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lonestranger

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Posts posted by lonestranger

    Share Your Best Photo of the Day

    in Photo Sharing and Discussion

    Posted

    Welcome to Whatbird, @Jill L. While this forum is not dedicated specifically to photo critiquing, there are members willing to offer opinions on a wide range of photography questions. In fact, @IKLland started one sub-forum that is devoted to providing feedback for improving photo editing skills. We might not be photography wizards but there's a lot of experienced, and inexperienced, photographers on this site that are willing to help out fellow bird photographers and share what we know. Don't be afraid to ask for opinions, there's a wealth of knowledge to be had here.

    Once again, Welcome to Whatbird. 

    • Like 5

    BRDL

    in General Birding Topics

    Posted · Edited by lonestranger

    BRDL 478
    🥚🥚🪶🐦
    🥚🪶🥚🐦
    🐦🥚🐦🐦
    🐦🐦🐦🐦

    This bird is not found in my iBird list, nor would I expect it to be.

    Which Warbler?

    in Help Me Identify a North American Bird

    Posted

    Welcome to Whatbird @M.A.K.. I'm not saying that yours isn't one, but I think a Western Tanager would be out of range for you. I only have limited experience with Scarlet Tanagers, but I can tell you that they can look pretty funky during their transition. I think the white on the wing could be explained as an inner feather or two poking out of place due to moult, but I don't really know what I'm talking about so take what I say with a grain of salt. Except for the welcome, of course, that part I have a bit more experience with. 😁

    • Like 1

    Nikon Camera Base Suggestions

    in Birding Books, CDs, Courses, and Cool Products

    Posted

    I'm in favor of buying used gear from a reputable retailer, or a local, in person exchange where you get to see and try the equipment before handing over any money. Buying anything online from an unknown vendor is a gamble I wouldn't bet that much money on. Have you explored local online marketplaces? 

    As for the full frame vs crop sensor discussion, I have mixed feelings on that. I also have, and still use both full frame and crop body cameras which is why I have mixed feelings. My full frame cameras, Canon's R6 and the 5Diii, definitely produce better images than my crop body 7Dii, providing I don't have to crop the image too much for the end results. While I almost always use the R6 nowadays, previous to that there were a few occasions when I wish I had the crop body handy just for the added reach when I was using the full frame.

    If you're always/mostly shooting at max zoom and then cropping heavily while processing the image, you may want to consider a crop body. If you're not cropping heavily, a full frame body should produce the better images. My experience tells me that there's very little difference between images cropped in a crop body camera and images cropped on a computer from full frame cameras down to same framing of the crop body camera. It's not until I have to crop a full frame image well beyond the crop body crop that I notice a significant difference in image quality. The higher dynamic range of the full frame sensor also means that overexposure and underexposure are easier to control.

    Like ALL camera gear purchases, you have to decide which trade offs you're willing to make because NONE of the options are the perfect choice. ☹

    • Like 2

    New phone ringtone

    in Birding Books, CDs, Courses, and Cool Products

    Posted

    MJ changes her ringtone now and then. On one occasion she had changed it without me knowing and then got a persistent caller that called back every few minutes while MJ was out walking the dog. I checked in every room, in all the closets, down the basement, and out around the house trying to find the source of this very familiar sound. When she got back from walking the dog, MJ just laughed at me when I told her that I could hear a cat meowing from somewhere in or around the house but I simply couldn't locate it. 

    Personally, I like having a unique sounding ringtone, that's why my ringtone sounds like a phone ringing.

    • Like 3
    • Haha 4

    Bird Flocks

    in Photo Sharing and Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said:

    Of course they're on the yard; the feeders are empty.  Can't you afford seed on your Social Security budget, have you become too enfeeble to reach them, or is it that you simply forget between the deck and the door?

    Umm, you might want to clean your glasses and look again, @Charlie Spencer. The feeders are full, not empty. I'm out of suet at the moment but the other three feeders are filled right to the top. 

    • Like 1
    • Sad 1

    Share Your Best or Favorite Photo of a Bird Species!

    in Photo Sharing and Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, lonestranger said:

    Getting down low, which is easier said than done with my knees, can really help your AutoFocus find and lock onto the bird. Getting down low gives you more separation between the bird and it's watery background/foreground, often making it easier for the AF to separate the bird from that same watery background/foreground. Sometimes AF just doesn't get it right and Manual Focus is needed though. If you're using the viewfinder for MF, make sure that your diopter is properly adjusted or your photos will never come out focused. Diopter adjustments are often forgotten about but they should checked every now and then just to make sure that our eyes and the camera sensor are seeing the same thing, especially as our eyes change with age. Speaking from personal experience here.

    For those reading along that don't already know, the Diopter adjustment is that little wheel right beside the viewfinder that adjusts the focus of the viewfinder to our individual visual requirements. If the diopter is set wrong, it may look like your AF isn't focusing properly when it is, or your MF shots that look focused through the viewfinder won't be. An easily overlooked adjustment that everyone can now consider themselves reminded of. Check your camera's manual or online sources if you're not sure how to set the diopter properly.

    Another thing to consider, especially for long distance shots at maximum zoom, is stability. The slightest bit of camera movement gets exaggerated the more we zoom out. Image stabilization works great but it can't help you if you drift off your target slightly and the AF focuses on the water and not the bird when you click the shutter button. I know that we all like to think that we are pretty steady, but my bullseye tests prove that I am no where near as stable as I like to think I am. My bullseye test is simple, I zoom to max, using single center point focus, I focus on an object(a bird usually) in the distance and take a picture. I then display that picture on the LCD screen and zoom in to max to view the image. A bullseye would show the object smack dab in the middle of my screen with no vertical and horizontal tilt. If I have taken a short burst of photos, I should be able to flip to the next picture while still zoomed in and the object should be in the same spot for each image. I pass this test with flying colours everytime I use the tripod but my handheld results usually show less than a perfect bullseye. 

    That is the end of today's lecture, we now return you to the regular scheduled program.

    • Like 1

    Nikon Camera Base Suggestions

    in Birding Books, CDs, Courses, and Cool Products

    Posted · Edited by lonestranger

    14 minutes ago, Birds are cool said:

    I have also heard great reviews about the d500. Do you have any idea if it is better than the D750? Thanks!

    After a very quick look, I think I'd sacrifice a few MP and opt for the D500. It sounds like it's newer and better than the others, but that's just going by a quick comparison of a few numbers and not considering price differences.

    I should point out that my only Nikon camera is the P&S P900, I have no experience with their DSLRs.

    • Thanks 1

    Nikon Camera Base Suggestions

    in Birding Books, CDs, Courses, and Cool Products

    Posted

    12 hours ago, Birds are cool said:

    How much does the difference in MP matter?

    That is a hard question to answer. If both are the same sized full frame sensors, the one with more MP will allow for bigger images and more room for cropping simply because of having more pixels to start with. The sensor with fewer MP will have more dynamic range because of the pixels being bigger. Based on a very quick review of the two cameras you're considering, I think I would go with the D750 myself, among other things, it has the newer processor, and it has the faster frames per second rating. 

    • Like 1

    Share Your Best or Favorite Photo of a Bird Species!

    in Photo Sharing and Discussion

    Posted

    38 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said:

    Most of the above.  It probably doesn't help that most of my waterfowl shots are at long range.  On the other hand, those birds aren't usually moving much, so I should get it in my head to manually focus instead.

    Getting down low, which is easier said than done with my knees, can really help your AutoFocus find and lock onto the bird. Getting down low gives you more separation between the bird and it's watery background/foreground, often making it easier for the AF to separate the bird from that same watery background/foreground. Sometimes AF just doesn't get it right and Manual Focus is needed though. If you're using the viewfinder for MF, make sure that your diopter is properly adjusted or your photos will never come out focused. Diopter adjustments are often forgotten about but they should checked every now and then just to make sure that our eyes and the camera sensor are seeing the same thing, especially as our eyes change with age. Speaking from personal experience here.

    For those reading along that don't already know, the Diopter adjustment is that little wheel right beside the viewfinder that adjusts the focus of the viewfinder to our individual visual requirements. If the diopter is set wrong, it may look like your AF isn't focusing properly when it is, or your MF shots that look focused through the viewfinder won't be. An easily overlooked adjustment that everyone can now consider themselves reminded of. Check your camera's manual or online sources if you're not sure how to set the diopter properly.

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1

    Share Your Best or Favorite Photo of a Bird Species!

    in Photo Sharing and Discussion

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said:

    Anyone else find autofocus often has trouble with birds on the water?

    I'm not sure what trouble you're referring to. Is the Autofocus hunting back and forth, or jumping from one point to another, while you're trying to find the bird on the water? Or are you noticing that your subjects are out of focus in your photos after the fact? Or other trouble?

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