Hawk pictures from Lighthouse Field

[ritaxis]

I don't know about the baby hawk Nadine says she saw. What I saw today was just an adult hawk hanging out on a snag, turning its head in a direction that forced me to photograph it into the light. I could get really close to the dead tree, but since it is what? 50 feet? tall -- my house is 25 feet at the peak and if I imagine two of them stacked

Comments

[ellarien]

Those are better than I usually manage with birds!

The digital zoom will never be as clean as the optical one -- it's basically just the camera doing the crop-and-blow-up for you. In my camera, the stacking of the digital zoom on top of the optical is called 'smart zoom', and is an option that can be turned off by pushing the right buttons. (I did, after surprising myself with a really bad waterlily shot.)

[ritaxis]

In my camera I don't have to use the digital zoom at all. In fact it's a little cranky about it and if you're leaning on the zoom button and it reaches that interval where it has zoomed as much as it can op[tically it hesitates and drags its little electronic feet

[ellarien]

Mine beeps when the focus locks on, which could be a disadvantage when trying not to disturb the subject. (On the other hand, it got me that curious highland calf a couple of weeks ago.)

I'm starting to hanker after a bigger and better camera than the one I have (more zoom, real macro), but the thing about mine is that I can and do take it pretty much anywhere without worrying about weight or bulk, and I doubt I'd get nearly as much use out of a more expensive one.

[ritaxis]

What I hanker after is:

12X optical zoom
full manual override on everything plus the basic auto features
takes ordinary rechargeables and not some stupid proprietary thing
takes a standard SD disk and not some stupid proprietary thing
choice of through-the-lens or screen viewing
some reasonable number of pixels.
snap-on, snap-off lenses
a lens cap that stays on
fits in a large jacket pocket

I have the batteries and disk and viewing, and the pixels aren't bad.

[lilairen]

Completely off-topic (though those are some lovely photos):

I'm poking at a bit in the WIP where I'm trying to figure out how to go back through on the editing pass to make sure I get some of the cultural nuances right on the characters, and brooksmoses thought you might have some useful thoughts about it -- could I drop you an email? I'm not sure I can get it out in the right shape for posting it to rasfc, and I don't want to spoiler betareaders.

[ritaxis]

Okay, go right ahead. I'm intensely curious about what cultural nuances would be the ones I would be helpful with . . .

[lilairen]

Thanks so much.

I've sent a slightly rambling thing to the cruzio address.