![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.pindelski.org\/Blog2\/Cardina2.jpg\")
<\/center><\/p>\nThe cardinal is impossible to miss. One’s peripheral vision immediately catches the flash of bright red, like an electric shock to the system.<\/p>\n
This time I was better prepared, the 500mm Reflex Nikkor<\/a> attached to the Panny GX7 set at ISO800 which delivered 1\/320 second. This at the lens’s fixed f\/8 aperture. While hand-held, that’s poor technique as a 1,000mm FFE optic really needs a solid support. I got lucky, aided by the critical focus option in the Panny which permits enlargement of a selected area for proper focus. Of the twenty snaps the first (go figure!) was the only one usable. I would guess that depth of field at 30 feet distant is no more than a couple of inches. The image is from the full frame. I passed the file through PS to remove the out-of-focus ‘donuts’ typical with catadioptric lenses, and often quite distracting. More on that technique appears in the link in this paragraph. <\/p>\n In lieu of the use of Mirror Lock Up which I advocate with a conventional DSLR to cut vibration, I use the GX7’s silent and vibration-free electronic shutter. A Panasonic MFT body is superior in every way to a conventional mirrored DSLR with this lens if you need 1,000mm FFE. You get a vibrationless electronic shutter, a very light rig which can be easily carried slung over the shoulder all day, Panny’s superior magnified focus aid and, best of all, a bright finder image as the electronics automatically adjust for the small f\/8 aperture. And to get 1,000mm FFE with the full frame DSLR you have to cut out a large part of the image in processing, rendering your DSLR’s sensor effective pixel count the same as the lower spec of the MFT’s sensor.<\/p>\n Here are the ‘after’ and ‘before’ images:<\/p>\n The Reflex is a special lens, small, light with delightfully smooth focus action, but easy to use it is not. Add a small, nervous subject and you have your work cut out for you.<\/p>\n To learn more of the design history of Nikkor’s reflex optics under Teruyoshi Tsunashima click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n This time I was ready. The bird is very shy, and wary of the rapacious quail and doves which dominate the feeder. If doves are the ornithological world’s idea of timidity then I fancy I would rather keep the company of vultures. An early attempt appears here. The cardinal is impossible to miss. One’s peripheral … Continue reading The cardinal returns<\/span> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.pindelski.org\/Blog2\/Cardinal2_before_after.jpg\")
<\/center><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.pindelski.org\/Blog2\/GX7_500Nikkor2.jpg\")
\nGX7 with the adapted 500mm Reflex Nikkor. Arca-style QR plate fitted.<\/i><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"