![\"belted](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/belted-kingfisher-6366b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThey say that bad news comes in threes. Maybe sometimes the good stuff happens in triplets too.<\/p>\n
Lately I’ve been quite discouraged by the indeterminate amount of time I’ll be without my 500mm lens while it’s in the shop for repair. Being limited to 400mm with my 100-400mm zoom lens has been very frustrating. But in an email conversation a couple of days ago my friend Brian Gatlin of Arizona reminded me of something that had\u00a0completely slipped my mind.<\/p>\n
In the past no cropped sensor Canon camera would autofocus with a lens slower than f\/4 with a teleconverter (tc) attached which meant that I’ve never been able to use my 100-400mm with a tc. But Brian reminded me of something that I knew and had forgotten – one of the advancements of the new Canon 7D Mark II is the ability to do just that.<\/p>\n
So yesterday morning, overcast\u00a0though it was, I headed to\u00a0Farmington to see if the Bald Eagles were accessible and to try out my “new” gear combo. The trip was an eagle bust (the eagles are there but they’re still way too far out for photography) but I was pleased with the performance of the tc on that lens.<\/p>\n
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\u00a01\/800, f\/8, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 100-400 @ 400mm + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n And I was even able to try it out on one of my primary nemesis species, the Belted Kingfisher. Until yesterday I’ve never been able to get this close to a kingfisher but this bird was fishing from a bridge and was willing to put up with light vehicle traffic rather than give up its fishing spot. The first time I drove by the bird was spooked by a truck but this time it stood its ground until it caught a small fish and flew off with it.<\/p>\n I knew that the tradeoffs with using a tc\u00a0on the 100-400\u00a0include somewhat\u00a0diminished image quality and slower autofocus so my expectations were low but I was fairly pleased with the results. At least this combo will give me a reasonable option for bird photography until I get my 500 back.<\/p>\n I was disappointed to have\u00a0left Farmington for home (a half hour drive) without even a single chance at a Bald Eagle but guess what was waiting for me\u00a0as I pulled into my driveway?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/2000, f\/8, ISO 2500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 100-400 @ 300mm + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Yep, an adult Bald Eagle in the middle of suburban Salt Lake Valley and\u00a0near the top of my own tree directly above me. It’s a huge elm tree with an almost infinite number of obstructing branches so this is the clearest view I could get but this welcoming committee of one Bald Eagle certainly cheered up my morning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a01\/400, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon 17-85 @ 33mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n My home sits at the top of a large hill that overlooks a suburban fishing pond about a\u00a0quarter mile away so I suspect the eagle (near the top in the tree)\u00a0is in the area for the fishing and escapes the neighborhood hubbub in this tree because it’s the largest tree in the area and its high vantage point appeals to the bird.\u00a0I’ve occasionally had eagles in my tree in the past but it’s a rare occurrence and finding this bird yesterday morning made my day (especially after looking for eagles all morning).<\/p>\n So, yesterday was a triplet of good fortune for me – a new gear combination that gives me some hope for fairly\u00a0decent shots until I get my 500 back, \u00a0a close encounter with a Belted Kingfisher and a Bald Eagle in my own yard.<\/p>\n All three serendipitous events were very much appreciated.\u00a0And needed.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" They say that bad news comes in threes. Maybe sometimes the good stuff happens in triplets too.<\/p>\n![\"bald](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/bald-eagle-6443-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"bald](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/bald-eagle-5233b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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