Bird Snapper
Its not everyone who wants to disturb the birds by getting near just for bragging rights
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If your shots are anything to go by then it seems like you have no problem disturbing the birds as long as you get the shot!.
In the UK there is a strong birding community who put the welfare of the birds first - in general bird snappers are scorned upon by genuine birders (and quite rightly so in a lot of cases). In the main good bird shots are acquired by setting up hides (and feeding stations) if you are not prepared to do this then long distance/heavy cropped shots are the order of the day for most of us.
Why are you '
still waiting for this kind of detail with the Sigma', what difference is it to you? if you are happy with your lens then that's great just get out there and enjoy it instead of bragging and downing of other folks efforts and gear. This 'my gear is best attitude' is getting tiresome for a lot of folk I suspect.
Since you are not from NY Roy, let me fill you in on a few things. The 2 sparrows were taken in Prospect Park (this is the Central Park of Brooklyn) and says so on Flickr. The birds there are very tame as there are always tons of people there. I literally sat on the path and waited for them to come out and feed in front of me. These shots were taken as bike riders came by, people walking their dogs, etc. The birds didn't seem to mind anything as long as you stayed on the path and did not go into the grass. When someone had their dog off of the leash and it came charging towards them barking as loud as possible that flushed them back into the shrubs. The closest I came to disturbing those sparrows was watching a poodle scare them.
Why do I want better gear?? Hard to believe you would ask but here is why. I was out on Sunday doing a Christmas count. Light was terrible. Completely overcast and dark. A Bald Eagle came and landed very close to my group. I was able to get a few pics. This was shot at ISO 1600, f8 (as you and others well know that is the sharp spot with this lens) and exposure compensation of +2.
If the Sigma allows equally good results as the Tamron at f6.3 instead of f8 than that is a major advantage towards the Sigma in low light conditions. If it is sharper than that obviously is as well for those times when you need to crop. Here is the Eagle shot:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/120553232@N02/16041408356/
Could it have been better with the Sigma? I would love to know. Have been birding for 35 years or so and that is by far the closest I have come to a Bald Eagle. Want to have the best gear on me to take advantage of the opportunities that arise.
I have never said the Tamron is the best. It clearly is not as good as BIF as the 400 5.6, it is supposed to be not as sharp as the Sigma (remains to be seen), it is certainly not as weather proof as the Sigma, I have read that the new 100-400 plus 1.4 is sharper as well but still have not seen that either. Just some dots on a chart, not actual images of birds and direct comparisons. As has been mentioned plenty of times I and others are looking for the best all around lens to use while birding. Seems there is always a compromise. My 7dii is a great camera. I am very happy with it but image quality is not as good as if I bought a 5diii. Low light performance does not compare. But I accept that shortfall for the speed, cost and crop factor. Same goes with the lens that I ultimately end up using. Maybe it will be the Tamron, maybe the Sigma or maybe the Canon 100-400ii plus 1.4x, or maybe the 300 2.8 plus 2x.
The birds in the UK must have good taste if they don't let you approach too closely :t: Pretty much all of my best shots were gotten when while I was birding I saw an opportunity, sat down, remained quiet and still and waited for the birds to come to me. Don't necessarily need a blind over here for most situations.
And like you have said plenty of times Roy, I just call it the way I see it. I certainly am not trying to insult or put others down. Just make a judgment based on the image presented to me. That is the point of these forums right? To help each other come to decisions on gear? Don't think there is any merit in the "great shot" or comments like that. Good constructive criticism goes much farther towards helping us learn than compliments or the bad attitudes that some seem to have.