Quality action shots in low light with my 5 1\/2 year old 7D Mark II are a huge challenge. Action demands relatively high shutter speeds and to achieve them in low light requires high ISO’s that can dramatically increase noise (grain) in my images. In addition low light tends to subdue colors and contrast so for me those types of shots are always a crap shoot.<\/p>\n
This time I think things worked out about as well as they could have.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/red-tailed-hawk-4235-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-4235-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
1\/1250, f\/6.3, ISO 1600, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n When this photo was taken in the mountains about five months ago the juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was still folding its wings near the end of the landing process. The fencepost was in the deep shade of a nearby mountain and it had been raining that morning as evidenced by the water drops dripping off the wire below the bird. The wet hawk had a small rodent and associated debris clutched in its right foot.<\/p>\n Like virtually all photos this one has strengths and weaknesses but given the conditions I like it a lot. I love the pose of the bird, my shutter fired at a moment when I had almost direct eye contact, the hawk’s expression is dripping with attitude and the rodent adds interest and drama. I have even light on the entire bird so there are no dense shadows lacking detail.<\/p>\n Yes, there’s some noise in the image but with my 7DII that’s almost a given in these conditions using ISO 1600 (which is why I try<\/em> to avoid going above ISO 800 if at all possible). The background is also busy but in this case I don’t find it very distracting at all. I think the bird stands out plenty well enough and nothing back there pulls my eye away from the hawk. At least not much.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s situations like this that make me lust after the new Canon ID X Mark III due to be released a week from today. Based on early reports that camera handles noise at high ISO’s like a dream and it has blazing fast and accurate autofocus capabilities as well. A burst rate of 16 frames\/sec with a virtually unlimited buffer while shooting RAW almost seals the deal for me. Almost…<\/p>\n But it’s full frame instead of cropped frame so I’d lose a lot of the reach I need for birds and with a file size of only 20.1 MP I won’t be able to crop significantly more than I can with my current 7DII without sacrificing image quality.<\/p>\n And then there’s the more than hefty price tag of $6500 which gives this retired teacher living on a fixed income some serious hesitation.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Note: There’s some late-breaking news for any of my readers who may be considering ordering the ID X Mark III. Canon Rumors reported yesterday that the CFexpress card reader included with the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III may be delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak.<\/em><\/p>\n