RickDB

<p>A brown pelican in adult non-breeding plumage sets down on the calm waters of Tampa Bay. EOS 7D2 + 70-200 f/4L IS at 138mm; 1/1250s At f/4 ISO 100.</p><div></div>

<p>Nature as the artist: medium moss, lichen and fungi on dead wood. 5D2 + EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM; 8s at f/32 ISO 400.</p><div></div>

<p>I've seen a pair of these red-shouldered hawks on a dead tree on a couple of occasions, but by the time I get my camera they have usually both gone. Today one stayed put; may be I'll catch them together in the new year.... 7D2 + EF 500mm f/4 IS II USM; 1/640s at f/4 ISO 1600.</p><div></div>

<p>Seasons greetings to all my fellow photo.net users. Wishing you more <em>keepers</em> in 2015 to share here! EOS 5D2 + EF 85mm f/1.2L; 1/25s at f/2.0 ISO 400.</p><div></div>

<p>My only photos this week follow the mycophilic thread too. Whilst tidying up the yard I found this growing on a fallen branch. Set me to wondering what environmental factors cause the different colors - maybe rainfall, humidity, or temperature? Pondering the mysteries of nature leads to much more merry thoughts than reading the news - as all who contribute here already know. EOS 5D2 / EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM; 1/50s at f/11 ISO 800.</p><div></div>

<p>This is the first red-tailed hawk I've seen in my back yard - unfortunately I was out testing my old EOS 40D newly converted to IR so this may also be the first time one has been documented with an infrared camera. When it took off it carried a large water moccasin snake into a nearby tree; of course, by the time I had retrieved a more suitable camera and lens it had disappeared.</p><div></div>

<p>I tried out the extra reach the 7D2 gives now that I can AF at f/8. As always, the action takes place on the other side of the lake, but now I can nail them...if I'm quick enough. 7D2 + EF 500mm f/4L IS II + EF 2x; 1/1250s at f/8 ISO 800, tripod.</p><div></div>

<p>To better appreciate the image quality differences I think you need to compare them wide open. Its hard to differentiate lenses stopped down to f/11; the 24-70 will always win at f/2.8, but try shooting again at f/3.5</p>

<p>View of hot pixels?<br>

Thought I see if I could illustrate the phenomenon - on the left a shot of the screen (taken with camera) and on right a shot of the same area taken whilst moving the frame, you can see 4 hot pixels that seem to have been subtracted as soon as you stop moving the frame.</p><div></div>

<p>Hi Sarah,<br>

I'm not sure if this will help, but I have noticed that hot pixels can be seen using Adobe Bridge. If I View a raw file (from 5D2) of a star field, i.e. lots of black background, as the picture is loaded the hot pixels appear momentarily and then disappear. I assumed that the raw data was loaded and then the mapped hot pixels were subtracted on the fly. If you then zoom in to 100%, then the hot pixels reappear until it snaps into focus. If you then grab the zoomed view and move around the hot pixels reappear and stay there until you stop moving the frame. <br>

My thought is you might try this and see if you can observe hot pixels coming and going as described. If some of what you think are hot pixels are not behaving this way, then I guess the sensor needs to be re-mapped or there is some other problem. The odd thing is that you describe the hot pixels as clusters of vivid magenta and white. All the hot pixels I see are distinctly red, blue, or green.</p>

<p>I've been busy restoring scanned photos of my family from the nineteenth century - none taken with an EOS camera! So here is a picture of a yellow-bellied sapsucker taken today - focusing at f/8 with the 7D2 works very well. EOS 7D2 / EF 500mm f/4 IS II + EF 2.0x TC-II; 1/500s at F/8.0 ISO 800 (tripod)</p><div></div>

<p>For a trip to Antarctica I found I didn't always have enough reach at 300mm on a crop frame camera. I would suggest you would be better served with a telephoto zoom lens, such as the EF 100-400, or a Tamron 150-600mm. The old adage to "zoom with your feet" doesn't always apply in Antarctica because of restrictions on where you can walk, and shots from a zodiac are even more difficult with a prime lens.</p>

<p>Nice shot Mary! Vulchuh culchuh indeed - but I can't resist submitting a recent shot of 5 Griffon vultures and a white-backed vulture taken in The Taragire National Park in Tanzania. Of course, they are all resting and giving thanks for the bounty of nature. EOS 7D + Tamron 150-600mm at 375mm; 1/640s at f/8 ISO 400.</p><div></div>

<p>"Wouldn't I see flares in Live View?"<br>

Probably not easily - however, if you can set it up in live view and detect a strong flare you could then shade the lens from strong light sources to see if changes. </p>

<p>Had my old EOS 40D converted to IR - now I can get wintery scenes here in Florida without suffering 6', or even just 6", of snow!</p><div></div>

<p>I've used the EF-S 10-22mm lens for years and it is remarkably good at controlling flare when the light source is in front of the lens. In my experience, it is more prone to flare with light sources off to the sides. The Canon lens hood (EW-83E) is designed to work at the widest angle and does not cause significant vignetting - and even if it did, it is much easier to correct than the flare you are experiencing. I would suggest you try taking some shots with and without the hood to see it you notice a difference.</p>

<p>"<em>Photography in general but nature photography in particular is all about lighting. You win some and you lose some</em>."<br>

So right Shun! My dawn over the Serengeti was beautiful and seemed like a good omen - but once airborne in a hot air balloon the sun rose above the cloud layer and the light was diffuse and there were no long shadows. I hardly took any worthwhile shots. In the words of Chas Glatzer "Light illuminates, shadow defines".</p>

<p>Sunrise over the Serengeti - made it worth getting out of bed at 3:40am! 7D + EF 70-200mm f/4L IS at 138mm; 1/30s at f/5.6 ISO 400.</p><div></div>

<p>My second flight in this B-17. The last time was back in the days of film, and my "documentation" was lost at the processors (the only time I ever lost a film that way). Laura, I thought the monochrome suited the subject well. Well spotted Robin, that is indeed a B-24 - I needed something for the pilots to be looking at and what better than the B-24 also owned by the Collings Foundation!</p>

<p>B17 "Nine-0-Nine" taking off from Ocala airport, Florida.</p><div></div>

<p>View of starboard wing from top turret.</p><div></div>

<p>Took a flight in Collings Foundation "Nine-0-Nine" B-17 Flying Fortress at the weekend.</p><div></div>

<p>The Camranger is an excellent way to add wi-fi capability to your 7D and at $299 much cheaper than the Canon alternative.</p>

<p>White-headed buffalo weaver, native to east Africa. 5D2 / Tamron 150-600 at 600mm; 1/250s at f/8 ISO 400, handheld.</p><div></div>

<p>A quick test to see how the new 7D2 performs under extreme conditions. Deliberately underexposed (almost a silhouette) and then "recovered" in Photoshop (raw file opened in DPP and transferred to PS CC). Result showed no banding and was much better than it would have been with either 7D or 5D2.<br>

Handheld with EOS 7D2 / Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 at 600mm; 1/1000s at f/8 ISO 1600.</p><div></div>