D2X Eagles

Backdoctor · Feb 24, 2005

These shots were taken by Popeye with a D2X he borrowed from PMA. He went to Viera and shot these with his 800mm f5.6 in the fast mode, so this is one second, eight shots in a row. The exif is as follows:
Date/Time 23-Feb-2005 01:50:05
Make Nikon
Model NIKON D2X
Flash Used No
Focal Length 800 mm
Exposure Time 1/800 sec
Aperture f/6.3
ISO Equivalent 200
Exposure Bias -2/3
White Balance
Metering Mode matrix (5)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Program aperture priority (3)

These are not processed only resized. I think maybe a little sharpening, but maybe not. Popeye, correct me if I am wrong.

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I dont know what the in camera settings were, and there was no pp'ing at all, just resized. 1600mm? Not bad. I will play with them and do some levels. I also have a couple of tiffs from other shots.

Flew · Feb 24, 2005

Harris, don't even get me started.... :evil:

If I came home with one of these things, Janies would cut me every which way but loose.... :roll:

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Frank

Backdoctor · Feb 24, 2005

Flew said:
Harris, don't even get me started.... :evil:

If I came home with one of these things, Janies would cut me every which way but loose.... :roll:

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Frank

Now why would I get started? Just cause you would have a 600mm f2.8 lens at 6.8mp? Nah :lol:

Retief · Feb 24, 2005

The D2X is obviously no darned good,

not at all, no way, for that amount of money. I mean, for crying out loud, just LOOK at that last picture, it couldn't even keep up with the bird moving, cut off the wing. Heck, I can do THAT with my obsolete door-stop of a D2H, for a lot less money don't you know......

:wink: :wink: - nudge - nudge (now why isn't there a nudge emoticon )

Hey, Popeye, how'd you like it? Oh, if I had the bucks laying around right now......

Looking very good, thanks for the post

Popeye39 · Feb 24, 2005

Ahoy Bill,
I've been using my D2H since early fall of 2003 so using the D2X was not too much of a change. I shot some 12.4 meg images and some matching 6.8 images which I haven't processesed yet. but what i first thought was a waste but is the cat's ***(no one say's that very much any more) is the high speed cropped image function,which switches you to 8 fps @6.8 megapixels and doubles your focal length, so with the manual 800 f 5.6 manual lens(which you set up in the menu page by setting focal length and f-stop) at 12.4 meg 800mm=1200mm,but at 6.8 you have 1600MM !?at f.5.6.so my test was to try a new camera in low light with a exteremely
long lens and go after a fast subject,not Eagle on a stick. so what you see is aprox one second total time in this bird's life, I had my Gitzo set low,Wimberly head locked tight and used a MC 30 remote cord to trip camera, I quessed which way the bird would go and then worried about my 66 year old reaction time. BTW nest is over 200 yards from camera.

POPEYE

Retief · Feb 25, 2005

Popeye said:
Ahoy Bill,

POPEYE

Aaarrrghhh, Matey, me D2H arrived just prior to Thanksgiving 2003, we must be about the same vintage.

You actually remind me of something, with your comments re: the "crop". I'm too "cheap" to buy an 800, but most often shoot with my 500 plus 1.4TC which gets me close. I guess that if you factor in the cost of a 1400mm f6 lens, my 500 is the Sigma f4.5, then the cost of a D2X isn't all that bad now, is it? Up here 150-200 yards away is rather common, you must have found the only spot in Florida with no "Disney" birds :wink: .

What is equally as interesting is that my Sigma 120-300 f2.8 becomes 240-600 f2.8 at 8fps. What a combo for shooting night HS football, from 120-600 at f2.8, at the push of a button. Hmm, I may have to start taking a really hard look at my budget this year.

Darn you for making me think :lol: .

I'm assuming that you locked down the Wimberly due to the extremely long focal lenght, correct? When I stack my TC's I do the same, I know I'm vibrating everything when I have 500*1.4*2=1400 hanging off the front of my old D2H doorstop.

phillip 200 · Feb 25, 2005

sigma 800mm HSM

Hi Bill i think you should get one of these. Not one of my better images I was just out testing my new 800mm sigma HSM

Nikon D1X
Focal Length: 800mm + Tc 1.4e Mk1
Color Mode: Mode II (Adobe RGB)
2005/02/10 11:43:23.6
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
White Balance: Auto
Tone Comp: Less Contrast
RAW (12-bit)
Metering Mode: Spot
AF Mode: AF-C
Image Size: Large (3008 x 1960)
1/1500 sec - F/5.6
Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached
Sharpening: None
Lens: 800mm F/5.6 D
Sensitivity: ISO 125

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andreasb · Feb 25, 2005

Re: sigma 800mm HSM

Philip we shoudl compare notes, I just got the Sigma 800 as well. What I have found sofar is that mine is at it's sharpest at F7.1
Here is one from today (sorry looks little bit oversharpened on the web)

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and

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and
View attachment 5497

phillip 200 said:
Hi Bill i think you should get one of these. Not one of my better images I was just out testing my new 800mm sigma HSM

Nikon D1X
Focal Length: 800mm + Tc 1.4e Mk1
Color Mode: Mode II (Adobe RGB)
2005/02/10 11:43:23.6
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
White Balance: Auto
Tone Comp: Less Contrast
RAW (12-bit)
Metering Mode: Spot
AF Mode: AF-C
Image Size: Large (3008 x 1960)
1/1500 sec - F/5.6
Flash Sync Mode: Not Attached
Sharpening: None
Lens: 800mm F/5.6 D
Sensitivity: ISO 125

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Flew · Feb 25, 2005

Andreas & Phillip,

Very impressive. Looks like a pretty good long lens.

Frank

Retief · Feb 25, 2005

Philip and Andreas, you AREN'T going to make ME feel inadequate with my crummy old 500mm, no siree, no way :lol: . I've seen that monster that Andreas carries about, and carrying my 500 is enough of a burden. In truth I think I'd be better off putting the money toward a D2X first. And if I was going to go th 800 route, I'd sure take a long and hard look at the 300-800 as well.

Ah, what the heck, it is just money, right? Now if you two kind gentleman would make me a 0% interest loan of, say, $6,000 each payable at some future time that would solve all my problems. OK, maybe not ALL of them, but certainly this set :wink:

andreasb · Feb 26, 2005

Yeah yeah...

I'm slowly figuring this lens out. It seems that F1.7 alone gives the sharpest pictures, not speed since I have the Wimberley it doesn't seem to matter that much, many of the best shots are say 1/160th or so. I think the biggest issue is that the focus on the camera needs to be 100% accurate, I find myself adjusting on my D2H manually to get it perfectly right. it also has a tendency to give weird meter readings sometime it overexposes many time i have to set it to -1.3 to get the eagles heads so they arent blown out.

I'd say it is not as sharp as my 80-400, but in the right moment it does pretty well I think.

Also it doesn't help how big a lesn you get you have to get close as you can see on the buttshots below

And yes Bill is right it is a pain to carry, and I agree the 300-800 should be tested, but I got such a great deal on the Sigma 800 that I couldn't pass it up

Sorry Bill I can't help you with money, after my Sigma and D2X my bankaccount is dwindling.

Here are two stubborn eagles (in a tree about 200 meters away from our veranda) refusing to turn the right cheek to me from today:

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Retief said:
Philip and Andreas, you AREN'T going to make ME feel inadequate with my crummy old 500mm, no siree, no way :lol: . I've seen that monster that Andreas carries about, and carrying my 500 is enough of a burden. In truth I think I'd be better off putting the money toward a D2X first. And if I was going to go th 800 route, I'd sure take a long and hard look at the 300-800 as well.

Ah, what the heck, it is just money, right? Now if you two kind gentleman would make me a 0% interest loan of, say, $6,000 each payable at some future time that would solve all my problems. OK, maybe not ALL of them, but certainly this set :wink:

phillip 200 · Feb 26, 2005

Hi I purchased mine second-hand after it had a slight accident it had been dropped on the beach and damaged the lens hood anyway the chap I purchased it from sent it to sigma UK who then sent it back to Japan for recalibration the lens is in as new condition and unmarked, anyway I digressed my lens appears to be as sharp at F5.6 as it is at F8 the only thing I notice is that the contrast is slightly better at F8 than F5.6.

From the few tests I have done up to now it appears that it is as good as my Sigma 500mm F4.5 HSM lens at F5.6 and F8 I did have the opportunity to test the 300-800 Sigma F5.6 and that appeared to have more contrast wide open at all focal lengths than my 100-300 / 500 / 800mm HSM’s the things that stopped me from buying it is its weight much heavier than the 800 prime in fact there would be little in it if you had the 800 and 500 prime lenses together in a bag. I think I am finally satisfied with my choice of lenses I have everything from 15 mm to 800mm they seem all to deliver superb optical quality and the prints I am able to produce equals and surpasses what I used to be able to get from print film and slides.

Phillip.

Ps I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my D2x have been informed it should be with me by Tuesday.