Why you shouldn't try to handhold a 500mm+TC1.4 (5 D2X pics)

[Steve S]

Went up to my lake cottage thinking I would shoot some wildlife, only to discover that I forgot my tripod/Wimberley head!
So, this morning, bright & early, I went to a known spot to see if this beast is handholdable at all. For the most part, it is not! I tried positioning it on the roof of my car, but that method very much limited the range in which I could pan.
The Heron and Kingfisher shots are 100% crops, the others cropped much less. Can anyone ID this Kingfisher, and did you know it can hover, much like a Hummer? In these 2 shots, it was hovering.

Not very good Heron in flight:

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Not so sharp hovering Kingfisher:

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A bit sharper Mallard mom, ducklings & Bullfrog :

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[PJohnP]

Re: Why you shouldn't try to handhold a 500mm+TC1.4 (5 D2X p

The Heron and Kingfisher shots are 100% crops, the others cropped much less. Can anyone ID this Kingfisher, and did you know it can hover, much like a Hummer? In these 2 shots, it was hovering.

Steve :

Pretty good material, handheld notwithstanding. I've been trying to get hovering Kingfisher shots for some time without success. They're skittish and difficult birds to get close to.

That is, BTW, a banded kingfisher.



John P.

 

[Keith]

Yep that would be a tough call, thought many times to get an oversized beanbag/sandbag to lay over the car window to create a nice rest and protect the lens, not sure how well it would work.........

all things considering you got some nice shots. the kingfisher is a neat looking bird!!

Keith

 

[Steve S]

oops, small correction, no TC was used,

when I got back home, I discovered the TC 1.4 was still attached to the 70-200! My Bad, I guess they were "only" 500mm handheld shots! Thanks for that ID John.

 

[PJohnP]

Re: oops, small correction, no TC was used,

when I got back home, I discovered the TC 1.4 was still attached to the 70-200! My Bad, I guess they were "only" 500mm handheld shots! Thanks for that ID John.

Steve :

Still good shots of the kingfisher, TC or not.

BTW, the kingfishers can only "hover" either for a very brief period, or where there's a solid wind to give them lift. I've seen a banded kingfisher hover for about ten seconds with a gusting wind in central WI last year, but that's about the longest hover interval that I've seen.

For a variety of reasons, I think kingfishers are some of the neatest birds around.


John P.