Hi Again,
edit:- have added what I think is one of my best photos of the Kingfisher, this was taken on the 3rd of May at about 6-25am; sunrise was 6-17am so it was very red even with auto white balance, so it has been colour adjusted to account for that. Taken at a zoom of 1200mm at f2.8 aperture, I finally appreciate how awesome this camera is.
These are finally some of my photos of any wildlife (dead or alive) that I have seen while walking the beach.
In particular I have been trying to get decent photos of the Azure Kingfisher; I have seen him/her about 4 to 5 times in the trees on the beach but always very early in the morning with very low light levels.
This was a major problem with both of my old cameras (the FZ8 & FZ150) as they were both F5.1 max at their maximum zoom range, 600mm on the FZ150, which I needed to get a decent close-up photo.
This was impossible to handhold at low light levels & all of my attempts were hopelessly out of focus.
Along came my new FZ300, F2.8 across the entire range from 25mm to 600mm. Love this Leica Glass that Panasonic are using.
Found by accident the iA function which gives me 1200mm zoom at F2.8 with no use of digital zoom (I always have it turned off, hate it with a vengeance).
Have not been able to discern any loss of quality between 600mm & 1200mm; OMG 1200mm at F2.8, that's insane, but I'll use it.
Also just invested in a monopod which for us "old guys" is excellent at removing any out of focus jitters.
Anyway here are the photos, sorry there is so many but I had a terrible time reducing them down to even this many.
Your pictures are beautiful!! As a fellow bird lover I've been struggling to capture that perfect shot, but you have a multitude to choose from. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the photos! Especially the sunset silhouette ones.
ReplyDeleteWow! Awesome wildlife! Awesome photos!
ReplyDeleteLovely shots! You live in an amazing place!
ReplyDeleteThese are absolutely gorgeous photos.
ReplyDeleteYou have an excellent eye for shot composition.
Keep up the great work!
Don't apologize for posting so many! Scrolling through your work was a great way to start the morning!
ReplyDeleteMaybe fiance will let us stop by Sawtell on our way to Great Barrier Reef honeymoon this fall ^_^
Awesome work! I love the jellyfish shots.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a diverse range of wildlife you have there! Beautiful photos too, please keep them coming! (c:
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely lovely shots. I love the bird getting blown by the wind and his feathers ruffling up. And that sassy seagull! Fantastic. Deeply jealous of your proximity to this amazing wildlife. And again, wonderful shots!
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos!!! I really enjoyed checking the out!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots!
ReplyDeleteWonderful work! I absolutely love the simplicity and composition of those sunset bird silhouettes. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThese are some beautiful photos! Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous collection of photos! Thanks for sharing, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing more! :)
ReplyDeleteI never see anything like this along the beaches where I am at. And even if I did, I would not be able to capture them with such an artistic eye. Beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing shots! Wonderful composition throughout. I love the sunset silhouettes.
ReplyDeleteLove the shots! Wildlife photography can be very challenging for sure! Your shots are clean and i dig the composition. My favorite shots are the silhouettes. Keep up the great work man!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots John! You have a really amazing variety of birds in your area! I have a monopod too and it really does do wonders when using zooms of this length.
ReplyDeleteAmazing!
ReplyDeleteStunning shots! I'll definitely come back for more...so keep posting!
ReplyDeleteI have just whizzed through your photos, but will come back later with Ken in tow to have a longer look. Absolutely sensational pics, hope to see a few of our aviary babies on your blog some time!
ReplyDeleteGina