Dr hatem Ayman
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African Fish Eating Eagle
- Thread starter Dr hatem Ayman
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exRhodesian
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Very nice shot taken - what camera + lens was used ?
Thanks,
Adrian
Thanks,
Adrian
Dr hatem Ayman
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Yes you are absolutely right, these roads are all dirt roads and I was cleaning the sensors every day but having to change the lenses every few minutes was the reason
Dr hatem Ayman
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Nikon D800 + Nikon 300/f4.
E
engbert
Guest
That must have been a wonderful trip, with some beautiful shots. You have a first class camera also. I hope you will permit a few comments.
I would not worry too much about the dust on the sensor so long as it only shows up at very small apertures like f22. Set your camera to do automatic cleaning every time you turn off the power, and do not try any mechanical means of cleaning unless you are an expert in a clean environment.
There is no need for such tiny apertures in subjects such as this. One of your images was at f36! There are very few good indications for this.
A lot of wildlife photographers use Aperture Priority as the release mode most of the time, and set the Aperture to a stop or two below the widest. In your 300mm f4, that would be f5.6, 6.3 or even f8. That lens is very sharp wide open, but stopping down a bit gives you an increase in depth of field, and you do not have to adjust it very often. (Stopping down much below f11 begins to casue diffraction which reduces sharpness.)
Then the camera will choose the shutter speed.
Letting in more light means the shutter can be faster and the iso lower. With the d800 you can also move to manual and set both f number and shutter speed, such as f6.3 and 1/2000, and set iso to Auto. The camera will then manage the brightness of your results by adjusting the iso. This might work well where you have lots as light, as on this trip. And if you always shoot RAW you can rescue a lot of exposure problems later.
Most of the time for wildlife I use a single center point for focus, because it is hard to predict what point the camera will choose if you use any of the multiple point options. Be sure the lock lever is in the locked position.
With settings like these more of your pictures will be as good as the one you posted today.
I would not worry too much about the dust on the sensor so long as it only shows up at very small apertures like f22. Set your camera to do automatic cleaning every time you turn off the power, and do not try any mechanical means of cleaning unless you are an expert in a clean environment.
There is no need for such tiny apertures in subjects such as this. One of your images was at f36! There are very few good indications for this.
A lot of wildlife photographers use Aperture Priority as the release mode most of the time, and set the Aperture to a stop or two below the widest. In your 300mm f4, that would be f5.6, 6.3 or even f8. That lens is very sharp wide open, but stopping down a bit gives you an increase in depth of field, and you do not have to adjust it very often. (Stopping down much below f11 begins to casue diffraction which reduces sharpness.)
Then the camera will choose the shutter speed.
Letting in more light means the shutter can be faster and the iso lower. With the d800 you can also move to manual and set both f number and shutter speed, such as f6.3 and 1/2000, and set iso to Auto. The camera will then manage the brightness of your results by adjusting the iso. This might work well where you have lots as light, as on this trip. And if you always shoot RAW you can rescue a lot of exposure problems later.
Most of the time for wildlife I use a single center point for focus, because it is hard to predict what point the camera will choose if you use any of the multiple point options. Be sure the lock lever is in the locked position.
With settings like these more of your pictures will be as good as the one you posted today.
Last edited:
Dr hatem Ayman
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Thanks for these enlightening tips, this was my first safari and I had no idea what to do except to try to take EYE LEVEL shots if possible, and I havent realized the dirty sensor issue and the poor quality of the pics and that the Nikon beat the Sony by a huge margin except on Day 3, so an important tip is to upload all photos every night to check what is going on.
One additional mistake I made is that I didnt bring my 70-200/f2.8 II with me. I thought that I needed 300+ lenses and therefore I also bought the 70-400 G2 for my Sony A7. Well it turns out that more often than not the animals are so CLOSE that the 70-200 would have come handy, so if anyone is planning a safari the 70-200 or a medium telephoto is a must. This is particularly important if you are going to Kenya not Tanzania where off-road game viewing is allowed although this devastates nature and has caused animals to escape from Kenya to Tanzania where this is BANNED.
Another important point is that There is just nothing like the Nikon for birds. Sony A7 is OK for stationary subjects and landscape shots but the AF on the Nikon is super amazing for moving stuff. Another weakness of the Sony is the colors. Regardless of what setting you use, the Nikon delivers slightly more than the Sony.
My final tip :: Please do a safari before its too late, 30 elephants are killed daily in Tanzania and before we know it humans will extinguish all other forms of life before we wipe out humanity itself. One morning an older Tanzanian tour guide ( not our own guide) remarked to my kids that someday you will be extremely grateful for your parents for this trip. I asked him why do you say so he answered : 40 years from now none of these animals will be around for anyone to watch !!!. They will all be extinct !!!.
He said he has been around for so long and he reached the conclusion that humans are like a virus inhabiting the host (earth) until they totally destroy it !!!!. I immediately told him that my mentor in the USA who one day worked in Africa some 40 years ago studying elephants before becoming a surgeon said the same remark a few days ago and was afraid to go back to Africa fearing it might destroy the mental image he had about Africa from the seventies. One night in western Serengeti, an elephant was killed and the mood in the lodge was so depressing. The rangers lit a light at night in memory of the animal which was killed for ivory although this is a protected area.
Hatem A Tawfik, MD
Cairo, Egypt
One additional mistake I made is that I didnt bring my 70-200/f2.8 II with me. I thought that I needed 300+ lenses and therefore I also bought the 70-400 G2 for my Sony A7. Well it turns out that more often than not the animals are so CLOSE that the 70-200 would have come handy, so if anyone is planning a safari the 70-200 or a medium telephoto is a must. This is particularly important if you are going to Kenya not Tanzania where off-road game viewing is allowed although this devastates nature and has caused animals to escape from Kenya to Tanzania where this is BANNED.
Another important point is that There is just nothing like the Nikon for birds. Sony A7 is OK for stationary subjects and landscape shots but the AF on the Nikon is super amazing for moving stuff. Another weakness of the Sony is the colors. Regardless of what setting you use, the Nikon delivers slightly more than the Sony.
My final tip :: Please do a safari before its too late, 30 elephants are killed daily in Tanzania and before we know it humans will extinguish all other forms of life before we wipe out humanity itself. One morning an older Tanzanian tour guide ( not our own guide) remarked to my kids that someday you will be extremely grateful for your parents for this trip. I asked him why do you say so he answered : 40 years from now none of these animals will be around for anyone to watch !!!. They will all be extinct !!!.
He said he has been around for so long and he reached the conclusion that humans are like a virus inhabiting the host (earth) until they totally destroy it !!!!. I immediately told him that my mentor in the USA who one day worked in Africa some 40 years ago studying elephants before becoming a surgeon said the same remark a few days ago and was afraid to go back to Africa fearing it might destroy the mental image he had about Africa from the seventies. One night in western Serengeti, an elephant was killed and the mood in the lodge was so depressing. The rangers lit a light at night in memory of the animal which was killed for ivory although this is a protected area.
Hatem A Tawfik, MD
Cairo, Egypt
Barlowephoto
Leading Member
From your title I was really expecting to see an African Fish Eating an Eagle!
KSV
Veteran Member
To me topic reads like "African fish that eats eagle" LOL.
BTW nice capture, you should be proud of this shoot.
BTW nice capture, you should be proud of this shoot.
Brandon birder
Veteran Member
Beautiful shot. Sounds like a great trip.
Dr hatem Ayman
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Thanx
larrywilson
Veteran Member
Fantastic images. Very sharp and well processed. Excellent operator I would say.
Thanks
Larry
Thanks
Larry
Rexgig0
Veteran Member
A wonderful image of a majestic bird! You clicked the shutter at the right moment! 
Dr hatem Ayman
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An additional safari tip which I missed is that you do not need a tripod or monopod to shoot moving animals. When the Land cruiser stops and you step out of the roof there are these huge horizontal metal bars spanning the entire length of the car so you can easily rest, and firmly fix the camera as if its on a tripod
J
JP Scherrer
Guest
.....I don't see the fish supposed to be eating the eagle !!
Sorry, I couldn't resist ! ...of course, the title is correct, but it can be read/understood in 2 ways !
:-D
J-P.
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Sorry, I couldn't resist ! ...of course, the title is correct, but it can be read/understood in 2 ways !
:-D
J-P.
Photo Galleries at http://www.pbase.com/scherrer
Spherical Panoramas at http://www.360cities.net/profile/jps
Last edited:
Dr hatem Ayman
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LOL, I should have used the scientific name: Haliaeetus vocifer
IainD
Veteran Member
I didn't really notice the dirt on the sensor. I guess I am not very observant. I liked the shot of the eagle, though! Nice shot.
IainD
IainD
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