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both d70, 80-400vr @400 hand held, metz 60ct1 fill

range around 10 feet cropped to around 25% of frame

dud backgrounds and perch but posted for the long lens discussion thread.

Believe you need more glass than 400 for good small birdy shots

Steve

Nice images Steve. As you have said background was not your focus and in second one ditracting leaves in right foreground but images are sharply focused, obviously a result of good technique and wouldn't be out of place in a birdlovers guide. I am thrilled that they are taken with the 80-400VR as I recently got one and yet to truly test it out. I'll be hitting the Mitchell River in the Gulf tomorrow evening and I'm looking forward to trying my own technique with it. Do you use a monopod much with the VR?
cheers
marco

actually I have a manfrotto 680 monopod which I sometimes use but with the small birds, I find that I am crouched down or sitting and can get a stable h/h pose without the pod.

As for the B/g etc I posted these 2 tonight to show a guy who was buying around 400 for finch work, didnt really get any keepers today because it was windy and I think the birds were keeping to the cover out of the wind.

Steve

Nice photos Steve.. i like em... the 2nd one.. even tho it has that distracting leave.. i think is great... gives the finch a tree/foresty feel in a way...

I mainly see Double Bar and Zebra finches... not super duper colourful.. but they have there moments.. just havent got a lense big enough to reach out and catch them... and worst part is.. they are mostly a ground finch.. so.. alot of gut crawling will be required if i eventually get a big lense.. we also get extremely small honey eaters at time.. slightly bigger then a bee.. which id like to get photos of one day.. thanks again

Tim

there are zebras around here also.

have seen these 2 times now and both times hopping between tree and ground. Depends where you are, but you can sit down around 10 feet or so, at the stage where they are becoming alarmed and wait, then they may relax and continue feeding. With good cover though, 6 feet range would be possible.

Is can be very frustrating though because there are no guarantees.
The best bird shots are generally taken with clear backgrounds ( no distraction) natural perches, ie not manmade, morning or late arvo light,
fill flash.

Steve

Steve you need to take a trip to the Kimberleys and shoot the Blood finches around Kunanarra and the Gouldian finches at miners pool near the mitchell falls. Some beautiful birds up there!
marco

would love to visit the kimberly.
one day??

one time many years ago I was up a tree near byrock NSW, overlooking a tank at first light when a hugh flock of budgerigars landed in the tree and on the tank.
was the first and only time I have ever seen budgerigars in the wild
there were thousands of them.

Steve