Lilac-breasted roller

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

I decided to buy a crop sensor Nikon D7100 (amongst other reasons for its 1.5x cropping factor) instead of replacing stolen lenses with an insurance payout and was quite curious to see how it was going to perform with a 300mm f4 + 1.4x TC (630mm FFE) combo. A 4-day trip to the Kruger National Park over the weekend gave me an ideal opportunity to put it to the test. The first thing I've realised was how spoilt I am with my D600's ISO handling capabilities and I had to keep this in mind as I habitually adjusted the settings manually during shoots. Fortunately I did end up with a few keepers (I think!) and I will use this combo again where needed, specially with small birds - with less scepticism as during my first few pics taken with it!

Another realisation was how much more I have to keep the camera still at this F/L - specially where a tripod is not an available option!

Gloomy cloudy day, therefore the lack of BG color.

Increased vibrance a little, sharpening in LR.

All C & C's welcome.

Nikon D7100
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D IF-ED + TC14E II
f/7.1 | 1/800s | 200 ISO | Beanbag

[Gerhard Weldhagen]

Beautiful shot with lots of detail on the bird and perch. The head could do with a little more sharpening. Bummer about the lenses!

[Daniel Cadieux]

I like high-key images, and this one looks good overall with a great look-back pose and nice colours. I love the perch with a bit of greenery on it. Critical focus seems to be on the back therefore rendering the face a bit less sharp. I think you could use a looser crop, and this would help with the overall IQ. Good luck with the new camera, and that is unfortunate to get those lenses stolen!

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Thanks guys. Fortunately the one lens was the Sigma 150-500mm which became a white elephant after I started using a Nikon 300mm f4 + TC14E II combo and the other was my 50mm f1.4 which I was not using to often. So the thieves had actually done me a favor...

Pic added after applying a few sharpening techniques in LR. Daniel I think I'll hang on to this crop for now...

[Diane Miller]

Gorgeous shot and I love the white BG -- looks like an Audubon illustration!

[Satish Ranadive]

Beautiful high key image, Very nice look back pose with beautiful colors and nice details. Nice perch and composition too.

Regards,
Satish.

[Jonathan Ashton]

The image is eye catching and the repost is sharper....but is it really in focus? It maybe me (due for an eye test tomorrow as it happens) but are the lores crisp and detailed?

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

The image is eye catching and the repost is sharper....but is it really in focus? It maybe me (due for an eye test tomorrow as it happens) but are the lores crisp and detailed?

Some of the furthest feathers do get a little soft in focus, Jonathan so your eyes are still perfect! I can probably spend some time in trying to get a bit more sharpness out of them but I think I'd stop here for now...

[Vijayashankara Nanjegowda]

Very good shot,
I use same combo lenses with D90, I am quite satisfied with results, only problem is in low lights focussing takes a longer time!!

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

Very good shot,
I use same combo lenses with D90, I am quite satisfied with results, only problem is in low lights focussing takes a longer time!!

Thanks Vijayshankara. I've found it to be hunting on one or two occasions when trying to lock onto birds in trees and then I simply switched to manual. But other than that it's actually a nice combo and I'll use it much more in the future, specially on small birds and when enough light is available (I don't attempt low light shots as I prefer not to go wider than f/7.1 with the lens and with the D7100's relative low ISO capabilities (compared to FF) it does not give you much leeway in terms of shutter speeds in low light situations).

[Vijayashankara Nanjegowda]

The best thing about 300mm F4 is the ease with which u can manually focus it when hunting starts, and then refocus in auto it focuses well but the subject is not posing for you...!!

[Tobie Schalkwyk]

The best thing about 300mm F4 is the ease with which u can manually focus it when hunting starts, and then refocus in auto it focuses well but the subject is not posing for you...!!

And then sometimes with just a little patience you might be in luck...