The shooting conditions were difficult so I’m surprised by how well this photo turned out.
- Plus some new information on the Canon ID X Mark III.
Quality action shots in low light with my 5 1/2 year old 7D Mark II are a huge challenge. Action demands relatively high shutter speeds and to achieve them in low light requires high ISO’s that can dramatically increase noise (grain) in my images. In addition low light tends to subdue colors and contrast so for me those types of shots are always a crap shoot.
This time I think things worked out about as well as they could have.
1/1250, f/6.3, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in
When this photo was taken in the mountains about five months ago the juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was still folding its wings near the end of the landing process. The fencepost was in the deep shade of a nearby mountain and it had been raining that morning as evidenced by the water drops dripping off the wire below the bird. The wet hawk had a small rodent and associated debris clutched in its right foot.
Like virtually all photos this one has strengths and weaknesses but given the conditions I like it a lot. I love the pose of the bird, my shutter fired at a moment when I had almost direct eye contact, the hawk’s expression is dripping with attitude and the rodent adds interest and drama. I have even light on the entire bird so there are no dense shadows lacking detail.
Yes, there’s some noise in the image but with my 7DII that’s almost a given in these conditions using ISO 1600 (which is why I try to avoid going above ISO 800 if at all possible). The background is also busy but in this case I don’t find it very distracting at all. I think the bird stands out plenty well enough and nothing back there pulls my eye away from the hawk. At least not much.
It’s situations like this that make me lust after the new Canon ID X Mark III due to be released a week from today. Based on early reports that camera handles noise at high ISO’s like a dream and it has blazing fast and accurate autofocus capabilities as well. A burst rate of 16 frames/sec with a virtually unlimited buffer while shooting RAW almost seals the deal for me. Almost…
But it’s full frame instead of cropped frame so I’d lose a lot of the reach I need for birds and with a file size of only 20.1 MP I won’t be able to crop significantly more than I can with my current 7DII without sacrificing image quality.
And then there’s the more than hefty price tag of $6500 which gives this retired teacher living on a fixed income some serious hesitation.
Ron
Note: There’s some late-breaking news for any of my readers who may be considering ordering the ID X Mark III. Canon Rumors reported yesterday that the CFexpress card reader included with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III may be delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Here’s the link for more information.
Ditto Keith Bauer’s comment.
Good to know you both agree on that Topaz program.
Damn — I’m losing it! I could have sworn I commented earlier today. 😛
Love the expression on this multi-tasking (keeping an eye on you, landing, folding wings, holding onto dinner) juvenile! Hope it makes it through the winter and has a chance to live a full, long life.
Nope, no earlier comment came through on this end, Marty. But don’t feel bad, something similar happens to me more often than I like to think about…
I’m sure it is “operator error” on this end! 😉
BTW, I’m sure that several of us would be more than happy to make a contribution to the “new camera fund!” 🙂
Nope, I won’t be accepting funds from others to help pay for my toys. But I appreciate the thought, Marty.
I so admire your work and still feel it is very artistic. The price of most everything these days takes my breath away. Thank goodness I am happy or satisfied with most everything I have.
“Thank goodness I am happy or satisfied with most everything I have.”
That’s a very good place to be, Betty. I feel the same way about almost everything but when it comes to camera gear it can be another story altogether…
This is terrific! That greenery looks very nice here along with the rusty pole; they really show the red-rail off. I’m glad I came back for a second look…I really like this. The bird really has that 3-D appearance. Earlier this morning the photo would not completely download…so much detail was missing. I knew something had to wrong.
Hmmm, I wonder what was going on earlier this morning, Kathy. Thank you.
I like the photo for all the reasons you state. Would the 1D X Mark III produce a dramatically better photo, or more to the point for me, would I really notice a significant and more enjoyable improvement on Feathered Photography? It’s kinda like watching a movie on an old 20″ CRT TV or a state-of-the-art 4k large screen. If the story is good, either one will do and I will enjoy it. The script, whether in the movie or your blog adds immensely to the experience. If you do end up taking out a 2nd mortgage for the new camera💸, I would love to see a comparison of old and new.
Lyle, the theory at least is that camera should mean a lot more good photos. Here’s two examples of why: the much improved autofocus should allow me to lock focus on and follow a bird in flight much better, getting many more sharp photos. More often than not you never even see flight shots I’ve tried to take because they were soft. Flight shots aren’t easy! Faster burst rates means more action shots so behaviors would be documented better. There are also other reasons it should make a positive contribution to my blog.
Believe me, if I make the jump you’ll see the comparison.
I really, really like this shot on so many levels.
Attitude is so very evident in the cock of the red-tails head and that piercing gaze. I love the plumage details and the hint of britches. Rain drops make it special too.
We can still see flames from our veranda but there is a tiny smidge of rain forecast. Today is incontinent pigeon rain (splat, splat and it is gone) but tomorrow looks more promising.
Thank you, EC. I hope tomorrow lives up to its promises!
Ron: If you have not tried Topaz Denoise AI, you should download a trial and give it a go. No, I’m not affiliated with Topaz and for the most part dislike their products because of their speed and Denoise AI is no exception to that. It is slow, but does an outstanding job on noise reduction while not hurting feather detail in birds.
Thanks for the tip, Keith. I’ll look into it.
ISO 1600 is not bad at all as compared to my in-flight settings when I start out about 45 minutes before sunrise. Auto ISO will not go above 6400, so I set ISO manually to 16,000 and let the camera do the rest of the work. If camera even fires, I am lucky to get shutter speed above 1/100 against eastern sky at around 20 minutes before sunrise. No shots fit for publication, but I can distinguish heron species flying against the sky or treetop hawks and falcons. Metering against the sky, I reduce the ISO to keep shutter speed above 1/1000 for in-flight, which works pretty well once the sky brightens up. I have Canon 80D with prime 300mm f/4 + 1.4x extender. At my age it is about as heavy as I wish to carry. An investment in an upgrade would be like buying green bananas.
Ken, size and weight is another consideration with the ID X Mark III. That camera is huge and heavy, even though it’s lighter that the earlier version of the same camera. Thankfully I’m nearly always shooting from my pickup so I wouldn’t have to lug it around.
Great photo Ron in spite of the challenges. Age and cost have kept me from trying to compete with the Ron Dudleys. It is always so tempting to jump into the upgrading, but often there is no end to it. Way back when I was a much younger guy I was into tennis and just had to have the latest racquet etc. I think the major thing that keeps me from jumping into the very expensive camera world is my lack of technical understanding. I have the feeling that it would take an awful lot of time and patience to fully learn and understand the capabilities of cameras such as yours. At just about 82 I am now content to enjoy what I can do with my $500 camera and just enjoy the beauty of photos like yours.
Everett, I think you have the perfect attitude for your situation.
In the past I’ve never been one to lust after the newest cameras. For me it’s always been far more about the lens than the camera. And it still is. But this new camera has autofocus capabilities that have seduced me.
Great shot in challenging conditions! 🙂 Background is out of focus just enough to not be a huge distractions and the position it caught the hawk in is wonderful…… Guessing the hollow pipe is a bit hard on the feet tho the hawk has it “handled”. 😉 Always something with new camera releases and with “stuff” being from global sources…… It IS a pricey piece of equipment! Lots of choices/compromises – decisions, decisions, decisions!
Pricey indeed. That’s over a third of the price I paid for my first house back in 1972! Thanks, Judy.
Of course, the price of pick-up trucks and some cars is what used to be “house” price too! 😉