[Leica] Photographing birds

[Doug Herr <71247.3542@compuserve.com>]

>I would like to ask advice of R users who have experience with the Leica
>APO-extenders.  I have used tele-extenders before with other brands of
>cameras, with unsatisfactory results; degraded sharpness, very soft edges,
a
>general haze.
>
>Primary use would be in photographing shore birds and waterfowl, and the
>primary lens "extended" would be the APO Telyt-R f4 280mm.  A wonderful
>lens, but often not enough for skittish wild birds.  However, the 280 is a
>wonderful lens, and I would rather wrestle around and find the lira for
>something longer if the extenders are not going to deliver the quality I
>have come to expect of this lens.
>
>So quality is first; I would buy the APO version of the extender.
>
>If the quality is there, the next issue is which one to buy, the 1.4X or
the
>2X?  Is there a difference in image quality between the APO versions of
>these two?  Perhaps some of the LUGgers who have used both can help me
with
>the telephoto length increase versus loss of speed issue.  With this
>particular lens, the 1.4X would take me to an f5.6 400mm and the 2X an f8
>560mm...obviously, greater "pull" is appealing, but with f8 as the fastest
>selection, I would be at the edge of difficult shutter speeds for such
great
>length, even with a sturdy tripod and MLU.  This would be mounted on an
R8,
>so I've got the brightest SLR viewfinder going.
>
>There are old Telyt R's in very good condition around for about the price
of
>a new APO extender.  Both the 400 and 560 are f6.3.  This poses a quality
>question--which version, extended or prime, will render the best image on
>film?


and Robert responded:

>The APO Telyt-R f4 280mm is considered by Leica to be its finest R lens
>period.  Use of either extender would not degrade it enough for you to
>notice.  One word of advice though, I have been trying to do shore birds
>myself, and even with a 2X on my 400, it is not close enough.  You may
wish
>to save your money and spend it on a portable blind so that you can get
>close enough to make frame filling shots.  
>
>I have shot from my truck as a blind using a tripod on the passenger side,
>but close birds are few and far between. The top two images herer were
done
>with the 400 2.8 APO and the old non-APO 2x plus the APO 1.4x for 1120mm
F8
>using the truck blind method.
>http://home.istar.ca/~robsteve/photography/birds.htm 
>I have come to the conclusion that I need to use a blind and set up and
>wait using the 400 2.8 alone or with the 1.4x.  I have seen results of up
>close pictures taken with a blind and they are amazing.  You may want to
>try a blind first before spending on the converter.    The 1.4x may be a
>better choice to start with.

Hey guys, Robert's "truck blind" idea is a good one, an idea I've used at
times but the longest possible lens isn't always the right answer. 
Photographing birds is like any other branch of photography: know your
subject.  I've made good, frame-filling photographs of wild, unrestrained
birds using 50mm and 90mm lenses (one was shown at the Palo Alto LUG slide
night a few months back - anyone care to guess which one?) but the lens I
use most is the 400, and the f/6.8 Telyt is a bird photographer's fantasy.

There are several tricks to get closer to birds:

) reduce your profile.  Tall two-leggeds are more threatening than
for-leggeds or belly-crawlers.  Lie down in the mud & let the tide push the
birds toward you (wear disposable clothes!)

) hide yourself near the bird's favorite perch, using a blind (called a
"hide" in the U.K.).  Birds are creatures of habit, as humans are, and will
use the same perch repeatedly.  Find such a perch & set the blind up.  You
may need to wait a couple hours before the bird returns.

) act like a prey species, not a predator.  Predators stare and sneak
closer; prey species are constantly aware of their enviornment.  IMHO the
big lens stuck to a tripod looks like a gigantic eye staring at the bird. 
I prefer the hand-held Telyt, which I raise for the exposure, then quickly
and quietly put back down at my side.  Occasionally aim the lens at other
stuff so the bird doesn't get the idea he/she's the target.

) find a favorite feeding spot & wait.  A hatchery's outflow near my home
is a favorite of the local herons.  After 2 hours of hanging around, acting
like a prey species, I become part of the background and the 280 is too
long.

) Let the bird get used to you gradually.  Walk to within 100 feet & just
hang out for a while; after 10 minutes or so you can walk a bit closer
without alarming the bird. Repeat as nessesary.  Using this method I've
photographed a hummingbird in my yard at 6 feet (2 meters).  When I ran
short of film I walked back to the house, reloaded, and walked right back
to the hummingbird & resumed photography.

I wouldn't do without the Leica hardware but the really important tool is
the gray stuff inside the brain bucket.  I hope these tricks help.

Doug Herr
Sacramento