British birds

Here are a few pictures taken using my Pentax K-5,Sigma 500mm f4.5 EX DG and Sigma EF-610 DG super flash /Beamer


Pied Wagtail by ducatigaz, on Flickr


Pied Wagtail by ducatigaz, on Flickr


Robin by ducatigaz, on Flickr


Goldcrest by ducatigaz, on Flickr


Blue Tit by ducatigaz, on Flickr
and one using a Sigma 300mm f2.8 EX DG


Dunnock by ducatigaz, on Flickr

Stunning

That is one of the lenses that is on my 'if I win the lottery list'

Very nice shots

Now are we all encouraged or do we give up

Quite brilliant, I especially like the Dunnock for composition and colour

Goldcrest is fabulous. We get these on a large spruce in our back garden - I really must make an effort to try and photograph them, but I only have 300mm of reach which I don't think is enough.

Regards
David

Fabulous set. The only pic I have of a goldcrest is a blurred backside

Fabulous except it makes you want to give up!

Wonderful series ! That Sigma really shines in the right hands. I like the Robin and the Goldcrest best of a great bunch of shots.

Thank you all for your comments.
Here are a couple more pics including my birding rig


pentax K5/Sigma 500mm f4.5 EX DG by ducatigaz, on Flickr


Redwing by ducatigaz, on Flickr


Treecreeper by ducatigaz, on Flickr


Nuthatch by ducatigaz, on Flickr

That nuthatch is just gorgeous !

How far out does that snoot and Sigma 610 get you at full power ?

I don' really know an exact figure,but it's very useful here is a picture of a Treecreeper that looked like a black object moving up a black tree through the viewfinder.


Treecreeper by ducatigaz, on Flickr

totally gobsmacking, I have a friend who shoots with a Canon 500 prime and your shots blow his away (which is pleasing), truly amazing & beautiful shots!

Clare

That looks a tad sharper than my Bigma

You have three birds there on my hit list, namely the Goldcrest and Treecreeper, and a the Pied Wagtail which would be nice on a branch instead of the supermarket car park

I think the last shot of the Treecreeper gets my vote as best of bunch.

Great pictures and thanks for sharing your set-up. The flash lighting is noticeable in the Pied-Wagtail shots, however the others look pretty natural. You certainly must do some planning for your shoots as it is hardly a point and shoot set-up!
My fav shot is the Dunnock and that doesn't look like flash was used at all.
Keep up the good work.

John

Thanks for your comments everyone.
John,
I actually do just wander around with the whole set up.
If it's a bright sunny day I still use the flash but switch it to high speed sync which in turn reduces the power of the flash so I have to use + EV ,if it's a dull day - EV is used about -1.7
So not much planning just a few settings to think about and then give my arms a bit of a workout.
It's a great hobby and it's kind of addictive.