The Big Leap - MKIII!

[Lisa W]

Well, I finally did it! My new Mark III arrived this week. I took the money I made from teaching 2 community college courses this semester and made the plunge. It's quite a change from the Canon 20D. I think it will take me years to figure the new camera out, but I will have a lot of fun doing it. :-O
The weather has been lousy here, winds gusting to 50+ mph over the last few days, so I didn't get to play with it until this morning. I took it to the local marshes near our sewage treatment plant for a bird walk. It was still extremely windy, so many of the shots didn't turn out. Attached are two of the first pictures (that turned out).
The first is a Female Mexican Mallard and the second a Male Red-winged Blackbird

[Duke Leto]

Lisa I may use Nikon but I bet that your new purchase will be superb, wish it was I getting a D3. All the best with the new purchase and I hope that we'll see many more super pictures from you.

[Lisa W]

Steve,
Thanks, I've heard great things about the Nikon D3. This new one is definitely going to take some getting used to.

[a.dancy]

Good luck with your new MkIII Lisa....I'm sure it will give you many great pictures.

[Cashie]

Looking forward to seeing some more of your pictures, it's a superb camera Lisa, I tried a mates with the 500 f4 & it was just excellent.

[paul goode]

Yep, have fun with your new purchase.
I also went from the 20d and want to say that you do need to take time to learn the 1d mkIII. Its a complex beast with a lot of custom functions which drastically alter how it works. The AF is totally different as well. Very,very sensitive, so for a while you may find it difficult but believe me the results its capable of producing are mindblowing.
Make sure yours has the latest firmware loaded 1.2.3. It makes a significant difference.

Enjoy yourself!

Paul

[Lisa W]

Thanks all.
Paul it does have the latest firmware, and when I registered I asked Canon to keep me informed of latest changes.
I don't even think I'll be trying any of the custom functions for a while.
Biggest thing it is a beast! I knew it would be much heavier, but didn't realize how much.

[Tav94]

Have fun Lisa,thats what it's all about.
Chris Buckland
www.freewebs.com/tav94

[Lisa W]

Thanks Adrian and Chris, so far I'm falling in love with it.
Tried out the 1.4 teleconverter, I am quite pleased with it so far. Attached are two shots the first in the oaks, so light was not to bright, and the second from this morning in my backyard with the glaring Arizona sun.
The first is a Female Hooded Oriole: 1/500, F8, ISO 800, Partial Metering, 560mm
The second is a Canyon Towhee: 1/800, F16, ISO 400, Partial Metering, 560mm and WB set on Daylight.
Any suggestions for improvement?

[gymell]

Congrats, it's a great camera! I have one and have been very happy with it.

[Lisa W]

Thanks, Liz. It's good to hear from someone who likes it.

[I4ani]

Hi Liza,
Lucky you and a good choice, enjoy,learn, and look forward to seeing lots of great images as I am sure you will produce.
Remember, the more images you take, the cheaper the camera becomes!!
regards I4ani

[Lisa W]

Thanks, didn't think of it like that, but you're correct - the more photos the cheaper it is! I went Digital with the 20D because I was losing so much money on film.

[GYRob]

Lisa
you had a few options here (The second is a Canyon Towhee: 1/800, F16, ISO 400 )
that could inprove IQ f8 should have been fine here for a side on shot so you could have gone to iso 200 and 1/1600 sec or even iso 100 1/800 sec .
Just my thoughts on the settings.
Rob.