Ive been out chasing hummingbirds and practicing more with the 500 MM lens. Its a bit heavy and big for me, so it is taking some getting used to.
Is this a composite: No
D500 , 500 MM at f56, ISO 1250, 1/3200 sec. , handheld.
Well, Kathy, you really scored on this one! Love the sharp focus and narrow Depth of Field. The out of focus background is fantastic, and I think I see some blurred foreground as well. That’s really good as it frames the bird nicely. Well done.
Nice capture, Kathy. Beautiful colors, great detail in the little hummer and lovely lighting. Nicely done…
Very nice, Kathy. Good detail and wing position and a fine composition. When I had a 500, I always used a tripod for hummingbirds, so I’m amazed you could do it hand held.
Hi Dennis
Thanks for the comment. If you had one of the non fresnel 500s - no way I could handle that even with a tripod. This is the new fresnel 5.6. It weighs 3.2 pounds. Its still a heft for me. When I took this shot I was sitting on a low stool, which makes this easy to handle. Standing up I can handle it for awhile and then have to rest. So far, I have taken it on driving trips where I use a bean bag and I use it where I can walk short distances, plop my little stool down and sit . If I get to the point of using it at some of the local birding ponds, then I will trip a monopod. It all relates to how much I can carry with a bad shoulder and a previously fractured mid back. I would much prefer a good zoom but they are just too heavy, so I alternate between a 300 fresnel and now this 500 one and I have a 1.4 teleconverter.
Best
Kathy
I echo all the complements above – a wonderful capture! The difficulties in handling even a somewhat heavy long lens are very frustrating, but so worth the trouble.
Excellent job on the color, in-flight position and plumage detail. The flowers in the background really make this image work well.
I also have the 500 PF and it is an amazing lens with regards to sharpness. I am currently trying to sell a lot of my older Nikon gear (yes, weight is an issue and if you have any interest check out the classified section here. )But I will not sell the 500 PF with 300 PF which I typically use with a D 500. At 3.2 pounds, the 500 PF works so well for birds in flight.
David. Thanks. I agree those two lenses are great. Very sharp and the focus ing, especially on the 500 fresnel is extremely fast. I also use the D500 with birds and I will have to amend the above post as I incorrectly listed the 850. I have not tried the TC with the 500 yet. One step at a time but it does work pretty well with the 300 although it tends to search sometimes on focus. The 300 lens is wonderful for flowers as well. I use it about 50 percent of the time for flower photography
The 1.4 x works great with the 500pf. No decrease in image quality.
