A real stroke of good luck!

[David Morison]

We birders always like to see a rare bird, even if like me we are not "Twitchers". What good luck then to have one of the rarest birds of prey fly right by me on my local patch (albeit 90 metres away) , a very rare occurrence inland. A Hen Harrier known as a "Ringtail", which could be adult female or juvenile, was being harassed by Corvids for around ten seconds before disappearing behind trees. Hen Harriers have been driven out of England as a breeding species because of their taste for Grouse etc. having been shot and poisoned by b*****d gamekeepers on upland moors. They now only breed in Scotland and the Isle of Man, but venture South in the Winter though still rarely seen. Even though he bird was only visible for ten seconds and was flying fast, I managed in that time to switch the camera on select Myset 2 and fire off 22 shots 70% of which were in focus. These are 100% crops processed in LR5.3 and Snapheal and is BIFfing at it's best, snap decisions and a camera that obeys every command at lightning speed - The E-M1 plus 75-300mm:







David

[Olybirder]

[birdboy]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

The situation you found yourself was a real test for the EM1. It had all the ingredients for a disappointment, rare siting, long way away, not there for long, poor light, new camera. Yet you were able to get the shot. Well done David but I think your preparation paid off and I think the secret of your success lies partly in you saving your BIF settings to a myset. Its at times like that where you just hit one button and can just concentrate on the framing.

BTW which button did you assign it to?

[Wee man]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

Lucky you well done. Can you give more details of set up please?

[David Morison]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

I have Fn1 assigned to Myset 1 which for BIFs against the sky so it has exposure compensation of 1.3x. Fn2 is assigned to Myset 2 for BIFs against a solid(ish) background and has no exposure compensation. Both Mysets have settings of 1/1250th S priority, Auto ISO, S-AF and 10 fps. As the Harrier was in the main against a solid background I used Myset 2, but now and again the bird flew above the trees so these images were under-exposed.

David

[Guest]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

To capture these you must have the reflexes of an Earp or Holliday, David.

Great commentary and very well done indeed.

[banjukes]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

Well done David veey good reflexes to capture those shots.

[Floribunda]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

Great stuff David. The Myset function is worth it's weight in gold, as you have proved.
Very satisfying to have captured this bird, good on you!

[David Morison]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

Thank you all for your kind comments, I am going back this weekend to see if it is still hanging around but only if the light is better.

David

[Chevvyf1]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

David WOW WHAT A CAPTURE ! what an occasion to SEE let alone capture ! I wish you blue skies this weekend and some SUN for your next captures

Thanks for Sharing !

I am getting more and more interested in Birds, as a subject with my ONE and especially that 75-300 lens (its dynamite)

[theMusicMan]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

This is a superb post, David.

It demonstrates the skill of a wonderful photographer; detailed prior learning and knowledge of your photography equipment (camera and lens); skills needed to determine how to get the best photo in difficult conditions; keeping calm under pressure; and the most important bit... managing to capture some damn fine photographs.

Kudos to you David. Well done!

[Chevvyf1]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

David, Just thinking of you - some friends of ours participated in a Bird Observation over the last 4 or 5 years, thinking about your phenomenal KNOWLEDGE of Birds and Habitat & Migration & Breeding do you participate in this ?

Big Question ? Would your Can have captured this - better or as is ?

[David Morison]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

David, Just thinking of you - some friends of ours participated in a Bird Observation over the last 4 or 5 years, thinking about your phenomenal KNOWLEDGE of Birds and Habitat & Migration & Breeding do you participate in this ?

Big Question ? Would your Can have captured this - better or as is ?

I think the 7D would have got 100% in focus but, even though the 400mm is superb, at these sort of ISOs the noise would have degraded the resolution substantially.

David

[Chevvyf1]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

I think the 7D would have got 100% in focus but, even though the 400mm is superb, at these sort of ISOs the noise would have degraded the resolution substantially.

David

ooooh! so thats a Vote for the ONE then ?

[Chevvyf1]

Re: A real stroke of good luck!

David, I find that with RAW+jpeg and vivid filter and high contrast applied I am getting much sharper images

Did you have vivid filter and high contrast on for these captures ?