Taken at the Bosque del Apache with my new 500vr. I'm quite impressed with the focus acquisition and tracking of this lens when coupled with the D300. Out of hundreds of images, including many with busy backgrounds, it/I only missed a few. I tracked this bird from tree to tree including two take offs and all 18 images were in focus. The lens also presents nice detail, color, and contrast.
Background blurred and slightly darkened.
D300 with 500vr on BLUBB beanbag in vehicle window, f/8, 1/1600, iso 400, ev-0.67
Good wing position, nice and sharp. I think the crop is a bit odd though, maybe crop out a bit and give him a little more room to fly in to. Also, it's a bit bright on my monitor.
You're right about AF, that's a tough background and looks like your AF did very well.
Do you think the bokeh leaves a bit to be desired though? At 500mm f/8 I would expect a little more background blur as it does seem he was right up against the trees.
Good timing David and nice detail and wing position, I too would like to see more canvas on the left. You did a fine job on focusing with so many trees in the BG.
Terrific wing position and excellent sharpness. The exposure looks perfect. I'd like to see more room on the left of the frame, and I might blur the BG a bit. Congrats on the new lens!
[quote=clknight;212613Do you think the bokeh leaves a bit to be desired though? At 500mm f/8 I would expect a little more background blur as it does seem he was right up against the trees.[/quote]
Hi Colin. If the bird was right up against the trees, this is about what I would expect for BG blur. If the trees were further away from the bird, that's when you'd get more blur.
Nice capture. My one comment is something you couldn't do much about -- It looks like his tail isn't all there. It looks like he is molting one or more of his inner tail feathers. It makes for an odd gap in this photo.
Thanks for your comments. As Doug stated, the bird was right up against the tree (was perched inside the limbs) so I'm not concerned about the bokeh in this shot. There is not room to add to the canvas below the bird, but plenty of room to increase the space to fly into on the left.
Redtail in Flight
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