New addition to the kit bag.

For a while I have been looking for a longer reach with my equipment. With a maximum focal length of 420mm a lot of shots can be missed. A prime lens in the 400 to 600mm range is quite an investment, with used pieces selling from $1500 - $9000. A new 600mm lens will set you back close to $11,000!
For a long time I have supplemented my 300mm f4 with a Nikkor 1.4 x teleconverter, which gives me 420mm f5.6. I looked at a 1.7 or 2 x teleconverter to add to the set, but had always been dissuaded by the thought that the automatic focus would be affected (as warned in all the literature). At $400, that would be an expensive mistake... and I don't really want to become such a purist that I only use manual focus!
So this week I was perusing eBay, as you do, and found a seller with a 2 x teleconverter that had been bought in error. Although it is not a Nikkor item, it is aimed to fit Nikon AF lenses. The seller wanted $50, I offered $35 and won the item! Not such an error in purchase if it fails to work!
Today I tried it with my 300mm f4. The teleconverter stops me down significantly, so I get 600mm f8, but at least I have the reach that I wanted... and in the bright Arizona sun f8 is not a horrific aperture to work with.

I tried my new kit this morning from 6:30am to 7:30am, taking pictures of the house finches at the back yard feeder. All were taken using the teleconverter (all at 600mm), and the aperture ranged from f8 to f11. The backgrounds all came out on the dark side, but the subjects were exposed satisfactorily. Here is a selection:

House Finches (click to enlarge)





















Exif: 1/500", f8, ISO 400, 600mm, Manual mode

This one has some eye damage - Mycoplasmosis (click to enlarge)


Exif: 1/500", f8, ISO 200, 600mm, Manual mode



Exif: 1/500", f10, ISO 200, 600mm, Manual mode





















Exif: 1/500", f8, ISO 400, 600mm, Manual mode

Characters...

All the characters were out this morning at the Riparian Preserve; a mallard that sounded like he was laughing maniacally, the Elvis Egret - who had the Elvis knee wiggle down to a fine art, the nervous Snowy - who would try and grab a fish and then run away from it, and the angry Great Blue Heron - who would not let any other bird near him without chasing them off. It was very entertaining watching them all. The weather was not too hot, but the lighting was very tricky - ripples reflected onto the bird made them look like they were wearing striped pullovers and the water seemed to lose a lot of colour today, as you will be able to see in the following selection of shots:

Snowy Egret (Click to enlarge)




















Exif Data: 1/500", f7.1, ISO 200, 420mm, Manual mode, Spot metered, Exposure compensation +1EV


Snowy Egret with fish (Click to enlarge)




















Exif Data: 1/250", f5.6, ISO 200, 420mm, Manual mode, Spot metered, Exposure compensation +1EV


Great Egret watching fish (Click to enlarge)




















Exif Data: 1/50", f5.6, ISO 200, 420mm, Manual mode, Spot metered, Exposure compensation +1EV


Great Egret portrait (Click to enlarge)




















Exif Data: 1/500", f7.1, ISO 200, 420mm, Manual mode, Spot metered, Exposure compensation +1EV


American Goldfinch - Female (Click to enlarge)




















Exif Data: 1/500", f5.6, ISO 200, 420mm, Manual mode, Spot metered, Exposure compensation +1EV