Beginner's Progress (1 Viewer)

Hello All

I joined Birdforum in the middle of March and have been avidly reading past posts since then.

As a result I have added a TCON-17 to my Olympus E100RS and have been enjoying the extra reach. Currently I am concentrating on the birds in my garden to improve my photographic technique.

I've also invested in a Canon 350D (plus kit lens) to go with my EOS 50. Unfortunately I do not have a telephoto lens for this camera (just a 35-135 and a 20-35).

I have tried the TCON-17 on the end of the 35-135 and it seems to work.

I have a temporary hide in the garden (grandchildren's swing covered with ex-army "desert storm" type camoflage net) and yesterday tried out the E100RS against the 350, both with and without the TCON-17.

Interesting results, not so much picture quality but the apparent absence of shutter lag, the speed and accuracy of autofocus and general superior handling of the 350D. Can't wait to get a suitable telephoto for it.

In the meantime I will keep the E100RS (with its image stabilisation) plus TCON-17 at the ready for those grab and shoot opportunities that occurr in the garden, and without the TCON for bird in flight photos (it's prefire capability is great for this) when walking on the local salt marshes. The 350D plus TCON will come into its own for the garden hide moments.

I had intended to put some shots, typical of the results I have had so far, in my album. However, I see we are limited to three photos a day so I will have to pace myself. To get used to the album system I have uploaded three bird photos taken during a visit (just three years ago) to the Kakadu National park in Australia. Sorry for the vagueness over the identification.

Cheers, GØSBW

To be continued

Hi G0SBW,
Good to hear of your progression on the bird photography front. The Olympus you have is a very fine camera and sounds ideal for those quick shots.
I do like the sound of your hide, it's always interesting to see what can be utilised for a back garden hide... maybe you can attach a photo to your post of it (remember that you can add up to 5 photos to your post, just look down when typing and you'll see a 'manage atttachments' section, it should be fairly simple form then on.

cheers,
Andy

G0SBW said:

Hello All
I had intended to put some shots, typical of the results I have had so far, in my album. However, I see we are limited to three photos a day so I will have to pace myself. To get used to the album system I have uploaded three bird photos taken during a visit (just three years ago) to the Kakadu National park in Australia. Sorry for the vagueness over the identification.

Cheers, GØSBW

To be continued

Click to expand...

Just had a peek at your Gallery, nice photo's. I especially like the Darter!.

I do like the sound of your hide, it's always interesting to see what can be utilised for a back garden hide... maybe you can attach a photo to your post of it (remember that you can add up to 5 photos to your post, just look down when typing and you'll see a 'manage atttachments' section, it should be fairly simple form then on.

cheers,
Andy

Here's a couple of shots of the childs swing hide with and without the camoflage netting. I bought the piece of netting from Colchester street market - £14.99 for a piece 6m by 4m. Itis made of very strong synthetic fabric fastened onto netting. The netting tends to get entangled in everything hence the net is on the outside of the hide.

Cheers

Three of my attempts at "in flight" shots with the E100RS. Not many keepers. Much more difficult than I thought. Need more practice with camera and stealth.

Cheers