Post by Ely Teehankee on Dec 16, 2012 3:00:30 GMT
This is the third time that I have been to Villa Escudero since last July when Canon Philippines had their Photomarathon.This is where the Indigo-Banded Kingfisher is the center of attraction for both bird watchers and photographers alike. Another reason is to put the 1DX to the test where it is supposed to be able to take pictures at higher ISO than normal. I did not have the opportunity to take the IBKF at a close distance but I was able to get close shots of the Philippine Magpie Robin and Grey Wagtail. The 1DX performance is the best that I have tried among Canon professional cameras. I was shooting mostly at ISO 3200, occasionally at 1600, 6400 and a couple of times at 12800. The noise is tolerable, almost negligible. The focussing mechanism is superb considering that one processor of the 3 that is equip on the 1DX is dedicated just for focussing. It focusses faster than any camera that I know of and you saved a couple of split second when the surrounding focussing points disappear once the subject is focus.
Canon EOS 1DX, Canon EF 800mm f5.6L IS USM, Gitzo GT3530LS tripod, M-3.6 Mongoose Gimbal Action Head. Manual exposure in available light.
Friends have been asking me how do I get to see the bird in their habitat. I have taken pictures of the habitat with a point and shoot with a pointer showing where the bird is located and it shows how small the bird really is compared to the habitat as a whole. This time I used my 800mm lens but showing the bird in its habitat without cropping the picture at all. Relatively speaking you can see the size of the bird better in comparison with its surroundings but more defined. I had to do away with the rule of thirds to maximize the picture of the bird in its habitat. The Indigo-banded Kingfisher (Alcedo cyanopecta) 5 1/2 inches in length and endemic to the Philippines. It had to move from one place to another in search of its prey, usually insects, fish, crab, lizards and the like. The flow from the waterfall was much stronger this time making it difficult for the bird to see and catch his favorite food.
At 21.1 meters this is how the bird looks like it its surroundings.
1/125 sec., f/5.6, ISO 6400
Another area at 27.4 meters where there are two women. It perches on the one on the left and after a few minutes of not seeing anything on the water he moves to the woman on the right.
1/160 sec., f/5.6, ISO 3200
After a few minutes of trying to catch a prey, the bird moves to another area in their constant need to find their food. It is not easy and the birds are patient and persevering in their search for food.
1/160 sec., f/5.6, ISO 3200
To get to a good vantage point she hangs on to a fallen bamboo branch but still no luck.
1/100 sec., f/5.6, ISO 3200
A crop picture gives you a closer look at this beautiful female Indigo-banded Kingfisher.
1/150 sec., f/5.6, ISO 3200
Here she takes a rest on a tree branch at 21.1 meters but I added a 1.4X TC. and since it was underneath the leave of the tree, it was dark and I pushed the ISO to 12,800. This is one of the good features of the 1DX, it allows you to take pictures at places that are not well lighted or simply dark. To see closer pictures of the IBKF go to my thread of last July:http://birdphotoph.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=photo&action=display&thread=8643
1/160 sec., f/8, ISO 12,800, Focal length 1120mm
One legged stand of this Grey Wagtail (Montacilla cinerea) 7 inches, makes me wonder why he would want to do that.Maybe he is aware of his photo being taken and thinks it would be a better pose. This picture was taken at 8.46 meters but with a 1.4 X TC
1/400 sec., f/8, ISO 800
1/1000 sec., f/8 ISO 1600 with 1.4X TC Total focal length 1120mm
The Philippine Magpie Robin (Copsychus deuteronymus) 7 3/4 inches, endemic to the Philippines. On top of the tree it was too far for me to take good pictures of this bird so I added a TC. All of a sudden it flew down to 9.07 meters to where I was and no time to remove the TC.
1/80 sec., f/8, ISO 3200 with 1.4X TC, Focal length 1120
On another occasion where I did not have the 1.4X TC attached it was about 13.1 meters and it gave me a good view.
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200
This picture made the trip a success for testing the 1DX, at a fraction of a second that the tip of the tail was pointing upwards the speed of the focussing enable me to capture the moment. It is easily the best picture I have of the Philippine Magpie Robin.
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200
Canon EOS 1DX, Canon EF 800mm f5.6L IS USM, Gitzo GT3530LS tripod, M-3.6 Mongoose Gimbal Action Head. Manual exposure in available light.
Friends have been asking me how do I get to see the bird in their habitat. I have taken pictures of the habitat with a point and shoot with a pointer showing where the bird is located and it shows how small the bird really is compared to the habitat as a whole. This time I used my 800mm lens but showing the bird in its habitat without cropping the picture at all. Relatively speaking you can see the size of the bird better in comparison with its surroundings but more defined. I had to do away with the rule of thirds to maximize the picture of the bird in its habitat. The Indigo-banded Kingfisher (Alcedo cyanopecta) 5 1/2 inches in length and endemic to the Philippines. It had to move from one place to another in search of its prey, usually insects, fish, crab, lizards and the like. The flow from the waterfall was much stronger this time making it difficult for the bird to see and catch his favorite food.
At 21.1 meters this is how the bird looks like it its surroundings.
1/125 sec., f/5.6, ISO 6400
Another area at 27.4 meters where there are two women. It perches on the one on the left and after a few minutes of not seeing anything on the water he moves to the woman on the right.
1/160 sec., f/5.6, ISO 3200
After a few minutes of trying to catch a prey, the bird moves to another area in their constant need to find their food. It is not easy and the birds are patient and persevering in their search for food.
1/160 sec., f/5.6, ISO 3200
To get to a good vantage point she hangs on to a fallen bamboo branch but still no luck.
1/100 sec., f/5.6, ISO 3200
A crop picture gives you a closer look at this beautiful female Indigo-banded Kingfisher.
1/150 sec., f/5.6, ISO 3200
Here she takes a rest on a tree branch at 21.1 meters but I added a 1.4X TC. and since it was underneath the leave of the tree, it was dark and I pushed the ISO to 12,800. This is one of the good features of the 1DX, it allows you to take pictures at places that are not well lighted or simply dark. To see closer pictures of the IBKF go to my thread of last July:http://birdphotoph.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=photo&action=display&thread=8643
1/160 sec., f/8, ISO 12,800, Focal length 1120mm
One legged stand of this Grey Wagtail (Montacilla cinerea) 7 inches, makes me wonder why he would want to do that.Maybe he is aware of his photo being taken and thinks it would be a better pose. This picture was taken at 8.46 meters but with a 1.4 X TC
1/400 sec., f/8, ISO 800
1/1000 sec., f/8 ISO 1600 with 1.4X TC Total focal length 1120mm
The Philippine Magpie Robin (Copsychus deuteronymus) 7 3/4 inches, endemic to the Philippines. On top of the tree it was too far for me to take good pictures of this bird so I added a TC. All of a sudden it flew down to 9.07 meters to where I was and no time to remove the TC.
1/80 sec., f/8, ISO 3200 with 1.4X TC, Focal length 1120
On another occasion where I did not have the 1.4X TC attached it was about 13.1 meters and it gave me a good view.
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200
This picture made the trip a success for testing the 1DX, at a fraction of a second that the tip of the tail was pointing upwards the speed of the focussing enable me to capture the moment. It is easily the best picture I have of the Philippine Magpie Robin.
1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 3200
