POTD 10Feb11, originally uploaded by andyskelton-a Blog a day http://andrewskelton.net.
.. oh yes it does! Another example of what the awesome (there got it in already) Canon 1D4 can do, despite low light levels. Taken at the end of the day on a cloudy and cold February afternoon, the Northern White Faced Owl (yes, it is an Owl today and not a relative of the nightjar *) was hidden in amongst some overhanging conifers within it’s cage, further shaded by surrounding trees.
To further complicate the matter, with a minimum focusing distance of 5.5m (18ft) I had to stand well back from the cage, at an angle to the bars; in fact it’s a wonder I managed to get a photo of the bird at all (what a Hero!).
So to summarise, it was night, and there was a piece of sheet metal in front of the bird – but by simply setting the ISO up high (2500) and using a wide open aperture (f5.6) – the camera was able to effortlessly melt the cage bars away and bring out the sun. Okay, perhaps I’m exaggerating just a little there but this camera really does take anything I’ve tried to throw at it so far in it’s stride.
Canon have just announced a new version of the 600mm lens; looking at the specifications there is little of interest with the exception of a shorter focusing distance (4.5m). Canon have priced the lens at such high level that it would be cheaper to go out and buy a small family car for the same price – and as the main complaint of the 600mm lens is it’s weight perhaps this would be the better option for anyone thinking of buying one of these lenses – get a version 1 of the lens and a car for the same price!
This Blog posting is a bit of a milestone, it’s my 100th since I first started blogging way back in November 2009. At the time I didn’t know what I was going to write about specifically, wanting to investigate the whole blogging process. Now I’ve set myself the goal, as mentioned, of writing a blog a day for the whole of 2011 – after which… who knows.
* read yesterday’s post if you’re confused!
Andrew Skelton: 
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