Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/06/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Lurking through older messages, I found that Don Dory <dorysrus@mindspring.com> wrote: > On a budget the telyts work well as Doug has > shown but he spends a lot of time > exploring/stalking using blinds I don't use blinds unless I absolutely have to, and my fav wildlife lenses are those I can handle easily w/o a tripod at close range. I had a marvlous time in Yellowstone and I used the 560 a lot for wildlife but the most memorable sessions were using the shorter lenses, like 250 and 280. No blinds. When the stuff is all processd and scanned I'll post a message - but the Mountain Bluebird and Black Rosy Finch deserve special mention now. In my wildlife photography I strive to stablish a personal connection with the animal. The Mountain Bluebird was a gem. The male is a bright sky blue color, and one I found was not what I'd call tolerant of me... I'd say he was cooperative. I spent 2+ hours within 10' of the bird, mostly at or below eye level. He offered a variety of poses, perches, backgrounds and lighting so if I don't end up with a decent photo of the bird it's not the bluebird's fault. He was obviously not an injured bird, since he was flying out to catch bugs,and back to the same or other nearby perch over a 2 acre region. I used a 2-camera setup, each on a 250mm or 280mm Telyt. I'd use up the film in one camera then switch to the other, re-loading the first when the bird was in bad light or otherwise un-photogenic. The Rosy Finch was fun too. The Black Rosy Finch lives above timberline in the central rocky mountains - a very harsh enviornment. By learning enough about the bird's behavior and feeding patterns I positioned myself so that he'd come to me. Again, using the 280mm (f/4.8 w/ televit) lens at close to minimum focus distance. The handling of this lens along with decent image quality is what makes it so useful. Sure, there are lenses with superior image quality on a test bench but they're not as usable to me 'cus they're not as responsive. but my main point is that I HARDLY EVER use a blind. Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://www.wildlightphoto.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html