Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Lights! New Camera! Action!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006
10 comments

Just got a new FANCY camera--one good enough to take actual, publishable bird photographs. It's a Canon 30D with a 300mm lens and yes, it ROCKS! Still have a ton to learn... but fortunately this camera has a setting called IP. This stands for Idiot Proof, which is like an AUTO setting for photography challenged blokes like me.

Here (above) one of my first images, taken in the side yard, near the feeding station. I can already hear the siren song of the monster 800mm lenses calling my name....Biiiillll! Buy meeeee! Your kids can work their ways through college! The bank will understand about your mortgage payment! You will be a famous bird photographer! Biiiiiillllll!!

After I took its picture, this tufted titmouse sang: peter! peter! peter! *#%!@ paparazzo!

To my digiscoping compadres out there, no, I am NOT turning in my digiscoping permit. Digiscoping and birding are mutually compatable. Birding and taking photos with this new Canon are mostly mutually exclusive.

Special thanks to Lillian Stokes for the advice on the camera and to BWD's own Linda Brejwo for greasing the wheels to make it all happen.


Male red-bellied woodpecker at our sunflower seed feeder.

10 comments:

On November 28, 2006 at 9:48 PM Mon@rch said...

Welcome B3 to the world of DSLR!! You picked a wonderful camera and took such wonderful photos with it! I can't wait to see more of the photos you capture with this great camera.

On November 28, 2006 at 10:42 PM Susan Gets Native said...

Now, are you going to share with Julie, or does she get a new one, too?

Nice images...crisp.

On November 29, 2006 at 9:03 AM Anonymous said...

Hi There, Nice shots for the first ones with a new camera. Looking forward to seeing many more great ones. Does anybody know where I can find a birdfeeder like the one you have, that the red-belly is on. I have been looking for one of those and can't find them anymore. email me at caddesigner101@aol.com

On November 29, 2006 at 10:06 AM Rondeau Ric said...

Ohh Willie T, do you hear that sucking sound in the background?
An 800mm pashah! There must be a 1000mm out there, and image stabilised a too.
But WAIT, that’s not all. For a limited time we are including a doubler, FREE, now how much would you pay?

Does JZ get a new toy?

RR

On November 29, 2006 at 10:27 AM LILLIAN STOKES said...

Way to go Bill!!! You're gonna love that lens, it's my favorite! Especially great for flight photography. You can add the Canon 1.4 teleconverter for even more power.

On November 29, 2006 at 8:22 PM KatDoc said...

I have that same sunflower feeder. I had the original version, too, when it was made out of pie pans and the "latch" that kept the top closed was a clothes pin! I think it is called a "Magnum" feeder. The newer model is much sturdier. It gets a lot of use here; many birds love it.

I got mine at "Wild About Birds" in Milford, Ohio (near Cincinnati.) You can find "Wild About Birds" online at http://www.birdchat.com/

(I have no financial interest in this store or this product.)

~Kathi

On November 29, 2006 at 9:55 PM Susan Gets Native said...

I have seen the same feeder at Wild About Birds, too.
Kathi, it's awesome that you go to that store...the owner, Peggy, is our volunteer dispather for RAPTOR. Everyone at RAPTOR gives Peggy their bird seed business. It's the least we can do.

On November 29, 2006 at 10:58 PM Bill of the Birds said...

BW:
The lens is the Canon 300mm IS unit. And I did get the 1.4 teleconverter that Lillian refers to above.

Still getting used to the heft and features. Will keep thins on AUTO for the time being. Wish this had come in the fall when the light and weather and birds seemed more favorable.

What most impresses me is the speed of the auto-focus and the number of frames I can take in the time my old Powershot would take to recycle!

On November 30, 2006 at 8:11 AM Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tips on the feeder. I checked out there website and I am going to order one of those feeders.


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