Red bellied woodpecker (female)

[DennyKyser]

Here is my first bird I captured with the 500 4.0, I am in love with this lens.

Shot at 1/200 @ 4.5 ISO 400 500mm
Wimberly Head on Gitzo 6X legs
Canon 1D Mark III

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Congratulations on the new lens, it's my favorite, too. I like the eye contact and BG, the perch is not ideal and I would give it more room at the bottom for the virtual tail. You could also tone down the midtones and run NR on the BG.

[Danny J Brown]

Hi Denny: I'm glad you love the 500 F4 which was my favorite lens even when I didn't own one. I love the swirly feathers on this shot. Great comments from Axel above to think about. Wait until you get that lens out some morning when the light is just right...... By the way, isn't that Wimberley head a thing of beauty as well?

[Joe Senzatimore]

Wonderful detail. A very sharp lens when used properly. Congrats to you.

[Harshad Barve]

big congratulation for one of the finest glass ,
Lovely pose and agreed with Axel here
TFS

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Congratulations on your new lens and your first image is lovely with excellent detail and exposure. Everything was covered already but I will look forward to your future posts.

[arash_hazeghi]

Nice pose, great BG and nice HA. There are two issues here: perch that is man made and not ideal, bird lacks detail especially in the chest area most likely due to post processing or too much noise reduction.