Bob Sharples on BBC Spring Watch Unsprung

The Raven with Rabbit image has also received a mention and showing today on BBC 2 Spring Watch Unsprung. For those who missed it you may be able to catch up here, http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/

Macro at Windmill Farm

Well conditions were far from ideal, stiff breeze and grey cloud. Any how I wanted to test the macro gear to give me an idea of what settings to use and see if it was all functioning correctly. Bit cold so didn't get any colourful butterflies, just some damsel flies and other bugs etc. Also gone a cracking view of a stoat but no images, sadly. (Always see something good when I don't carry the 600mm around!) Okay onto today's images I wont label them as I don't have a guide, feel free to advise! Okay onto the images.

Also unfortunately due to the unprecedented amount of spam generated via the blog from "anonymous" I have had to change the security settings.  The means you will have to fill in a couple of words to prove your not a robot. Apologies for this but it should only take a few extra seconds should you wish to comment/leave feedback etc.

Testing Nikon's TC 2OE iii

Intentions to go to the Lizard today however last nights forecast was spectacularly wrong; as a result I headed up to the North coast to test the tele converter. First was a Ravens nest still a bit overcast and cloudy so no images here. I should add I had the tele converter couple to a D7000 and 600mm F4 AFS 2 throughout. Initially it didn't fare to well in the dim lighting conditions. Once the light improve so did the pictures. All were shot at F8 with ISO varying between 200-640.  I was surprised it still Auto Focuses at F8 although slow. I was also informed Peregrines were on the cliff just North of the Grey Seals next to the seating area at Godrevy, well if they were I couldn't see them or they had gone. My conclusion is the converter has it uses coupled to a 600mm but you will always wish for more light, I think you can see the difference in the post when I swapped back to the normal 1.4x converter. Ok today's pictures,

Guillimots 

Feeding time

Begging for food

Shags on the nest

Grey Seal

New Combo, D4/D800/D400?????

Well decided lugging the 600mm everywhere wasn't a good idea.  So I opted for a 300mm VR and TC x2 111 to go on my D3s/D7000.  This weekend shots are from that set up and the 600mm also.  Whilst the 300mm and TC 2 111 is much lighter images are slightly softer and focus for flight shots isn't a rapid, but for occasions where carrying the 600mm over distance is not an option then the 300mm and TC 2 111 is the next best thing. Still thinking about getting a D4 or D800 or maybe even wait for the D400 which will hopefully appear sometime this year. So what is stopping me at present the D4 offers me a better focus system, slightly more FPS and a better video capability which I never use! So at present I feel the price far outweighs the gain for me. The D800 well I have a D7000 on nikons cropped sensor and 16.2 mp which probably isn't far off a crop from the D800 full frame, and it is only 4 fps (which I could probably live with), has the d4 focus system and a  36mp FF sensor. In our UK light I think that just means more noise! And add to that cost for the D800  a new computer or upgrade to handle the large files. Out of the two the D800 seems best value for money.  However I am still waiting for announcement of the D300s replacement.  I decide on my cameras not from lab tests but actual results gained in the field for me this means wildlife/action shots from the UK, not abroad where the light is always better. So if anyone knows of anyone currently shooting wild/action with either of these cameras in the UK could you please point me in their direction so I can have a look at their images. Ok enough waffle on some of mine from the weekend.

Rabbit, licking itself clean

Whitethroat

Chough

Swallow

Swallows Revisited

Intentions were to take out the new Nikon 300mm f2.8 VR (well new to me but used) it is now not arriving until tomorrow. So I went out to practice on these little speed merchants (swallows) anyway. I tried various combinations of cameras/bodies from A D3s, D7000, 300mm F4 and 600mm F4. Picked out what I thought were the best images, surprisingly all four were taken with the D3s and either a 600mm or 300mm f4, the D7000 didn't produce any of my choices today. Next time it will be the 300mm F2.8 VR handheld! So here are the images I have chosen today.

Swallows

Well as the title says , swallows that really is all I have today some swallow images. These were with the D7000 and 70-300mm lens so guess I will be going back with the 600mm lens for some close up shots!