1st year Little Blue Heron

[Bob Pelkey]

My first visit here since the site has been revamped. It looks a lot cleaner.

The image enclosed was created on my first wildlife trip after manipulating the settings on the 5dm2 to favor Artie's instructions for the 1dm3 as best as the former camera would allow. The major differences I noticed are an improved allowance for post editing of harsh shadows (still shooting JPEG) and the auto focus is a lot more challenging to use. I've been using the long lens for well over a year now and still struggle to get acceptable flight shots. Please offer feedback on the best lens recommendation for such an endeavor. 100-400?

Don't forget that the Audubon "Birds in Focus" contest is underway through early September 2010 (audubon.org).

Little Blue Heron (1st year) at San Carlos Bay: Bunch Beach Preserve
Fort Myers, Florida USA Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM
1/2000s f/7.1 at 840.0mm iso400, tripod, cropped, sharpened.

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	09-Jul-2010 17:11:05
Make	Canon
Model	Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	840 mm
Exposure Time	1/2000 sec
Aperture	f/7.1
ISO Equivalent	400
Exposure Bias
White Balance
Metering Mode	matrix (5)
JPEG Quality
Exposure Program	aperture priority (3)
Focus Distance

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the angle, droplets and am surprised that the bill has some motion blur despite the high shutter speed. I wish we could see the eye better and the colors look somewhat off on my monitor.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Wow, everything is so, well, blue! I'm kinda liking the mood this way with just a bit of greenery to offset it. Love the splashing water, and the great low angle. The nictitating membrane is fully closed - some will like it like this for the behaviour, others will prefer to have seen the eye open.

The lens with the best reputation for flight images is the 400mm f/5.6. Light, and lightning fast to autofocus. Most people who own a 500MM f/4 IS also swear by it for BIFs. FWIW I like my 100-400 for flights when the occasions arise, but the 400 prime would fit in best if flights were the main reason to buy it.