Eye of the Dragon

[Dennis]

Hello,

The (wild) Eastern Water Dragon that lives under our house only pops out every 2 or 3 days now – it seems that she is preparing for winter hibernation. Also, she seems to be staying more in the pool garden, not venturing too far into the council owned paddock behind our house. I managed to grab a couple of shots the other day and have just got round to processing them. Here is the pick of the bunch.

Canon 40D, Canon 400mm F5.6 L, hand held, 1/640 sec at F8, ISO400. The EWD was very close to the close focus of the lens, around 3.5 metres.

I was leaning a little awkwardly out of the lounge window with the centre AF point positioned on her eye and I could see the AF point moving in rhythm with my heartbeat – the 400mm F5.6L does not have Image Stabilisation (IS)!

This 800x600 crop is at full resolution, giving an image size of approx 36ins x 24ins on my monitor at 72 dpi.

Thanks for looking!

Dennis

PS – One day, when it stops raining in SE Qld, I might even get the chance to attach the camera to my telescope again!:rolleyes:

[jjjnettie]

That's fantastically sharp and crisp Dennis. I can't believe the detail you've captured in her eye. It's a credit to you.:)

Way back when I was imaging afocal with the dob, while grasping the top of the scope to guide, I too noticed how it moved in rhythm with the blood pumping through my fingers. Interesting phenomenon.

When will this rain ever stop? I managed 10 minutes of solar imaging the other day, and was grateful for that.:sadeyes:

[astroron]

Wonderful photograph Dennis:) it is fantastic to have Wild Life in your back garden:):)

[h0ughy]

wow look at that detail in the eye, top shot SirD

[Dennis]

Thanks Jeanette, Ron & David – whenever Lizzie’s surfaces, we enjoy watching her beahviour. Most of it is just spent warming herself on the coping of the pool as it retains a fair amount of warmth from the brief appearances of the Sun.

Most of the shots were a little blurry, even at 1/640 sec, due to my awkward position and this one just hit that sweet spot as the Sun was out at the time adding a bit of colour and depth to the photo.

Cheers

Dennis

[astro_south]

Super shot and super focus Dennis ... and for a 100% crop the detail is spectacular. Do we get to see the full image as well?

[Quark]

Simply stunning Dennis,

Love the intricate detail in her eye and the expression on her face.
Fear not, eventually the weather must clear and you will again be able to mount the camera on your scope, Saturn may well be fading but Jupiter is looking great.

Regards
Trevor

[RB]

Lovely shot Dennis with very nice detail, excellent handheld shot without IS !!

Here's hoping for some clear weather for all of us, starting to get cabin fever. :doh:

Cheers.

[troypiggo]

I think I just cut my eyeballs looking that image is so sharp! :)

[Dennis]

Hi Andrew

Thanks! You can thank Canon for the accurate focus; that central sensor on the 40D is a cross type sensor which I understand is more accurate than the cluster of 8 others forming the diamond pattern around it.

Here is the full frame, resampled to 600 x 900. This is pretty much what came out of the camera, as I shoot in Raw.

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Thanks Trevor, RB and Troy – it is very rewarding to be able to take photos like this as my wife loves nature, so it helps justify the expenditure on “L” lenses!

I think that modern aids such as auto focus, sophisticated and accurate exposure meters, followed up with being able to “develop” Raw images in CS3, have really got me excited about photography compared to the days of manual focus and having to get my negs developed and printed at the chemists.

Cheers

Dennis

[RB]

Dennis the digital age re-awakened my interest in asto-imaging and further encouraged terrestrial photography in me as well.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful work (and workflow) in all aspects of photography.

:)

[Jeffkop]

Think your water dragon is getting TOO USED to your camera Dennis. IF thats not a dragon pose then I dont know what is. I have lived with these creatures for 10 years or more and they do become accustomed to humans to a point ... food helps hahahaha .. Nice shot ... I like it.

[Dennis]

Here’s a crop showing more shadow detail in the reflection in Lizzie’s iris. You can make out the side of our house, the Sun, a few clouds and the shadow of me hanging out of the window!

Cheers

Dennis

[AlexN]

Fantastic Dennis... Really nice..

[astroron]

I thought I could something in her eye:D but I couldn't magnify the picture:thumbsup:

[BerrieK]

Beautiful stuff Dennis, particulary the third image / crop with the reflected detail. It must be a real pleasure having Lizzie around.

Kerrie

[Jen]

Awsome pic Dennis :thumbsup:

[gary]

Wow!

Best Regards

Gary

[Dennis]

Hi Kerrie

From our sporadic observation of Lizzie’s behaviour, she is still very much on the 1st two rungs of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm)– food, shelter and a safe place to sleep!

Occasionally, when we give her a juicy red grape, you almost get the impression that she has a claw on the 3rd rung - family, affection, relationships, but we reckon its just pure greed!

Cheers

Dennis

[Octane]

I think I know what's on my to-buy list now, Dennis!

Nicely done.

Regards,
Humayun

[Dennis]

Thanks H!

I have had some “poor” results with the 400mm F5.6 at times but these can all be attributed to operator shortcomings. Whilst the lens is not (too) heavy, the optical leverage of 400mm really magnifies any deficient holding technique or inadequate skills so where possible, I try to mount the lens/camera on a tripod.

I haven’t done much bird in flight photography this year and when I recently took the lens out in the back garden for a casual play on some local pigeons, the results were unsatisfactory simply due to poor technique and holding on my part.

Cheers

Dennis