Long-tailed Duck
This adult male was photographed off of the Barnegat Jetty in New Jersey last Friday. The forecast was for full sun for the whole day but as it turned out the sun was only out for a few scattered minutes in the late afternoon. There are more birds there this year than I have seen in many years. Last year I was there 3 times and only had a single Red-breasted Merganser fly by in close range. Going back this Friday to try and get some more opportunities with these sea ducks.
After having my gear stolen in Spain I thought long and hard and did many tests between Canon and Nikon. Thankfully I have some very patient friends who allowed and indulged me to use their gear. In side by side comparisons of the same birds shot at the same time at the same settings, the resolution and fine feather details of the D850 was no match for either the 5d4 or 1DX2. Ultimately I decided to switch systems and sold all of my Canon gear. For those that were on the fence like me, it was kind of a no brainer when I viewed the images on my screen. In addition to the D850 I purchased a 600 F4E and the 500 PF. Both lenses are outstanding and that 500 is just insanely light and easy to use. With regards to auto focus the D850 in group is for sure better and more consistent than the 1dx2 in zone. Combined with the 500PF it really made shooting these fast flying ducks easy. So another Nikon convert and so far I could not be happier about it. The images are noisier than what I am used to and have been testing raw processing with Capture 1, Lightroom and Nikon NX-D. All seem to have their merits and I have not decided which I like more yet. This image was processed using Lightroom and PS.
Nikon D850 and Nikon 500 PF at ISO 800, F8, SS 1/4000.
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