Puffins

Went to the Farne Islands on Father's Day. Have some photos to share. I'll start off with some Puffins.

Any feedback welcome.

1st with the k3 and DA*300 +1.4xTC. Rest with the K3 and DA*300, except #3 which was with the K5iis and 18-135mm


Puffin 1 of 6 by Alan Wennington, on Flickr


Puffin 2 of 6 by Alan Wennington, on Flickr


Puffin 3 of 6 by Alan Wennington, on Flickr


Puffin 4 of 6 by Alan Wennington, on Flickr


Puffin 5 of 6 by Alan Wennington, on Flickr


Puffin 6 of 6 by Alan Wennington, on Flickr

Very nice set Alan. Like then all.

Very nice... 2, 4 and 5 for me... 2 and 4 look to me like rather characterful old men... 5 is a belter...

Best

Two because such are hard to get and five because its a perfect portrait of this facination creature. Skomer Island off South Pembrokeshire had them too BUT we had the dog with us.

Do you have SR on or off for the panning shots please Alan? I find SR on results in slight blur even at high shutter speeds. Remembering to turn it off is the thing i struggle with between shots.

Thanks for comments. All very much appreciated.

Bill I leave SR off whenever I can, and would never use it for panning shots. If the SR is trying to counteract movement, then its not going to help. Even for static shots I try not to have it on. I'm trying to grab a moment, and if I don't wait until the stabilised confirmation appears in the viewfinder, then the shot will be blurred. If I do wait for confirmation, then the moment may be gone.

I do use OS for panning with the Sigma 150-500. But I haven't used that lens since last summer, now that I have the 560mm. If I go to Sunderland Airshow this summer, it will be dusted down. Zooms are ideal for airshows.

Many thanks Alan, I'll keep trying. What is clear is that wildlife with telephoto takes some learning. I'm doing OK with static wildlife with the 300 star/tele adapter hand held but pans were still coming out less sharp than i'd like.

I'm a little fed up though with, since the K5 and now the K3 variants, punters blaming the camera on autofocus issues. All makes have potential to get better but my view is we humans are the weakest link. Well some of us Your photos are good examples of what our equipment can do with patience and practice.

Thanks Bill

We can only compare ourselves to our peers. Alongside them, who I do think are amongst the best in the North East of England, I do fall short on my ability to nail focus, and I believe that is due to the shortcomings of my equipment.

Very nice set Alan, I do love looking at puffin pictures, they are such a charming species. As a non-natural history photographer I can only admire the work of those who are good at it - among whom you rank very highly in my opinion.
As for when to turn off the SR; I'm told to do so when using a tripod ( an extremely rare occurrence for me, currently I don't even own one) but I've never done this when panning. Panning is always a bit hit or miss in action photography so my efforts have had mixed success. I've panned trains moving at high speed and a couple of sports such as Durham Regatta and cycle racing. You'd be amazed how fast the rowers go and panning is definitely one way of covering this sport. I think my best efforts have been when photographing cycle racing.
David

Very kind David, thank you.

I think panning means different things for different genre. It most cases, it uses a slow shutter speed and movement and blur are all part of it. With birds, while there are instances like that, in the main, its more a case of tracking a small subject, and shooting at a fast shutter speed, to capture the bird at the optimum moment, and if the eye isn't pin sharp, it is for the re-cycle bin.

I was referring to panning at high shutter speeds to get a sharp subject rather than a blur effect, irrelevant anyway if against a clear sky.

I know it's hard especially at shorter distances ironically. For example a bird on the wing at say 5 metres with a 300mm lens at F8 is (according to look up tables) in focus for a depth of 60mm. at 400mm it's only 40mm. IF as is usually the case early in the day or in typical English light you have to open up to F4 say you are down to 30mm at 300 and 20mm at 400mm. This depth of focus at greater subject distance but starts to explain why it is hard to be really sharp often with long telephoto.

My question was if the act of panning a bird (at say 1/2000th if enough light or 1/1000th if not) that swoops by was a blurred image because of, my ability, the SR being on, or limitations of the Pentax AF speed?

Great set Alan, I love the Puffin shots you post as it gives me a chance to see these birds in their natural environment

Lovely shots, Alan, and thanks for your thoughts on using SR - there's an undeniable logic to switching it off when you're following a bird in flight anyway. Haven't been up this year, so looking forward to some terns from you, hopefully!

Regards,

Thanks for feedback folks - much appreciated.

John, I'll sort some terns out for you now.

A cut above Alan, I won't try to pick a favourite as the quality is high throughout.

Regards
David

One subject, huge diversity. Fabulous, Alan.