tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post3177863733501059881..comments2024-03-29T00:20:48.433+00:00Comments on Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park birds: Ralph Hancockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-19834345204861173602016-03-11T00:35:36.676+00:002016-03-11T00:35:36.676+00:00Not too bad. No setting up: I use autofocus and th...Not too bad. No setting up: I use autofocus and the only manual setting is shutter speed, one twiddle with a finger, letting the aperture and ISO setting sort themselves out. It's as quick as using a point-and-shoot camera, and the results are incomparably better.<br /><br />Weight is on the limit of bearability. Pentax gear is made as light as possible. Camera and lens weigh six and a half pounds; the Canon equivalent would be ten or twelve pounds (and four times as expensive, and no better). With binoculars, a bag of miscellaneous stuff and the tiny Canon camera, I have about ten pounds round my neck. I do get a bit stiff after walking around for four or five hours with this load, but it isn't life threatening. Putting equipment in a rucksack would reduce strain but make everything desperately slow, as I would have to keep taking it off and putting it on again. Wildlife photography requires first patience and then speed.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-60733538447438647452016-03-10T19:22:32.828+00:002016-03-10T19:22:32.828+00:00Those big lenses can be more trouble than they are...Those big lenses can be more trouble than they are worth. Apart from the sheer weight, there is the setting up in which time one can so easily miss the shot. Your combination looks good and versatile.Schrödinger's cathttp://schrodingers8cat.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-33833041465629435452016-03-10T11:05:07.246+00:002016-03-10T11:05:07.246+00:00Have never seen that. But gulls will grab anything...Have never seen that. But gulls will grab anything.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-52804755074704622522016-03-10T11:04:10.407+00:002016-03-10T11:04:10.407+00:00Good to hear from you. It's a Pentax K-3 with ...Good to hear from you. It's a Pentax K-3 with a Pentax 150-450mm zoom lens. Not the longest lens -- some people use 600mm lenses for birds -- but very sharp even at the end of the zoom. I also have a tiny Canon Powershot SX410 IS for close-up and wide-angle shots and where depth of focus is required. The video published on Monday was shot on this.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-61892541586778173132016-03-10T08:30:08.418+00:002016-03-10T08:30:08.418+00:00I thought the GCGs were about to perform their ful...I thought the GCGs were about to perform their full mating dance right in front of me at the Lido pool the other day, but a gull swooped in at the last minute and grabbed their weed! Gulls clearly cannot distinguish a symbolic gift from a tasty treat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-37764471083184064322016-03-10T05:45:48.964+00:002016-03-10T05:45:48.964+00:00What camera do you use, Ralph?What camera do you use, Ralph?Schrödinger's cathttp://schrodingers8cat.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-23661069166510651142016-03-09T23:47:40.802+00:002016-03-09T23:47:40.802+00:00Welcome aboard, sir.Welcome aboard, sir.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-37041056161416273692016-03-09T23:47:25.253+00:002016-03-09T23:47:25.253+00:00Birds don't do respectable.Birds don't do respectable.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-15545365163032200342016-03-09T23:35:16.225+00:002016-03-09T23:35:16.225+00:00I used to play triangle in the Band.I used to play triangle in the Band.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-17344509889950121012016-03-09T23:18:08.591+00:002016-03-09T23:18:08.591+00:00A pair of Great Crested Grebes were dancing on the...<i>A pair of Great Crested Grebes were dancing on the Serpentine. If you know their behaviour you get plenty of time before the dance begins, so here is the moment when they touch as they rear up in the water.</i><br /><br />I thought this was a respectable blog.Going Postalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14929116481832310918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-61727207241147638112016-03-09T22:37:25.753+00:002016-03-09T22:37:25.753+00:00He's having a tough time with the stock doves....He's having a tough time with the stock doves.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-62931421788683373812016-03-09T22:22:36.709+00:002016-03-09T22:22:36.709+00:00I watched the Little Owl in the oak tree for quite...I watched the Little Owl in the oak tree for quite a while today. I heard him call a few times, which made standing in the rain worthwhile!Ian Younghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07805150608243315063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-38700496313194886742016-03-09T19:56:39.626+00:002016-03-09T19:56:39.626+00:00Yes, the swans really are a bit Kardashianesque.Yes, the swans really are a bit Kardashianesque.Ralph Hancockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11686354797977020917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8278510471239667560.post-19801090318207210102016-03-09T19:43:49.746+00:002016-03-09T19:43:49.746+00:00Yay for the tiny Goldcrests! So happy to read that...Yay for the tiny Goldcrests! So happy to read that they've made it through the winter.<br /><br />The Black Swan ought to have his own TV series. There you have star quality if there ever was one.Tinúvielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04794275230697959519noreply@blogger.com