Some wildlife shots from China

[tfboy]

Just finished sorting the photos taken over the last week in China. I was fortunate enough to meet up with a local chap from Chengdu who frequents a photography forum and had the pleasure of experiencing the awesomeness of the Nikon AF-S VR 600mm f/4

It was the first time I've used such a telephoto lens and it's pretty addictive. I'm using the excuse that there's no decent wildlife in the UK to not buy this baby. It's a poor excuse, but I can't really justify dumping that much money, no matter how fine the glass is! :O

So, here are a few of the better ones. I have zero experience using such telephoto lens and thes were shot on a D300 (crop sensor) + 1.4TC so this gives an 35mm equivalent of 1275mm or so

Black swan, both shot at ISO200, 1/640s, f/7.1





ISO200, 1/500s, f/7.1


ISO200, 1/250s, f/7.1


Dragonfly
ISO200, 1/500s, f/5.6


Some kind of white swan doing an Ole!
ISO200, 1/650s, f/5.6 heavily cropped


Me in action, photo taken by Yu, my new Chinese friend who owns this beaut


Next, we went to the Panda reserve. Unfortunately, as the weather was really hot, they were all inside so only took one poor shot. However, the red pandas were out and about, although they too were taking the heat

ISO800, 1/100s, f/5.6


ISO720, 1/100s, f/5.6


ISO800, 1/60s, f/5.6


I'm amazed at how well the VR works. The panda shots were early evening and under trees so the light was falling dramatically. Last one at 1/60s which isn't bad considering it's 1275mm

[tfboy]

And a few more...

Not only a peacock, but the adorable peacock chicks too

ISO320, 1/100s, f/7.1


Bit of a slippery drop
ISO200, 1/250s, f/7.1


Awwwwwwwww
ISO200, 1/250s, f/7.1


ISO220, 1/100s, f/5.6


The rest are here: http://www.xavimages.com/gallery/9051652_AEcKn

[HSK]

awesome! nice shots.

so how much does that big ole lens normally go for?

[tfboy]

awesome! nice shots.

so how much does that big ole lens normally go for?

Thanks!

Currently, you're not going to get much change from £7,000

edit: also, to get the most out of it, you need a decent tripod (proper gitzo) and a good gimbal head (like a Wimberly), a combo which will set you back another grand. It ain't cheap!

[Akhtar2]

Wow, excellent photos! My only critique would be the swan is blown out in one of the pics. Love the panda and baby peacock pics!

[Syd]

Wow you lucky man getting to play with that sort of kit - looks like you had a great time!! I'm slightly green

[tfboy]

Wow you lucky man getting to play with that sort of kit - looks like you had a great time!! I'm slightly green

It was good fun, but tiring! OK, I'll admit, I'm not fit in any way, and carrying that heavy lump of glass really forces you to "make an effort" if you want the shot.

But do I regret it? Not in the slightest. Hey, it's a weight, but I'll happily go running everyday with that on my back to get into shape if I can use it when I'm not running