A Couple from South Padre Island

Mike Lewis

Staff Member
So our visit down here has so far been met with lackluster weather, but I have still been able to do a little more wildlife shooting, splitting time handheld with my trusty EF 70-300 L IS and then also using the Sigma 150-600 braced on a car door safari-style one day, both running on the R5. I continue to be amazed at how well the R5 AF works, and I can say that I have had a much larger number of properly focused shots than I used to come away with using the 5DsR. That having been said, there is still no substitute for reach and good light when it comes to really top notch wildlife images. Both have been hard to come by so far. In spite of that though I have gotten a few shots that I like, and my wife and I have enjoyed identifying the birds we have seen, something I am extremely inexperienced at as well.

I have a few more, but will post these in small lots of 2 or 3 at a time. Here are the first 2, both shot on an overcast day hand held with the 70-300 lens:

This first shot is of a group of Cormorants in a pond near the ocean, at a Sea Turtle Rescue facility. Would have liked them perching on something natural instead of manmade, but otherwise a fun capture.

R5, 300mm @ 1/1000th, f/8.0, ISO 2000
LRCC_sRGB_DoubleCrestedCormorants_FW_TAP_2605-Edit.jpg



This second shot is a pretty heavy crop of a little Grebe that was hiding among the overgrowth along a nature boardwalk. I really liked the pose, and also the abstract reflections in the water.
R5, 300mm @ 1/500th, f/5.6, ISO 250
LRCC_sRGB_Pied-BilledGrebe_FW_TAP_2639-Edit.jpg


Comments and critiques most welcome.

ML
 

Ben Egbert

Forum Helper
Staff member
Both are very nice, not to mention that cormorants are very difficult to expose, you did very good here. I agree, my 5DSR was way better than any previous camera, including the 1DSmk3, but the R5 blows it away. I have the 800 f11 on my wish list.
 

Jameel Hyder

Moderator
Staff member
Nice out of images Mike. Even with heavy cropping there is good amount to detail in the second one. One can’t have too much resolution.
 

JimFox

Moderator
Staff member
Very good work Mike! Hopefully conditions improve for you, but these are really nice.
 
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