Hitchcock reloaded: the Swiss syndrome
Winter seagulls looking for (and finding) food on the shores of Lake Zurich. Click on each picture to magnify.
There is one bird too much on this island!
That’s it, also birds from Heaven do have some quarrelling from time to time. No blood was shed, no feather was pulled. Click on each picture to magnify.
There is one white peacock too much on this island!
White birds of Heaven: Isola Bella, Italy
On Isola Bella (“Beautiful Island”) on Maggiore Lake you might encounter quite a peculiar bird.
The voice of a squeaking old door …
… the magnetic eyes of a chicken …
… but the plumage directly from the garden of Heaven.
May you meet it before it starts “singing”…
… although its royal beauty is worth some ear pain.
Click on each picture to appreciate the wonderful plumage of this white peacock.
I am ugly duckling
I am ugly duckling.
I am not as round and smooth,
Neither I am as white.
I try to walk by myself …
… but I cannot.
How good are the several D800 continuous autofocus modes with bird (swallow) shooting?
Click the panel for 100% size or here for more swallow pictures (small insets, full picture)
Shooting swallows is quite a challenge as these birds are fast, small and unpredictable. I tested 3D tracking, single AF point and dynamic area 9 points, just because I wanted to have a couple of pictures enough in focus to crop them 100%.
On my D800 I mounted the 70-200 mm VR-II on a quite cloudy day. Times between 1/1600 and 1/4000 at f/2.8 to /4 trying to avoid high ISO.
So, which continuous autofocus system scored best?
– 3D tracking, which should follow moving shapes and colours?
– Single AF point, the middle AF in this case?
– Dynamic area 9 points, which should keep in focus what’s inside the inner 9 AF points?
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