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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 24, 2008 12:29:51 GMT
Yes, the habitat, stance and the white supercilium... should be Luscinia calliope.
Nilo
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 11, 2008 9:54:41 GMT
Hmmm... we should have more of these challenges.... maybe I'll win the Sigmonster in the future :-)
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 11, 2008 9:49:04 GMT
Romy and All, I was out for several days and was not able to check the posting or the verdict on this one. So I will try to ID the cute black chick: 1. The habitat: possible candidates >> common moorhen, barred rail (other rails), white-breasted waterhen or plain bush-hen 2. The bill, the plumage, posture, eyes.... not helping me at all... Now with only the habitat as clue: >This should not be a plain bush-hen because i haven't seen them in water or in very wet environ. >I just feel that this is not a White Breasted Waterhen >This leaves me with only Common Moorhen and Barred Rail (or other rail). I've seen adult Barred rails in water (no chicks) but I've seen a lot of moorhens with larger black chicks in or near the water level... With that, it should be a Common Moorhen, next guess would be Barred Rail, White-breasted Waterhen in that order. Nilo
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 25, 2008 12:39:47 GMT
Yes, Colasisi. To take this discussion further, there are several sub-species of the Philippine Hanging Parrot in the Philippines. The obvious features that separate one from the other are the colors and intensity of the head, back, throat and breast. This bird is heavily trapped for the pet trade. Often birds confined or restricted to an island are transported and sold in other islands where they are not supposed to occur. Some pet owners may have released some birds in areas where they are not known to occur (accidental or not).... And now we are facing situations like wild Colasisi in Cebu are not from Cebu (escapee, from the pet trade). The Cebu sub-species (Loriculus p. chrysonotus) is considered extinct unless a proven otherwise. Now, when taking photos of Colasisi in the wild, make sure you take pictures from all angles!! ;D ;D ;D Nilo
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 4, 2008 13:05:44 GMT
The eye ring is not so prominent sir. A Juvenile LRP
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 11, 2008 11:56:34 GMT
Tina, This setup is very hot!! I tried this last year in a wetland environ and I almost died of dehydration Fortunately, I was rewarded with full frame shots of Chinese Egret after more than 5 hours ;D Nilo
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 11, 2008 11:45:47 GMT
Tina, You are my favorite source of information on field gears Thanks. Ding : They sell those A-frame thingies for tents at ROX. I think Wency and I will be going to Makati tomorrow so will look at the price for you.
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 4, 2008 8:04:59 GMT
There's a lot of sad stories regarding Ridata cards in the Pipho forum. Don't really know if the numbers are within the normal or acceptable range but I decided to keep away from Ridata just to be sure. Noted Rey. Thanks.
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 4, 2008 8:03:37 GMT
Go for it, Nilo.... that's the cheapest CF card (PHP/GB) that I've come across. With the 40D's deep RAW buffer, even slower cards should be good enough. I suggest you test run it first in the store with your camera to see if there are any incompatibility issues. The 4GB 66x (10MB /sec) is tempting for me considering that it's selling for only P1,600.00. The Sandisk 4GB Extreme III (20MB /sec) is P3,500.00. Thanks Romy
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 3, 2008 15:53:36 GMT
That must be an old card if only 66x, Nilo. I currently use 7 pcs of Ridata 4 GB 120x and 5 pcs Ridata 2 GB 80x. I had used Ridata 1 GB 52x in the past too. Absolutely no problem with my Ridatas so far, although as Rey said there are some issues with some batches reported at PiPho. The 4GB 66x (10MB /sec) is tempting for me considering that it's selling for only P1,600.00. The Sandisk 4GB Extreme III (20MB /sec) is P3,500.00.
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 3, 2008 15:50:29 GMT
There's a lot of sad stories regarding Ridata cards in the Pipho forum. Don't really know if the numbers are within the normal or acceptable range but I decided to keep away from Ridata just to be sure. Is that the reason for the 5 years warranty?
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 3, 2008 15:49:41 GMT
It's fast enough for our use Sir Nilo. :-) That's what I'm thinking sir because my 40x Sandisk is ok at Nug-as with some of our Pygmy FP burst shots. However, we shoot JPEGs and I'm not sure how this card will perform with RAW. The 40D is capable of 19 frames of RAW in the buffer so I think 66x is acceptable...
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 3, 2008 7:42:54 GMT
Hello guys,
Anybody here with experience in using a 4GB Ridata CF card?
I was told that the write speed is 66x. I havn't done any high speed shooting (burst of 6-8 lang) with the 40D but I'm considering RAW. Is this good enough?
Thanks in advance.
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 4, 2008 12:54:26 GMT
Stores that cater to hikers, or mountaineers usually have some locally-made ones. Look for the brands like Bombshell at Robinsons Galleria, Mike's Outdoors Shop and Tobey's at Makati. My black Bombshell hiking shorts' materials are really good. I've been using it for more than 3 years now. However, recent designs and materials are not as good and is priced higher.
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 4, 2008 10:14:36 GMT
My birding clothes are a bit worn already so I'd like to shop a bit. Does anyone know of a good source that won't be as expensive as Columbia or North Face? I'm partial towards those hiking pants that are light and cool but I don't want to end up looking like a skateboarder. Also thinking about some shirts of the same material that would have vents to prevent sweating. Hopefully long-sleeved and in deep forest shades since I do a lot of stalking in foliage. Hi Ding, Sometimes I'm tempted to use my BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) but I was told the a more strick guidelines in the use of military uniforms is in the pipeline in our locality.
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 2, 2008 10:38:50 GMT
Here is another photo taken by Raul P. using the same Bigma with some PP help from Sir Bobby K: You also have to take into consideration the missed shots (opportunity lost) with the equipment. I have been looking at the bigger/brighter glass for sometime but I can't have one yet. I've been to many wild places and I can no longer count the number of missed opportunities... The above photos were taken using bare lens btw. This photo was taken with Sir Bobby K's Sigma 2x TC (non-DG): Note: The "softness" I think is due mainly to camera/lens shake although degraded IQ is very much visible. To add to Romy's and Sir Bobby K's posting, buy the lens that you can afford but remember that the cheaper/good vaule lens will also provide you with basic knowledge of what will work and will not work for your type bird photography. HTH Nilo
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 2, 2008 10:16:50 GMT
Here is another photo taken by Raul P. using the same Bigma with some PP help from Sir Bobby K:
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 2, 2008 10:13:47 GMT
Hi William, For me, one of the best scene to test lens performance in our locality is performance in lowlight conditions. Here is a photo of the Black Shama, hand-held using Bigma:
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 2, 2008 10:48:51 GMT
Hi Ed, I don't have personal experience using either 500mm or 600mm. However, I had the opportunity of guiding some photogs in Bohol late last year. The 600mm is HEAVY, look at this scene (photo taken during that trip) and imagine if you can carry that rig in narrow, often slippery trails :-) Happy New Year! Nilo
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Post by Nilo Arribas Jr. on Jan 2, 2008 12:15:29 GMT
Hahaha, I had the same experience when Romy handed me his tripod's ballhead.
Nilo
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