Goldfinch, lesser, "in habitat..."

[Kerry Perkins]

Well, ok I can hear the BG police pulling into my driveway, but I think I'm safe from the HA and EC police... :D

Playing with the new lens and finding that I can actually hand-hold it with pretty good results. Used my normal workflow - DPP to CS4 for cropping, levels and such. Used NN and smart sharpen. Sorry for the busy background. :o It's a tree in my front yard...

50D, EF400mm f/5.6L
Manual mode, f/5.6@1/1000 ISO 400 AWB
AI Servo autofocus using back button, HH no flash

Thanks for your comments.

[Lance Peters]

Hi Kerry - I don't mind the BG so much - some of the brighter white strip could use toning down a bit - but sometimes the background is what it is.
You have a good head angle and eye contact - looks like that lens is plenty sharp good colour and detail throughout - looking forward to seeing more :)

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Kerry,
A fine capture, I like the head angle and sharp eye...agree with Mr. Peters on the techs...I would open up the area around the eye and resharpen just a tad...:cool:

[Alfred Forns]

Just what Lance was saying about the bright areas .. the rest is fine !!!

btw remember that lens will be sharp with a converter (no af with your body) and should also get extension tubes !!!

[Phil Ertel]

Nice image. I like the bird. Great details and color with a nice pose. I also agree with Lance on toning down the bright areas.

Thanks for sharing!

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Bright areas touched upon. Well done on a fabulous habitat image. :)

[Harold Davis]

you nailed this one! pops of the page for me! just the highlights mentioned, kerry. well done!!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Nice and sharp Kerry, like all the habitat. Exposure on the bird looks great. Looks like you like that lens. Just the bright branch as mentioned.