maxeythecat

A few feathered critters from the past week.....boy, have I been lucky lately! Scrub Jay Hi! A scrub jay checking things out Hummer with attitude.... Acorn woodpecker and his stash Hmmm? What was...

A few more snaps to brighten up the day:  I can turn on a dime...can you?  The right spot      Attitude, attitude!  Breakfast hover...  Take off!  Hummingbird sword fight  Hmm?   What was dat?

Getting up close and personal with my avian neighbors....

I'm at a bit of a dilemma...I got a Sony a57 less than a month ago and I was wondering about the additional warranty they have for accidental drop etc...is it really worth getting or is the limited...

Yeah, that happens sometimes....two summers ago was wonderful for hummers, but last year I was lucky if I even saw two or three. Dunno why they made themselves so scarce but I'm so glad to have 'em...

My favourite subject!:  Shhhhhh! Angus is sleeping!  NOT happy!  Opala's um.....smile??  We are NOT amused....Angus is mad!

It's a real banner year for these wee guys....I've seen more hummers in the past month than I've seen in the last couple of seasons and I ain't complaining! It's still a real challenge to get good...

I second that. I've had the '50 for some time and have never had a problem with it, even with my new A 57.

Yeah, can you believe it? I got it from Goodwill of all places...they have an auction site and I bid on the thing n' won it for 20$.  Perfect condition too!

That's for sure! I've had both and while the 200-400 has that built-like-a-tank feel and some pretty decent optics, the 200-500 knocks it out of the park. I've only had the latter for a few weeks...

For those on a really tight budget (like me) I also recommend the Cosina 100mm f/3.5. I have the Phoenix model and it's never let me down...it truly is the "plastic fantastic".

For me it's the Minolta "nifty 50" all the way. I bought one a few years back for $20 and it's one of the best lenses I own. The color, the bokeh...everything about it is superior to the kit lens...

I love these feisty lil critters as well. We've got two species of phoebes here in the Foothills..the Black Phoebe which is alot more common and the Say's Phoebe, which due to it's lighter plumage...

You better believe it it's the perfect double whammy for birding, even better than my A35 and that's a pretty tough act to follow. It even shoots well on cloudy days, so I'm a reeeeal happy lil minx!

I've amassed a rather cool collection of these little guys the past 3 years...between my neighbors' bird feeders, the flowerbeds and an inviting tree or two I've had some pretty good luck capturing...

It doesn't but with my Sony A57 that's pretty much a non-issue. This is a damned good lens even when taking hand-hold shots and one I can't recommend enough:

I absolutely LOVE mine....even though they both have the same 16mp count the difference in the image quality between my A35 and my A57 is quite profound.  Not that the '35 was ever lousy, mind...

Already got my A57 off Ebay but this sounds pretty good too. Do they deliver to the US?

....and it's a keeper.  The quality of images, the ease of use, the autofocus....it handles like a dream and I couldn't be more pleased: House Sparrow Turtle next door 'Nother Sparrow My...