Crested Pigeon chilling out!

[Dennis]

Hello

Here is a (cropped) photo of a crested pigeon in our back garden this arvo, taken with the Pentax *ist DS DSLR attached to my wife’s Leica 77mm spotting ‘scope, to give a focal length of 800mm at F10.4.

The DSLR fits onto the spotting ‘scope using a long adapter (approx. 150mm) and really requires a solid tripod (yes), mirror lock up (no), fast shutter speed (no - 1/250 sec) and a co-operative, static subject (yes!) to avoid any camera shake. Estimated to be approx 10m from camera.

Cheers

Dennis

[h0ughy]

lovely detail and colour in that shot Dennis

[johnno]

I agree,
A very nice shot Dennis.

Regards.John

[Dennis]

Thanks guys - these gentle creatures make bird photography as easy as it can get, because they are so cooperative!

Cheers

Dennis

[iceman]

I like it Dennis, very nice for a dull bird ;)

[h0ughy]

LOL the last one had concrete boots - this one you put supa glue on the grass;)

[SkySearcher]

Beautifull Shot, Very Detailed. I love the detail around the eye.
And through a scope.:thumbsup:

[Dennis]

Thanks guys.

Here is an 800x600 crop (72dpi) from the 3008x2008 full size (240dpi) frame with Smart Sharpening in CS3 (0.5 and 250%). I think the Leica has a Fluorite lens element in there somewhere.

Cheers

Dennis

[iceman]

I love the twinkle in her eye.. she's looking at you, Dennis!

[RB]

Sounds like a great little scope Dennis, there's very nice sharp detail in that shot.
I love the beautiful rainbow pattern in the wing area and the lovely shades of greys and browns throughout the body.

Nicely captured.

[Dennis]

Thanks guys.

The ‘scope + adapter + DSLR is a little unwieldy with the DSLR dangling off the eyepiece end at the end of the approx 15cm adapter – quite an overhang. This makes it quite challenging to keep the whole assembly rigid. The relatively slow F10.4 aperture demands a slow shutter speed, so results can be a bit hit and miss. Tripod mounting and a cable release are absolutely mandatory.

Cheers

Dennis

[Tamtarn]

Super shot Dennis, you've captured so much detail and it's nice and sharp.

Colours look great. - Like it a lot. :thumbsup:

Not a bad camera either. ;)