Tags
colonial lake, Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, extender, great blue heron, mallard, photography, postaday, snow geese
One of the must-have equipment for wildlife photography in general, and bird photography in particular, is to have a telephoto lens powerful enough to capture subjects with sufficient details and sharpness, without having to come too close to them. Since most of us can’t afford super telephoto lenses, also called second-mortgage lenses, some of us resort to using an extender, which is much less expensive, to increase the reach of our lenses. With a 1.4 extender, a 400 mm lens will be equivalent to a 560 mm lens.
I have had such an extender for two years, but almost never used it because the results had been disappointing especially in terms of sharpness. Finally, looking at photos posted by Jerry from Quiet Solo Pursuits here on WordPress, I decided to give it a try with the Canon 5D Mark IV that I have been using since last year.
Following are some of the shots I took yesterday at the refuge and at Colonial Lake under a bright sun with the 100-400 mm lens and a 1.4 extender.
Leah J Smith said:
Gorgeous shots! I am looking into trying an extender also for my Tamron 150-600mm. It is not the new G2 so I am having a problem finding an extender that fits it .
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neihtn2012 said:
I still prefer to shoot without an extender. 🙂 Hope you will find one suitable for your lens and camera.
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Tiny said:
These are excellent shots! I have the same lens, but have so far resisted an extender. I might need to reconsider 😁
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neihtn2012 said:
If you also have a Canon 5D, the extender will work well with it. Give it a try!
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Irene said:
I have often wondered about using an extender. After seeing your gorgeous results, I’ll think I may think about it a little more seriously. Thanks! 😊
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neihtn2012 said:
I am glad my experimentation is helping you think about using an extender.
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Jet Eliot said:
Looks like that extender and you are hitting it off! Fantastic photos, Hien.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you, Jet! I still would like to try the extender for a longer time.
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Val said:
I’ve never, ever, seen a bird sunbathing like that! What a strange posture.
How do you take such clearly defined shots of flying birds? I’m astonished at their clarity.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Val! Many birds use that common pose to either release heat or absorb warmth from the sun. They look very funny that way. 🙂
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Celia said:
A lot of older folk here in Japan have impressive telephoto lenses and it always makes me think how long they have been saving up for them! I’ve been waiting till I have a good lens before I do things like a safari, but maybe I should try an extender – thanks for the idea! Happy holidays, Hien!
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neihtn2012 said:
An extender is much cheaper than getting one of those luxury lenses. Try one out and see whether you are satisfied with the results. Happy New 2019, Celia!
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krcc said:
Wow, these are the best heron, mallard, and geese photos I’ve seen. Nice!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much!
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T Ibara Photo said:
“Second mortgage lenses” – a wonderful expression 😀
Your photos with the extender are beautiful. I too, have yet to use an extender, but we’ll see how things go in 2019. Hope you’re having a wonderful holiday week 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Some people who have those second-mortgage lenses also use an extender. With birds, one can never be too close. 🙂
Happy photographing for you in the New Year!
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Julie@frogpondfarm said:
As wonderful as ever! 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Julie!
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Nurul Fitri Lubis said:
Stunning photo shots… I love them all…
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you!
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quietsolopursuits said:
Excellent images! The best part is that the more that you use the extender, the better you’ll get while using it. You may lose a little in auto-focus speed, but the longer focal length often makes up for it. I don’t know if you rely on servo AF or use back button focus, but another trick that I’ve learned is to allow the camera to refocus between shots so that it refines the focus to the best that it can be.
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quietsolopursuits said:
I forgot, thanks for the shout out also.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Jerry! I will try to use the extender more often and see how things turn out. As for AI servo and the back button focus, I use them both on the 5D.
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C.S. Young Jr. said:
Great results Hien!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you! Do you ever use an extender?
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C.S. Young Jr. said:
I would like to but my Nikon 28 – 300mm doesn’t except teleconverters. 😕. Happy New Year!
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MichaelStephenWills said:
Very well, indeed, Hien. Congrats.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Michael!
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Emma Cownie said:
The extender is doing the job! Great photos. I love the “flasher” heron!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Emma! That “flasher” pose is quite common to many herons, either to release heat in the summer or to get warmer in the winter.
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DG MARYOGA said:
Magnificent bird photos,Hien!Your passion for bird shots helped you to reach perfection 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much, Doda!
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bluebrightly said:
Well, I hope you’re not disappointed any more! They look great. I’m glad you gave it another try, and I look forward to more beautiful wildlife photography from you – much more! :0)( Happy Holidays, Hien!
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neihtn2012 said:
I think the 5D camera works well with the extender. My old camera did not. Happy Holidays, Lynn! Have fun, enjoy!
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bluebrightly said:
You too!
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AmyRose🌹 said:
WOWOWOWOWOW, Hien! You have the exact camera I want (and will get!) and the extender as well. The extender, believe it or not does not work with my Canon 6D. You have no idea how many people I spoke to because it should have worked, my camera taking only EF lenses. Anyways ….. NOW I am going to be much more enthusiastic getting your camera and the 14. extender. Thank you so much for the proof I needed, your glorious pictures, to set the deal for me! This equipment is NOT cheap as you well know.
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neihtn2012 said:
Well, I’m happy this helped you decide which way to go. The camera is not cheap, but the extender is, when it is on sale.
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AmyRose🌹 said:
The camera has gone down in price so now I just wait until the extender goes on sale. I have a few months to work on this. Spring is my goal to again start capturing birds and wildlife. ☺️
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ekurie said:
Wow! Looks like you figured it out.
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neihtn2012 said:
Yes, it turned out better than I expected. Still I have gone for six years without using an extender!
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katelon said:
Wonderful shots!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Katelon!
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Eliza Waters said:
These are beautiful, Hien!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks you Eliza!
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