Wedgie

[Oneputt]

No not that one, a wedge tail eagle After this shot which was the closest that I could get I watched through my binoculars when two of them cooperated in a kill. Thrilling stuff.

[AndyL]

Nice capture Also a very nice looking bird.

I have always had difficulty with shadows which accounts for most of the bird against a bright sky. Please tell... Did you have to do much processing to get the shadow detail? If so, what did you do? Any tricks to the exposure?

Regards

Andrew

[Oneputt]

Andy you are right about the shadows and I had to bring out a little detail in PS otherwise the underside of the eagle would have been too dark. I shot in aperture priority and trusted that the the shutter speed would be enough to freeze the birds flight, which luckily it was.

[AndyL]

Thanks

[Manta]

Superb John. Terrific detail and sharpness. Was thgis with your trusty 80-400mm? (Or have you since sold that off?) How close was the eagle - close enough for a Better Beamer/Flash Extender to light up the underwing areas? 60m or so would probably be the maximum.

[Oneputt]

Hi Simon yup the 80-400 at it's limit (just a slight crop), don't think the BB would have been much use at that range and in any case I didn't really have the time. Those birds are sure aware of humans.

[Bodak]

Very nice shot John, one that I would be more than happy with.

[Manta]

Yep - fair point about the BB set-up time John. I find it's either on or off; not something you can quickly scramble for when a fleeting opportunity presents itself. Still, you proven here that you didn't need it anyway!

[big pix]

must of flew pasted while having coffee then ........ good shot john......

[radar]

Great shot John,

they don't really hang around when they see two legged animals around

Very nice framing as well.

cheers,

André

[Dargan]

Hi John. Lovely shot to add to previous comments. A question ... Is the 80-400 working better with the D3?

[Oneputt]

It worked fine with the D2X - define better.

[Dargan]

The key thing with bird images I have experienced is lock on and ISO. I always seem to get a potentially good image in failing light so I imagine that the D3 with its higher ISO potential (and noise control) would help in obtaining useable images with the 80-400 much more often. Also, I noticed a big improvement from the D70 to D200 with the 80-400, so I am supposing that there would be a noticeable increase in obtaining a focus lock with the D3 from the D2x. Continuous focus would be important for flight images. Better might be quantifiable in these two cases.

[marcotrov]

Lovely image John. The 80-400 (and your talent) shines again. Well i should imagine your chest and arms wouold have expanded quite a bit after lugging around the big D3 80-400 combo Actually truth be known i'm just jealous:) How do you find it after a few weeks with it especially relative to the D2X which was not light weight in ALL respects?
cheers
marco

[Oneputt]

Thanks Marco, it is quite a heavy combo, but I am built close to the ground and fairly stocky. I certainly cannot hold it up to my eye for extended periods, but then again, for the sort of work I do it is not necessary.

[cobby1]

Awsome bird

Great shot mate

Cheers cobby