Not Always BIFs....

[NorthernFocus]

I tuned the AF settings and had to test it out...

All taken with D7100/500mm f4

The elusive tern's eye.



Backlit



Just a gull but he was begging for attention and I was testing my gear :smile:

[Digital]

Excellent photography.

Bruce

[Bobobird]

With things testing out this way, I wonder what the non-testing shots are going to look like ??

Excellent detail and lighting on these.

[Donald]

Excellent photography.

Yep. I was quite pleased with a gull in flight shot from my weekend away. Then I looked at these. Just different class.

Think I need to stick to trees and walls. They don't move as much!

[Shadowman]

Nice.

[John 2]

Very Nice indeed. I take it the 500mm f4 is a prime lens?

[Suzan J]

The texture and detail are phenomenal. Great work!

[kaneohebud]

Dan: Beautiful, as always from you. Great work.

[bedantabd]

Brilliantly exposed images under some very challenging lighting conditions. #2 is my favourite though.......

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for all the comments, folks. In the context of a learning forum, I used the "fur and feathers" preset in Topaz Clarity on the third image. It really did a good job bringing out the details on the whites. In camera I always shoot wildlife in RAW format with the "neutral" picture control (Nikon term) setting modified to zero sharpening and saturation. On that image PP was very simple as follows:

• NEF to TIF converstion in ViewNX2
• Crop for content
• Apply Topaz Clarity fur and feathers preset
• +15 saturation in PSE
• Resize to 800px long side
• Sharpen for web (100 at 0.5 radius in PSE "smart sharpen" tool)
• Save as JPEG

I would have used the Topaz on the other two but did them first and forgot about it (just bought it a couple of weeks ago). The backlit image took the most PP due to the high dynamic range in the original image. There were a few specks of blown highlights on the breast but they mostly went away with the downsampling to the web version.

[Otavio]

Just one word, Dan: WOW!

[Brownbear]

Just two words... exquisitely beautiful

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks, Otavio and Christina.

I was thinking maybe I should have applied redeye reduction to the gull

[Brownbear]

The gull is my favourite, as is... Nicest gull I've ever seen.

[NorthernFocus]

... Nicest gull I've ever seen.

The terns think so too. Mew Gulls are the only ones that the terns will co-habitat with in relative peace. The Mews don't prey on baby chicks like most other gull species. Whenever a herring gull flies over the rookery, Mews and terns collectively attack it. The terns will allow the Mews to build their nests within just a few feet of their own nest. The more I learn of nature the more interesting it becomes.

The red ringed eye is way cool...

[FlyingSquirrel]

I tuned the AF settings and had to test it out...

Based on the photos here, you apparently tuned the AF quite well.

Dan, are you referring to "AF micro-adjustments," or if you are just talking about changing some of the custom function settings for how the AF works in general?

In terms of the micro-adjustments, I've read a little about it, mainly when I first bought my 7D since it was a new feature that I'd never heard of. I read that it is easy to mess things up, so it's best not to tune the AF unless you really notice major problems with the AF performance.

If you are talking about micro-adjustments to the AF, I have a few questions. If you are not talking about that, then please disregard the following (unless you care to comment on these anyway)

- what led you to decide to tune the AF?
- What method did you use?
- Do you do it per lens?
- Do you think I should consider tuning my gear?

BTW the gull is probably one of the best photos of a white bird I've ever seen.

[NorthernFocus]

Dan, are you referring to "AF micro-adjustments," or if you are just talking about changing some of the custom function settings for how the AF works in general?

Yes, AF adjustments, AFA in Nikon terms.

In terms of the micro-adjustments, I've read a little about it, mainly when I first bought my 7D since it was a new feature that I'd never heard of. I read that it is easy to mess things up, so it's best not to tune the AF unless you really notice major problems with the AF performance.

Sound advice.

If you are talking about micro-adjustments to the AF, I have a few questions....

- what led you to decide to tune the AF?
- What method did you use?
- Do you do it per lens?
- Do you think I should consider tuning my gear?

• I purchased a new 500mm lens this year and was having inconsistent results with it. I assumed my problems were technique related until I took a couple hundred shots of cranes in a field of stubble. I noticed that the birds were right at the back of my DOF in all of the shots. This indicated a front focusing problem with that particular lens/body combination.
• I purchased the FousTune software and did some testing with it. The software is sort of an exercise in faith so I subsequently purchased LensAlign for visual confirmation of the software results.
• I have three bodies so tested/adjusted all three bodies against the 500mm. I then tested all three with one of my other primary used lenses and neither of the three bodies required adjustment with that lens.
• I would not go through the process unless necessary. If you are having unexplainable problems the it is probably worth the time/effort. You can do some quick and dirty testing by simply shooting at a target across grass, gravel, or some other surface that will let you see where your DOF is relative to the focal point.

[Brownbear]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this species... I just realized that I have several photos of this Mew gull taken in Mexico.. They hang around with the pelicans and steal fish.. yes, the red ringed eye is way cool.

The terns think so too. Mew Gulls are the only ones that the terns will co-habitat with in relative peace. The Mews don't prey on baby chicks like most other gull species. Whenever a herring gull flies over the rookery, Mews and terns collectively attack it. The terns will allow the Mews to build their nests within just a few feet of their own nest. The more I learn of nature the more interesting it becomes.

The red ringed eye is way cool...

[FlyingSquirrel]

Dan, thanks for the very helpful response to my questions!

[FootLoose]

Great shots, Dan. #2 is my favourite: I like the way the backlighting has lightened its beak.
Being a fan off birds eyes, I'm just wondering about the specks on the gull's eye. Ae they there in the original or is that a bit of noise introduced by the software?