May 31

May 31 The Land of make Believe

After an extremely busy April photography wise, May felt a little slow in getting going. The opening of pubs and restaurants outdoor areas immediately bought with it a period of bad weather and queuing for seats, which to me felt like things were getting back to normal again, so the camera took a backseat a little bit this month.

The rain also brought with it the burst of energy the plants and trees needed, so the UK was full of life as I sat up in my studio watching out as the colours changed almost before my eyes. Gone were the pinks and whites of the blossom, to be replaced by an intense lush green that always creates a challenge when photographing birds such as the Jay below, which skulk in the shade the green leaves now create.

JayCamera - 7D MKiiLens - Canon 400mm F/5.6 — Jay
Camera - 7D MKii
Lens - Canon 400mm F/5.6

The sparrows outside my window were now at the feeding of chicks stage in the breeding season, with the outside of my window abuzz with the comings and goings of the parents,. They pause for just a moment before diving into the roofing tiles, bringing with them an array of food for the hungry mouths waiting for them inside.

Male House sparrowCamera - 7D MKiiLens - Canon 70-200MM F/4 — Male House sparrow
Camera - 7D MKii
Lens - Canon 70-200MM F/4

Female House sparrowCamera - 7D MKiiLens - Canon 70-200MM F/4 — Female House sparrow
Camera - 7D MKii
Lens - Canon 70-200MM F/4

As well as the toings and froings of the sparrows from my lofty position at the top of the house, I had a bit of a gear overhaul this month with some new acquisitions coming into the fold after much research and deliberation.

The first of these was an old Canon 7. A rangefinder film camera that I hope allows me to either lust more after the fabled Leica M6, or put that very expensive option to bed. With my medium format desires very much sorted with the acquisition of the Pentax, it was time to find my ideal 35mm camera. I have been neglecting my Olympus OM1 a little bit so I will be putting these two up against one another to see which one I prefer.

The last piece of gear acquisition was a dive into the pool of the long lenses. I have/do adore my Canon 400mm F/5.6, but wanted to test out a newer, and even longer focal option for photographing wildlife. I have been researching this topic for a long time now with little success due to the insane jump in price to get a longer and faster lens, but I finally came across one that I hope will suit my needs going forward, and that won’t also break the bank too much.

New Lens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary.

The lens I have gone for is the Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM contemporary, A lens which will give me additional reach when paired with my 7D MKII, as well as the option to zoom in and out which the fixed prime 400mm lens does not. I hope that although a slow lens (variable F stop of F/5-6.3), the inbuilt image stabilization it offers will compensate for this issue. The next stage is to test this lens out as much as possible before making a decision on if this is the way to go, or if the 400mm still wins when it comes to wildlife photography.

below are the first few images out of the new lens, which I was immediately impressed with. The autofocus was quick, the minimum focusing distance is an improvement, and the extra zoom it gives you really shows. I was also struck with how sharp the images were which bodes well for the future.

Male House SparrowCamera - 7D MKIILens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary — Male House Sparrow
Camera - 7D MKII
Lens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

The weather since getting the lens however has been pretty awful, so getting out to test the thing has not been straightforward. On one rare outing I was able to push the lens to its limits, photographing herons way off across a river in less than favourable lighting conditions.

Heron on nestCamera - 7D MKIILens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary — Heron on nest
Camera - 7D MKII
Lens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

Heron fishingCamera - 7D MKIILens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary — Heron fishing
Camera - 7D MKII
Lens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

The weather finally cleared long enough for a little trip to the local lake to really put the lens to the test first off it was some birds in flight images.

Lesser black backed gullCamera - 7D MKIILens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary — Lesser black backed gull
Camera - 7D MKII
Lens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

Female mallard washingCamera - 7D MKIILens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary — Female mallard washing
Camera - 7D MKII
Lens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

CrowCamera - 7D MKIILens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary — Crow
Camera - 7D MKII
Lens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

Coot Camera - 7D MKIILens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary — Coot
Camera - 7D MKII
Lens - Sigma 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

After taking some images of the usual suspects, I was lucky enough to spend some time photographing the new arrivals to the lake. It was almost a battle of the most adorable as the Swan Cygnets went head to head with the Canadian geese Goslings.