New Freedoms, New Gear - IMAGE HEAVY!

[Tronhard]

Well, we are approaching 1/4 of a year in serious lockdown in Auckland, while most of the rest of NZ is at a lower level of control. There are hopes of expanding our freedoms as the city gets to 90% with the first of the Pfizer vaccine, but no significant movement on the cards until we reach 90% double-shot with a 3-week bedding in delay after that.

In the meantime, we have been allowed to journey around within the city limits and that includes the Muriwai Gannet Colony, where the nesting season is in full swing, with birds in all stages of the cycle: from just arriving, to mating, nesting and brooding. It's a bit yet for chicks to hatch.

While in lockdown I bought (via click and collect or delivery) some new gear: a couple of Canon R6's plus an R5 and the following RF lenses: 24-104 f/4L, 100-500L and 24-240.

I had shot with the first two using both camera types but decided to try the 24-240 out on the R5 as a bit of a stress test for the lens - good as a light single-lens solution potentially. Here are a couple of shots from the several hundred images I took. I have my cameras set up with the C1-3 settings assigned to Animal Eye Tracking, Human Eye Tracking and Tracking with no priority respectively. In this case I was using C1.

The birds were very active, motoring along and changing direction and distance randomly. Images shot hand-held.

I found the 24-240 a bit slower to find focus with the R5 than the R6 and that cost me some shots. The images I have posted are, in all cases heavily reduced in size and resolution from the 45MP as shot, plus some are significantly cropped - considering the modest telephoto range of the lens - something I wanted to test.

First a shot of the colony: When I arrived yesterday, it was shrouded in sea mist, which was rather lovely!

#1: The first image is looking along the coast to the south. Beneath are black iron sands eroded from the volcanic cone of Mt Taranaki, and there are lots of surfers out enjoying the waves.


#2: Looking directly out to see to the mist in the distance, covering only a part of the colony


#3: Forming bonded couples and building nests.


#4: When stuck on a nest, preening is a good way to pass the time - I must try that at home when I get bored...


#5: Birds are busy on the wing - finding food and nesting materials, or just getting some exercise...


#6: Air Traffic Control was somewhat lacking yet the birds deftly weaved their way around one-another


#7: Gathering and stealing nesting materials was a consistent activity


#8: The relatively large wingspan of these big birds really shows up at some angles.

[pschlute]

Lovely bird shots but the winner for me is the first scenic.... wonderful.

[Tronhard]

Peter, thank you for taking the time to respond. I am glad you like even one!

Lovely bird shots but the winner for me is the first scenic.... wonderful.

[escape]

Hello Trev,

I enjoyed the series of images; I particularly liked your narrative for each photo, very engaging.

[ST1]

Nice series Trev, it seems that the animal eye tracking was doing its job.


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[Stagecoach]

Excellent set Trevor.

Movement restrictions are now all lifted here other than a daily curfew from 11pm to 4am and interisland travel which is supposedly Covid controlled. It certainly hit the photo opportunities.

[lunarbo]

Thank you so much for sharing these with us, Trevor. They are such a handsome bird.

Were all of these shots taken with the 24-240? Especially nos 3 &4 which look excellent

How could you leave the 100-500 at home ? Ah yes, the weight!!

I have an R6 and bought the 24-240 as a one and only travel lens, and so far I am mightily impressed with it- sharper than the old 18-200 travel lens that I paired with an 80d.

But I have splashed out on the 100-500L as well and agree this is so swift to lock on and sharp as a knife ... the dream lens for action shots.

The more I use the R6 the more I like it.

One question though... will you be trading in one of those R6s for the new R3 ? The prospect of your eye focusing must surely be tempting you.........

[Tronhard]

Thank you so much for sharing these with us, Trevor. They are such a handsome bird.
Hi Barbara: I'm glad you like both the photos and the birds!

Were all of these shots taken with the 24-240? Especially nos 3 &4 which look excellent:
Yes, absolutely - that was the plan from the beginning

How could you leave the 100-500 at home ? Ah yes, the weight!!
No, actually... I wanted to test the 24-240 specifically, and didn't want to be tempted to the other lenses

I have an R6 and bought the 24-240 as a one and only travel lens, and so far I am mightily impressed with it- sharper than the old 18-200 travel lens that I paired with an 80d.
Agreed on both counts. The R6 is great, and I suspect gets about 1 EV of DR better than the R5.

But I have splashed out on the 100-500L as well and agree this is so swift to lock on and sharp as a knife ... the dream lens for action shots.
I have one R6 with the 24-105 f/4L, one with the 24-240 and the R5 with the 100-500L. I hate changing lenses in the field, especially MILCs.

The more I use the R6 the more I like it.

One question though... will you be trading in one of those R6s for the new R3 ? The prospect of your eye focusing must surely be tempting you.........
At this stage, no. The few R3's that have arrived here cost over $10,000NZ and frankly I have what I need right now. Nimble 20MP R6's and the higher resolution R5. I will hold on and wait for the two things I do want, if they are released.
RF 10-24 f/4 L - with this, in 3 lenses, I would have a range from 10-500mm!
R7 - a potential pro-level APS-C body to give me a FoV and pixel density benefit for my long tele shots.
Still, who knows what is around the corner - Sigma may offer some RF lenses next year if one is to believe the rumours...

[Tronhard]

Excellent set Trevor.

Movement restrictions are now all lifted here other than a daily curfew from 11pm to 4am and interisland travel which is supposedly Covid controlled. It certainly hit the photo opportunities.

We are opening up, but already the case numbers and deaths are rising. There is a lot of stress built up in the community, fuelled by conspiracy theories from social media. The government is keeping calm in the face of mounting pressure to both open up and close down.

Tomorrow I can make a trip to the zoo for the first time in about 4 months and the museums and art galleries will open with restrictions. So, I can get out of my 3-bedroom cell for a change!

[Tronhard]

Nice series Trev, it seems that the animal eye tracking was doing its job.
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Hi Peter:
Yes, for me the tracking is a bit of a game changer! I still use my older DSLRs but if I need to have the best animal and human tracking, these are my new go-to bodies.

[Tringa]

All excellent shots, Trev.

I have a soft spot for gannets(is that what they are called in NZ?). I usually see them from the bit of NW Scotland I am lucky enough to visit frequently(well I was until COVID19 appeared), but it is great to see close up photos.

Dave

[Tronhard]

Hi Dave
Yes, I'm pretty sure that our colony is the most accessible and convenient in the world. I have seen that most colonies seem to be on islands, but our two major ones in NZ are on our North Island. There is another on the East Coast near the city of Napier. However, it requires a lengthy trip along a beach that is subject to sudden rock falls from high cliffs - a few years ago some people were injured and the Dept of Conservation closed it all off.