a few critters from the park

[doug herr]

Along with the Wild Turkey photo I posted a couple of days ago,

I've got some new critter photos from a park in a nearby flood

plain preserved as wild land:

 

<CENTER>

<A HREF="http://www.wildlightphoto.com" target="_blank">

<IMG SRC="http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/witu12.jpg">

</A>

<BR>

<B>Wild Turkey</B>

<P>

<A HREF="http://www.wildlightphoto.com" target="_blank">

<IMG

SRC="http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/deco02.jpg">

</A>

<BR>

<B>Desert Cottontail</B>

<P>

<A HREF="http://www.wildlightphoto.com" target="_blank">

<IMG

SRC="http://www.wildlightphoto.com/mammals/cgsq01.jpg">

</A>

<BR>

<B>California ("Beechy") Ground Squirrel</B>

</CENTER>

<P>

All photos above from Ancil Hoffman Park, Sacramento County

California. Leicaflex SL, 280mm f/4 APO-Telyt-R, Kodachrome

64, shoulder stock, all except turkey chick with monopod.

<P>

Re-posting the Wild Turkey form the other thread:

<CENTER>

<A HREF="http://www.wildlightphoto.com" target="_blank">

<IMG SRC="http://www.wildlightphoto.com/birds/witu10.jpg">

</A>

<BR>

<B>Wild Turkey</B>

</CENTER>

<P>

Same location, same equipment except R4sP instead of SL, on

E100G film. All comments welcome. My comment: the 280 f/4

APO rocks!

[jan_brittenson]

Nice shots Douglas! Glad to see you like the APO 280/4; this lens plus a 1.4x was going to be my first serious foray into Leica R now that I've sold all my Canon glass. I sure like what I see in terms of contrast and crispness in your wildlife shots so far!

[alec1]

As you well know [since you've used it before] there's a separate section for photo critique. Please use it.

[msitaraman]

My duaghter fell in love with the baby wild turkey. Well, me too. Beechy squirrel is great, with the splash of yellow.

 

I'm bookmarking this thread and will link to it in the future whenever somebody on photo.net has a question about a) auto-focus cameras b)Image Stabilized lenses c) Auto this or that camera body or d)'obsolete' Kodachrome.

 

This is an object lesson from a master. Bravo, Doug, as always.

[olliesteiner]

Lovely, inspiring photos! Thanks for sharing them. Also thanks for listing your camera, lens and film - that's always informative.

[mike_scecina2]

Sit on it Alec. And while you do we'll enjoy the photographs. No critiqueing required.

[tom h.]

There's a log out button at the top of the page too, alec jones, especially for negative naysaying non-photographing non-contributors likie yourself. Good shots Douglas.

[MTC Photography]

Nice pictures, Doug.

[john_boyle3]

Superb shots, Doug. You're an inspiration for all of us. I was surprised that the adult turkeys would let someone get that close to the chick. Plesase post more shots under whatever heading you want.

[working camera]

I can�t put my finger on it, but all your wildlife just looks wrong to me Doug.

 

Pied Cormorant<div></div>

[doug herr]

Jan Brittenson wrote: <I>"Glad to see you like the APO 280/4; this

lens plus a 1.4x was going to be my first serious foray into Leica

R now that I've sold all my Canon glass. I sure like what I see in

terms of contrast and crispness in your wildlife shots so far!"</I>

<P>

Jan, I haven't compared the Canon 300L glass with this lens but

I'm certainly delighted with the 280 in many repects. The

focussing action is fantastic: light and well-damped, I can

fine-focus with just a thumb or finger, and the close-focus limit of

1.7 meters is quite good. Optically, detail rendition is at least

equal to the 100 APO with excellent color saturation and

reasonably good bokeh. No complaints :-) The one flaw I've

found is flare when sun strikes the front element. Keep it

shaded. I'm also considering the 1.4x APO-Extender. I have a

friend who will loan his to me if I ask; I'll give it a try once he gets

it modified to fit his "new" SL. This is one big advantage the 280

APO has over Canon's lenses: it can be easily modifed to fit the

Leicaflex SL. The adult turkey photo was made using the R4sP

and once I finished that roll of film I swore I'd never use anything

but the SL with this lens. The SL viewfinder is sooo much easier

to focus for this 52-year-old, anywhere on the screen, that my

success rate is much higher.

<P>

Mani Sitaraman  wrote:"<I>I'm bookmarking this thread and will

link to it in the future whenever somebody on photo.net has a

question about a) auto-focus cameras b)Image Stabilized

lenses c) Auto this or that camera body or d)'obsolete'

Kodachrome. </I>

<P>

[grins] from me. The automated features have their value but I

find that with experience and good technique they're not as vital

as some have claimed. I like having a viewfinder that can be

focussed easily anywhere on the screen, not just at designated

'focus points'. The SL does that for me; the value of it is that I can

compose and focus simultaneously w/o being stuck with

centered compositions. I find the animals twitch or wiggle or

turn their heads to quickly and too often to be able to lock focus

then re-compose; each time they move the optimum focus plane

changes. As for stabilization, I'm sure there are times it would

be handy but I've found that with the combined shoulder stock

and monopod I can use 1/60 sec regularly and at times even

speeds as slow as 1/15 sec where subject motion becomes a

concern and IS won't help.

<P>

John Boyle wrote:"<I> I was surprised that the adult turkeys

would let someone get that close to the chick.</I>"

<P>

John, I typically spend a lot of time with the birds before I can get

this close. I was with this particular hen and her brood for about

3 hours before this was possible. At one point the hen was

about 3' away from me with chicks scurrying in the grass less

than 2' away. I think spending the time like this helps me get

better pictures 'cuz I end up with a better understanding of what

the bird is all about, and I can use shorter lenses like the 280

which makes slower shutter speeds more practical and also in

dense brush makes it easier to get a clear view of the animal.

<P>

Thanks to all for looking and commenting.

[doug herr]

Craig: LOL!

[mskovacs]

Doug nice work. <i> I was with this particular hen and her brood for about 3 hours before this was possible.</i> Don't ever consider going on a safari to Africa!

[travis1]

I like Beechy alot.

[._._z]

Beechy keen.

[icuneko]

Douglas, It's good to see Kodachrome 64 is alive and well. I appreciate the natural, non-saturated, clear life-like colors in this day of hypersaturated films. (Of course, not all are.) It bespeaks a visual philososhy of "sono mama" (Japanese for "as it is"), a non-pretentious way of seeing/being here now, as Ram Das was apt to say. I'm glad it still has a place in the world of visual arts. Keep up the good work.

[paul_neuthaler]

I hate Doug Herr & his magnificent pictures!

[doug herr]

S. Linke wrote:"<I> It's good to see Kodachrome 64 is alive and

well. I appreciate the natural, non-saturated, clear life-like

colors</I>"

<P>

I use K64 more than any other film 'cuz I like the natural colors,

the ability to get the most out of an APO lens, and Kodachrome's

long history of dye stability but there are times when it won't do

the job. I've had a very hard time getting photos of the tom turkey

on Kodachrome with both detail in the dark feathers and detail in

the near-white of the top of his head - so I used E100G for that

photo. The colors aren't really right in the original slide but

they're correctable with photoshop.

<P>

My all-time favorite film is the Kodachrome 25 stashed in my

freezer. I get a bit more detail rendition than K64 with less grain,

and colors that have a bit more 'zing' while still completely

natural. Only 25 rolls left :-(

[doug herr]

Paul: :-)

 

<P>

plz send me your e-mail address privately. The one photo.net

has listed for you doesn't work. I promise not to lose it this time.