovenbird

[John Goldman]

5DmkIII, 300mm+2xTC, 1/320, f6.3, ISO 800, window mount.
Shot this from my mobile blind(car).
Noise reduction, Color Efex Pro 4 tonal contrast and detail enhancement brushed onto the bird, distractions removed with clone stamp.

[Greg Payne]

Nice. I really like the background and how the bird stands out from it. Maybe a little off from the bottom but I like it as is.

[Sandy Witvoet]

Lovely pose and great complementary background!

[Diane Miller]

Lovely catch and I like everything about it except the fact that the bird is just not sharp. (At least the head isn't -- looks like focus may have fallen on the tail or post.) The 5D3 and that lens, even with the 2X, should give you tack sharp focus for a shot like this.

Were you able to select a single focus sensor and put it on the head? Birds do twitch a lot, but if you're in AI Servo and hold the focus button halfway down you should be able to get sharp focus. I'll shoot several if the bird gives me the chance, hitting the focus button again for each one. Some will miss.

Another consideration is that at 600 mm, the slightest camera or subject movement will cause blur. My minimum shutter speed for 600mm is 1/1600 if I can manage it. The old 1/focal length thing was for slides at 50mm, viewed through a loupe. Scan one of those "tack sharp" slides today and you'll throw it out. Our loupes are so much better today (1:1 or 100% views with great lenses and sensors) that we see the need for faster shutter speeds -- on average.

But your catchlight is round, so I suspect this isn't movement but just missed focus.

[John Goldman]

Thank you all for your comments.
Yes, Diane, focus is not up to my usual standards.
I placed a 'round catchlight' after removing the jagged canopy reflections in the eye. AF point was at the neck below the eye. Yeah, I missed the eye.
I had a choice to raise ISO to get more shutter speed, and maybe more noise since I was light challenged, our use all my skills and techniques to hold steady with a marginal shutter speed. I chose the latter. Life is full of choices, some good some not so good. Window mount in an auto is not as stable as a tripod on the ground in a blind.

[Arthur Morris]

Yes, sharpest focus is on the breast. DoF is measured only in small fractions of an inch.... Best would been to have picked an AF sensor that fell on the bird's neck which is pretty much on the same plane as the eye. With the 300 and a 2X you still have access to all sensors. Lastly, the highlights look a bit on the bright side. Thanks a stack for your membership support. When I am in my vehicle I use a BLUBB.

Did you use playback to get the bird on the perch?

[Diane Miller]

I'll second the plug for the BLUBB. It's a wonderful design, worth every penny! Just be careful with any beanbag support to not let the focus ring touch anything; if it gets rotated slightly you'll override the autofocus.

[Doug West]

I'll second...or is it third :) Diane's comment about the focus ring. I remember my first time
with the BLUBB and I had my 600 on it. I couldn't figure out why it kept going out of focus.
DUH..I had the focus ring on the bean bag.

Doug

[John Goldman]

Yes, I did use a caller.

Thank you all for your comments.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Diane and Doug. With a big lens on the BLUBB you must use active AF if the focus ring is touching the bag :)