First Outing With Pentax DA* 300mm F4

[snooked]

Backlight

Final shot of day, taken on walk back to car.

So what do you think of the lens?

Ed

[pdgirl]

I don't know about the lens but your photos are awesome! Did you add a filter for the Heron? All the photos from then on look a lot richer. Were you at a zoo or something or do you just get see those amazing birds around where you live?
Wow just wow.
Pdgirl.

[danielchtong]

snooked wrote:

BIF Cattle Egret

Snooked

Great shots of the heron and the egret. And congrat on acquiring the lens.
I am really intrigued about the AF of your k10D mated to the hsm of the lens. May I know the % of wastage of shots (of these hard to get bif shots) or the combo just snapped into focus lock of the fast moving subjects? This is something that fast action shooters incl bif are anxious to know

Daniel

[snooked]

danielchtong wrote:

snooked wrote:

Snooked

Great shots of the heron and the egret. And congrat on acquiring the lens.
I am really intrigued about the AF of your k10D mated to the hsm of the lens. May I know the % of wastage of shots (of these hard to get bif shots) or the combo just snapped into focus lock of the fast moving subjects? This is something that fast action shooters incl bif are anxious to know

Daniel

I attempted 24 BIF photos in this shoot. I consider 11 in focus (Not all usable due to framing). There were 7 marginally out of focus and 6 grosely out of focus.

I do not know what the average Photographer gets but this was an improvement over my past experience.

Ed

[mtngal]

Love the pics, especially the bif Great Egret. It's amazing to me, love the light through the wings. The TC seems to work relatively well with the lens.

[Driver3]

Ed, the shots look plenty shar but the whites are overexposed on the first few. What metering mode did you use?

Like I said, the shots are nicely sharp and the little blue is a great capture!

Dennis

[snooked]

Driver3 wrote:

Ed, the shots look plenty shar but the whites are overexposed on the first few. What metering mode did you use?

Like I said, the shots are nicely sharp and the little blue is a great capture!

Dennis

White birds are difficult. For that reason I usually use spot metering so the whites are not clipped. Even with that I should probably reduce the exposure, but that would cause all shots to be darker. Obviously I am still learning what settings to use with the new lens.

Ed

[Driver3]

I'm not trying to be critical, Ed. I know how hard these white birds are to get right. Especially when the iso is bumped to gain shutter speed. The higher iso makes thesensor more sensitive and seems to make it especially more sensitive to whites in bright sunlight, making it hard to preserve them. Many times I'll adjust the exposure so the white detailsare preserved. Do you use the exposure blinkies on the lcd review? These can help tremendously too. Spot metering is the right way to go. I try to meter on the brightest part of the bird if a static type shot but that is usually not possible with a bif. Top is all off with the severity of the bright sun down here...it isn't easy!

I really think the lens looks like a dandy based on the shots you've shown here. The egret from underneath is an awsome shot.

Dennis

[snooked]

Driver3 wrote:

I'm not trying to be critical, Ed. I know how hard these white birds are to get right. Especially when the iso is bumped to gain shutter speed. The higher iso makes thesensor more sensitive and seems to make it especially more sensitive to whites in bright sunlight, making it hard to preserve them. Many times I'll adjust the exposure so the white detailsare preserved. Do you use the exposure blinkies on the lcd review? These can help tremendously too. Spot metering is the right way to go. I try to meter on the brightest part of the bird if a static type shot but that is usually not possible with a bif. Top is all off with the severity of the bright sun down here...it isn't easy!

I really think the lens looks like a dandy based on the shots you've shown here. The egret from underneath is an awsome shot.

Dennis

I am always open to suggestions. I am not presenting these as all great shots, this was one outing and I am happy if I get a couple. I picked the first shot and last of the shoot. The others I wanted to compare sharpness bare and with the TC. Considering I paid $45 for the TC,as new old stock, I am very pleased with the result on static shots. I will try for BIF but expect a higher % of misses due to slower focus. This was the brightest part of the day, I prefer early or late, but was anxious to try the lens. I probably failed to meter the brightest part of these birds, thanks for the tip.

Performance with the TC is sharper than with the Sigma 100-300mm zoom was. Next time out I am planning to try some shots at F4 and F5.6 to see how the lens performs wide open.

Ed

[bigdawg]

snooked wrote:

Driver3 wrote:

I am always open to suggestions. I am not presenting these as all great shots, this was one outing and I am happy if I get a couple. I picked the first shot and last of the shoot. The others I wanted to compare sharpness bare and with the TC. Considering I paid $45 for the TC,as new old stock, I am very pleased with the result on static shots. I will try for BIF but expect a higher % of misses due to slower focus. This was the brightest part of the day, I prefer early or late, but was anxious to try the lens. I probably failed to meter the brightest part of these birds, thanks for the tip.

Performance with the TC is sharper than with the Sigma 100-300mm zoom was. Next time out I am planning to try some shots at F4 and F5.6 to see how the lens performs wide open.

Ed

They look great to me....I don't know which makes me the most jealous...The lens, your proximity and access to these birds or your skill shooting them! LOL

Dawg