I'm pretty sure this is an Eastern Phoebe, but if anyone thinks differently let me know. I captured it along a tree-lined towpath (along the bank of the former Erie Canal) in Upstate NY, in the late afternoon / early evening. Minimal post-processing, although cropped to about 25% of original. Comments and critiques welcome.
Canon 7D Mark II
300 f/4 lens
f/4, 1/320s
ISO 640
handheld
By the way, birding with my 7D Mark II / 300mm lens is becoming exhausting. I'm thinking of buying the new Nikon megazoom point and shoot for birding walks. The question is, if I manage to take a decent photo with it (which apparently is possible), and I post it on BPN, will I ever be able to show my face here again??!!
Attractive bird, well captured. Nice look back pose, BG and perch. It may just be my eyes, but it seems just a little soft on the back. I wonder if more dof would have made it appear sharper? If mine, I might increase contrast slightly, crop more toward vertical and eliminate the ulc oof branch. TFS.
Gorgeous catch! Lovely pose, light and BG, well processed. Good suggestion from Warren about the branch in the corner.
Maybe a little sharpening would be worth trying on the JPEG -- looks like there is a lot of good detail to work with. It does seem a bit soft, though. That shutter speed and aperture are on the edge of thin ice. In a situation like that I'll shoot a burst and often one will be sharper than the others.
Your question: Could be a dicey situation... But if it's an excellent shot, go for it!! Seriously, though, I doubt it would increase your odds of a good picture, but I hope I'm wrong, because I know it's not fun to be too tired to take a good shot when you find one. Is the problem carrying the camera in between shots? I use a hip belt and bag, and have just ordered the Spider system that Marina mentioned in a post in Equipment. It looks like a good way to do a quick draw. It isn't so fast to get the camera out of the bag.
Beautiful bird Wendy
Agree with the cloning
I would not drop back from a DSLR for birds to a P & S - I think that you will be disappointed with most of the shots
Eastern Phoebe
