King fisher in flight with 7D2

[arash_hazeghi]

I came across a very friendly belted king fisher today. He was flying between two perches. Incidentally I had a 7D2 on me (fresh body recently purchased). I was able to grab a few frames with the 400 DO II. Below is one of the frames. I hope you like it. Unlike the 1DX, the AF does slow down with the 2X III, a bit too slow for catching a king fisher in flight, so I changed to the 1.4X III for max. AF speed. I still wish I had my 1DX, there is simply no contest but the 7D2 sure is good value for $1500! IMO the old one while it was great for perched birds wasn't good for this kind of flight shots at all but the new one has some real improvement. Any ways, I hope you like this frame



7D2 400 DO II + 1.4X III. ISO 1000. f/5.6 at 1/2500sec hand held. Processed with DPP 4.3. (Really wished to shoot at ISO 1600 to gain a bit more ss but from earlier frames it would get too noisy for my liking)

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Excellent frame, love the pose, the sharpness, the BG and light. I have the 7D2 and 5D3 and I am quiet happy with both bodies. And the 7D2 is way better than the original 7D when it comes to AF.

[Satish Ranadive]

Magnificent flight shot. It is difficult to catch these kingfishers in flight.
Nice information about lens and camera.

Regards,
Satish.

[Glennie Passier]

Beautiful. He looks like a little blue projectile scooting across the landscape. Love the BG and composition.

[Bill Dix]

These guys are indeed speeding bullets. Cooperative or not, you did well to catch him in flight.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Not an easy image to create no matter what gear in hand. Many, many people would have failed on that opportunity. Well done Arash, glad the 7D2 did not let you down too much. I've been enjoying mine so far. I actually find ISO 1600 on the 7D2 a bit better than ISO 800 on the 7D classic (which was my default ISO!)

[arash_hazeghi]

Not an easy image to create no matter what gear in hand. Many, many people would have failed on that opportunity. Well done Arash, glad the 7D2 did not let you down too much. I've been enjoying mine so far. I actually find ISO 1600 on the 7D2 a bit better than ISO 800 on the 7D classic (which was my default ISO!)

Hey Dan yes compared to the old one is better but compared to the 1DX it gets too noisy at 1600 for this type of bird. Glad you like yours, I hope you'll get more flight frames now that you have an excellent lens and a good body that's up to the task!

[Daniel Cadieux]

Ha ha, yep, if I ever get the chance to use a 1DX I'm sure I would immediately see the difference (and be envious of it!!) :-) But like you say, for the price it quite a performer.

[arash_hazeghi]

Ha ha, yep, if I ever get the chance to use a 1DX I'm sure I would immediately see the difference (and be envious of it!!) :-) But like you say, for the price it quite a performer.

totally

[Loi Nguyen]

Amazing BIF frame with the 7D2. The kingfisher was in full flight here. ISO-1000 looks great. Do you think the 1DX with the 2X would give you better results? TFS. Loi

[arash_hazeghi]

Amazing BIF frame with the 7D2. The kingfisher was in full flight here. ISO-1000 looks great. Do you think the 1DX with the 2X would give you better results? TFS. Loi

yes, I went back to the same location today and as I expected the 1DX was much better in this situation, obviously. Overall I think the 7D2 is great when used with a bare lens (no TC) in good light (ISO =< 800) and for birds that are perched or fly slow such as eagles, osprey, hawk, herons etc. It isn't quite there for fast birds such as king fisher, burrowing owl, kestrel, Merlin and such.

best

[David Salem]

Great looking frame Arash! Nice and sharp with a sweet BG and I like the swept wings as they give a sense of speed. We had a great time with one of these beauties early this season. Well done.

[James Salywoda]

You nailed it Arash beautiful shot very hard to get.

[shane shacaluga]

Good one Arash! Nicely frozen head with a bit of movement in the wingtips.

Exposure spot on and BG makes this pop too

TFS

[Eric Dienesch]

A Great Shot, i think !

and the 7d2 Has made a good Job in your Hands ! With a bare Lens the AF is Equal to the 1DX i think.

i have sold my 7d2(Second, the First one Had an Autofocus Problem ).
it is a good Camera, but the Noise is in comparism to the 1dx Too much.
ISO 800 was often the Limit for me, and in Germany higher ISO is often Necessary ....

[Jim Crosswell]

Excellent image Arash! I like the IQ, exposure, sharpness, details, BG and composition.

[Doug Brown]

Nice flight frame of a tough subject. The 7D2 is a capable camera body, but it's no 1Dx. It did however get the job done for you.

[Gerhard Weldhagen]

Yes the 7dii can be a harsh mistress when doing BIF stuff, you tamed it well!