Bald Eagle

[Malsua 1,422]

My neighbor texted a little bit ago that a Bald Eagle was in his tree.

I grabbed the 600mm zoom and got some cool shots!

 

 

[45Doll 5,873]

I wish I could take pictures like that!

[Malsua 1,422]

12 minutes ago, 45Doll said:

I wish I could take pictures like that!

It's mostly the lens.  Sigma 150-600MM. 

But it's also knowing to use a single point of focus, getting the aperture right, holding steady or finding a brace.

I shot this on my crop sensor camera which causes an effective 1.6 zoom.  In effect(600mm x 1.6), it's a 960mm focal length so it's about 28X zoom.

There are better lenses but this was one was about $1200 when I bought it.  A really good Canon "L" lens with this level of focal length is double or triple that.  It's still a pretty good lens all the way out at 600mm.

[45Doll 5,873]

Yikes! Well, you obviously get what you pay for. My compliments for also knowing how to use it properly.

When I buy another 7,500 rounds of 9mm (at pre-COVID prices) I'll think of your lens!

Seriously, nice shots. Enjoy and be proud.

[Bklynracer 1,263]

Great shots

[Batt52 14]

Beautiful pictures. According to NJDFW there is a nesting pair in the area of Wayawanda

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

22 minutes ago, Malsua said:

It's mostly the lens.  Sigma 150-600MM. 

Nope! Too modest. Fantastic shots!

[tony357 386]

Awesome. I get too see bald eagles all summer they nest near us and they like the trout in the lake when stocked.

[carl_g 568]

Sweet pictures! The longest lens I have is a 300mm f/2.8. On a crop sensor it gives me an effective range of 450 but that extra  reach for birds & wildlife is almost essential! 

[GRIZ 3,369]

Excellent photographs!!!

[CAL. .30 M1 2,101]

9 hours ago, Malsua said:

It's mostly the lens.  Sigma 150-600MM. 

But it's also knowing to use a single point of focus, getting the aperture right, holding steady or finding a brace.

I shot this on my crop sensor camera which causes an effective 1.6 zoom.  In effect(600mm x 1.6), it's a 960mm focal length so it's about 28X zoom.

There are better lenses but this was one was about $1200 when I bought it.  A really good Canon "L" lens with this level of focal length is double or triple that.  It's still a pretty good lens all the way out at 600mm.

Beautiful pic.....  

 

Lens focal length and magnification do not change based on the crop sensor...

 

600mm is still 600mm....in glass.

I went to a full frame 6d.....  compared to.images i was taking with a 40D ....there is no comparison....

I was using a sigma 30mm 1.4 on the 40D...and now a 1.4 Canon USM....  head and shoulders above...not so much glass but sensor.

The body does the 24-105 canon L justice...for a kit lens its pretty good.

My daughter swears by her 50mm Sigma

 

[Malsua 1,422]

31 minutes ago, USRifle30Cal said:

Beautiful pic.....  

 

Lens focal length and magnification do not change based on the crop sensor...

 

600mm is still 600mm....in glass.

I went to a full frame 6d.....  compared to.images i was taking with a 40D ....there is no comparison....

I was using a sigma 30mm 1.4 on the 40D...and now a 1.4 Canon USM....  head and shoulders above...not so much glass but sensor.

The body does the 24-105 canon L justice...for a kit lens its pretty good.

My daughter swears by her 50mm Sigma

 

Yes, 600 is 600 but the effect of 1.6x is there.  No question about it.  This is why wildlife shooters use crop sensor cameras for the extra reach.   Yes, I realize you can just crop the image on a full frame, but for wildlife, like birds, you generally crop to the bird anyway.    You do get a stop or two more out of a full frame.  

I also have a 6D.   I use this primarily for indoor shots and low light shots.   I have a couple 2.8 lenses and of course the nifty fifty 1.8.  When I'm shooting real estate type shots inside, I use the 6d with a 16-28 F2.8 or my 360 Camera.    I do have the Canon 10-18EFS lens but I like the light performance I get when I stop the F2.8 down to F3.5 or a little more vs the 10-18 at it's lowest F3.5.

I also have a 360 camera that I'm quite fond of.    Last year,  I visited the US Marine Corp war Memorial to honor my Step Father(3 tours Vietnam, 2 purple hearts) who never made it there.   We had tried to get there at one point in the 80s, but pre-GPS days, it was difficult to figure out how to get off the highway to see it.  Spin the view if you watch it, it's a great effect!.   https://youtu.be/1g7KleA3CbQ 

 

 

 

 

[oldguysrule649 397]

Malsua,

Nice bald eagle pics. What an opportunity and the eagle waited for you to get there in time!  Also watched your video and found it to be very touching.  The 360 spin effect is amazing, never saw that before.

I myself have been a Canon shooter my whole life(no offense to Nikon). Currently use a 7D and last Xmas got a great deal on an R full frame from B&H.   My longest lens is a 400 f5.6 L prime. 
 

Also acquired a DJI Mavic drone a few years ago.  Whenever I fly it, I feel  like I am a bird in the sky carrying a camera. 

[carl_g 568]

Wow a bunch of Canon Fanboys.. No love for the Nikon Camp?  

Also, @USRifle30Cal GLASS, GLASS, GLASS.... It shouldn't matter if you are using a crop sensor or full frame. Full frame may offer a little more dynamic range and less noise at higher ISO's depending which camera you are using.

 

[Malsua 1,422]

1 hour ago, oldguysrule649 said:

Malsua,

Nice bald eagle pics. What an opportunity and the eagle waited for you to get there in time!  Also watched your video and found it to be very touching.  The 360 spin effect is amazing, never saw that before.

I myself have been a Canon shooter my whole life(no offense to Nikon). Currently use a 7D and last Xmas got a great deal on an R full frame from B&H.   My longest lens is a 400 f5.6 L prime. 
 

Also acquired a DJI Mavic drone a few years ago.  Whenever I fly it, I feel  like I am a bird in the sky carrying a camera. 

Thank you! I have a lot of money tied up in Camera gear and it's nice when it pays off once in a while

The 360 camera is a Xiaomi Mi-Sphere and they are under $200 these days.  I paid a bit more.   The software kinda sucks, but it works.  I've been toying with getting a Ricoh Z1 and I would have already if they were in stock.   Those take exceptional pictures, but the video isn't as good because it doesn't stablize like the Mi-Sphere does.

I have a Mavic too.  If you dig around in my Youtube channel, there are some pretty good drone movies

I had a Canon L 100-400 I had bought used but at the time I had a really cheapy rebel XT(dating myself) and I couldn't take a picture worth a damn with it so I sold it and bought a T2i.  The T2i was a great camera, still is in fact, my Niece has it.   I bought the 80d and the 6d a few years back and they both are fine.  I'd like to get the HIgh-end mirrorless now but I want to wait to pull the trigger until they come down in price.

 

 

 

[CAL. .30 M1 2,101]

2 hours ago, Malsua said:

Yes, 600 is 600 but the effect of 1.6x is there.  No question about it.  This is why wildlife shooters use crop sensor cameras for the extra reach.   Yes, I realize you can just crop the image on a full frame, but for wildlife, like birds, you generally crop to the bird anyway.    You do get a stop or two more out of a full frame.  

I also have a 6D.   I use this primarily for indoor shots and low light shots.   I have a couple 2.8 lenses and of course the nifty fifty 1.8.  When I'm shooting real estate type shots inside, I use the 6d with a 16-28 F2.8 or my 360 Camera.    I do have the Canon 10-18EFS lens but I like the light performance I get when I stop the F2.8 down to F3.5 or a little more vs the 10-18 at it's lowest F3.5.

I also have a 360 camera that I'm quite fond of.    Last year,  I visited the US Marine Corp war Memorial to honor my Step Father(3 tours Vietnam, 2 purple hearts) who never made it there.   We had tried to get there at one point in the 80s, but pre-GPS days, it was difficult to figure out how to get off the highway to see it.  Spin the view if you watch it, it's a great effect!.   https://youtu.be/1g7KleA3CbQ 

 

 

 

 

I like the word - EFFECT - your magnification does not change of the glass.  I love the 6D - head and shoulders above the 40D I was using.

 

Shoot back in the day I thought the REBEL and 10D were the shiznit....lol

8 minutes ago, carl_g said:

Wow a bunch of Canon Fanboys.. No love for the Nikon Camp?  

Also, @USRifle30Cal GLASS, GLASS, GLASS.... It shouldn't matter if you are using a crop sensor or full frame. Full frame may offer a little more dynamic range and less noise at higher ISO's depending which camera you are using.

 

AGREED !  However the step up in pixels from the 40D APS to the Full frame 6D was for me - a HUGE difference.

I almost had a 50MM 1.2L given to me - Avigilon surveillance bodies can take Canon EF mount lenses - I almost had one at ISC West last year - but the guy who was giving it to me, his boss stepped in and was like NOPE....the body was a demo and not pristine but the glass was perfect...  grrr....

 

The SIGMA 50MM 1.4 is nice as well and I do think the 50MM 1.4 Canon USM is underrated....

 

I get a kick of wearing a MAGPUL single point sling with the camera and usually get looks from those in the know...lol

 

Most of the orange county sheriffs just nod when they notice it when I am at Disney....ha !

 

 

[oldguysrule649 397]

16 minutes ago, carl_g said:

Wow a bunch of Canon Fanboys.. No love for the Nikon Camp?  

Also, @USRifle30Cal GLASS, GLASS, GLASS.... It shouldn't matter if you are using a crop sensor or full frame. Full frame may offer a little more dynamic range and less noise at higher ISO's depending which camera you are using.

 

For the record, I have had equal respect for Nikon since I purchased my first Canon body (an FTBn) in 1974, lol.  Have acquired a significant number of prosumer and "L" glass over the years, so hard to move away from such a large investment.  Plus, I figured over the long run Canon and Nikon would leap frog over each other, so may as well stick with the brand you have.

 

[carl_g 568]

11 minutes ago, Malsua said:

Thank you! I have a lot of money tied up in Camera gear and it's nice when it pays off once in a while

The 360 camera is a Xiaomi Mi-Sphere and they are under $200 these days.  I paid a bit more.   The software kinda sucks, but it works.  I've been toying with getting a Ricoh Z1 and I would have already if they were in stock.   Those take exceptional pictures, but the video isn't is good because it doesn't stablize like the Mi-Sphere does.

I have a Mavic too.  If you dig around in my Youtube channel, there are some pretty good drone movies

I had a Canon L 100-400 I had bought used but at the time I had a really cheapy rebel XT(dating myself) and I couldn't take a picture worth a damn with it so I sold it and bought a T2i.  The T2i was a great camera, still is in fact, my Niece has it.   I bought the 80d and the 6d a few years back and they both are fine.  I'd like to get the HIgh-end mirrorless now but I want to wait to pull the trigger until they come down in price.

 

 

 

I got a Mirrorless FF camera last Father's Day. Nikon z6. With the firmware updates that have been released, this is a great camera. I like the EVF, sort of. I like the fact that I don't have to muck with fine tuning the autofocus since it happens directly on the sensor and that I can preview what my exposure and even the DOF that I will get thru the viewfinder. That is awesome in itself. But when it comes to shooting high speed action or anything that moves quickly, I still prefer my DSLR's..whether it be my D500(crop sensor) or D4(Full frame). It is hard to track a subject with the continuous high speed 12fps because of the EVF lag. I think the only mirrorless camera that currently works around this issue is a Sony A9 & A9II.

 

[carl_g 568]

3 minutes ago, oldguysrule649 said:

For the record, I have had equal respect for Nikon since I purchased my first Canon body (an FTBn) in 1974, lol.  Have acquired a significant number of prosumer and "L" glass over the years, so hard to move away from such a large investment.  Plus, I figured over the long run Canon and Nikon would leap frog over each other, so may as well stick with the brand you have.

 

Totally agree. That is the same boat I am in.. The grass is always greener, until the next model comes out LOL!

[carl_g 568]

I shot this the other day out of my window. I kind of screwed up because I had the shutter speed set high and it was getting dark. I had my auto ISO on so it took this at 12800 ISO(which is beyond pushing it IMO) this is from my 20 MP crop sensor d500. So it has a lot of noise but for viewing on a phone or the web I think it is acceptable.

[oldguysrule649 397]

I agree the EVF lag is the downside of my new mirrorless R body.  So I will continue to use my 7D for action/sports/wildlife images and the R for landscape, portrait, etc.

I do notice the extra detail I get from the R (32 megapixel) vs my 7D (18 mp), especially when I zoom in the image in Lightroom.

As an aside, the extra resolution of the R's full frame sensor was a benefit when I recently completed "camera scanning" 200 rolls of slide(~6000 images) going back to 1974.   Still left me with 20+ mp after cropping out the portion of the slide mount that was in the capture.

(Btw, last year I digitized 782 rolls of prints(~17,000 images) using an Epson FastFoto scanner.)  My life long photo collection(prints, slides, 8mm silent & sound, VHS-C) is now 95% digitized.   

 

[Malsua 1,422]

40 minutes ago, USRifle30Cal said:

I like the word - EFFECT - your magnification does not change of the glass.  I love the 6D - head and shoulders above the 40D I was using.

 

Shoot back in the day I thought the REBEL and 10D were the shiznit....lol

AGREED !  However the step up in pixels from the 40D APS to the Full frame 6D was for me - a HUGE difference.

I almost had a 50MM 1.2L given to me - Avigilon surveillance bodies can take Canon EF mount lenses - I almost had one at ISC West last year - but the guy who was giving it to me, his boss stepped in and was like NOPE....the body was a demo and not pristine but the glass was perfect...  grrr....

 

The SIGMA 50MM 1.4 is nice as well and I do think the 50MM 1.4 Canon USM is underrated....

 

I get a kick of wearing a MAGPUL single point sling with the camera and usually get looks from those in the know...lol

 

Most of the orange county sheriffs just nod when they notice it when I am at Disney....ha !

 

 

I like my Black Rapid slings.  I have the double, but I've split it and use it as two singles.   I did a hike with that big lens(4.25lb) on the crop and the 2.8 lens(2lb) plus the weight of the bodies on the two slings.   I was fine for the first 4 or 5 miles...got to be a drag after that.  Couldn't wait(weight!) to stuff 'em back in the car.

I've never been much more than a landscape and wildlife photographer.   My portraits stink!    I do fancy myself a bit of a videographer but I'm always looking for new stuff to shoot.

The bummer is for everyday use, my Galaxy S9 takes great photos.  So great that I can't be bothered to get the good camera unless it _really_ needs it.

I will also say I've been using my 80D for Zoom meetings.    Everyone comments "wow, you've got the best picture, what phone are you using?" *sigh*

 

 

 

 

 

[Malice4you 627]

Nice photos. Whenever I see a bald eagle and have access to my supertelephotos, the damn things are a half mile away. Pretty sure they know when I don't have a real camera with me, that is the only times theyll ever get within 200ft of me.

I wanna go out and find some bald eagles, but gotta find where they are. I'd like some closeups for once.

One of the shotgun shoots, a bald eagle did a flyby down the side of the clearing.

Glad to see there are plenty of Canon shooters here. I used to work at a camera store full of Nikon shooters, I was the one voice of reason.

[Dave Archibald 304]

Great Pics!!

[carl_g 568]

43 minutes ago, Malice4you said:

Glad to see there are plenty of Canon shooters here. I used to work at a camera store full of Nikon shooters, I was the one voice of reason.

Omg.... LOL 

[marlintag 223]

I was working at the DC fire academy a few years back and I saw one flying above the training grounds. The staff I was working with pointed out one to me flying above. I remember being surprised at how big, white, and bald their heads were. Their features were very pronounced even from a good distance. Majestic creatures they are....

[Malice4you 627]

2 hours ago, marlintag said:

I was working at the DC fire academy a few years back and I saw one flying above the training grounds. The staff I was working with pointed out one to me flying above. I remember being surprised at how big, white, and bald their heads were. Their features were very pronounced even from a good distance. Majestic creatures they are....

Years ago, i was up along the Hudson with serious birders, and the tip to spotting the sometimes mile+ away birds was looking for white dots in trees along the river. Admittedly, with decent optics. But yeah, always an impressive sight, no matter the distance.

When I have gone out looking for bald eagles, i typically carried a 400 2.8L IS and 2x teleconverter or 300-800 5.6 EX on my primary body, and 300 2.8L or 70-200 2.8L IS on my second body for birds in flight. Was not uncommon to have as much as 32 pounds of camera gear on me. All to ensure not a single eagle will be within 1000 ft from me.