Category: Fauna

Real Glass at Last…

Well I know I will pull better with this as I go, but I will definitely say I’m happy with the Glass. My Nikkor AF Micro 200mm F4D IF-ED arrived yesterday. It’s going to prove magnificent with more practise. The focus is wonderful and sensitive, feels responsive and solid. A pity I was lacking subjects today, light a bit on the poor side while I was trying to get used to it.

Still I was lucky enough to see some native bees, Nomia I think, out the front yard for something different. Challenging shoot though because the little fellows were continually moving. I had to open the aperture enough to be able to get a high enough shutter to freeze the action, and balance precariously on the tripod to be close enough to make it worth the shot!


Spoiling Myself…

Well the new Nikon D810 arrived last week, but I’ve not had a chance to try it until yesterday. Not a particularly spectacular demonstration of it’s capabilities, as I was just getting used to the way it shoots.

These little fellows were curious, fast and exasperating to try and shoot handheld given the combined weight of the Tamron 150 – 600mm & the Nikon D810’s weight. Still I started to get used to the slightly relocated controls, the most difficult for me yesterday being the change of location for the ISO. It now sits upon the left control dial as a button on the top rather than the back of the camera. Additionally the exposure lock has and AF-on button quite close on the right, and I found myself seeking and hitting that rather than the exposure lock.

I was somewhat perturbed to find (not sure how I missed it in checking specifications pre-purchase) that the USB socket is ONLY a USB 3, there’s no Mini-USB 2 socket at all. This of course meant I was unable to use either my corded Remote Release, or it seems does it respond to my small wireless one. Fortunately I was relieved to find that my 3rd Party “Uber” Hahnel Giga T Pro II 2.4Ghz Wireless Timer Remote Control for Nikon has as one of the supplied cables the 10 pin cable that will connect to the appropriate socket and allows me to use it. It’s more likely to get the use anyway for future use. It was certainly a boon at $110 a while ago. Pricing the Nikon options proved rather frightening with the contenders $250 or $750. Say no more!

So for the rest of the week I’ll try to familiarise my self more with getting the hang of these relocated functions and hope that soon I won’t be noticing as much.


Rain Lovers…

Well it was great to get that Storm on Saturday even though I lost power for a few hours. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get the camera out in it for the most part, but there were scenes similar to this shot taken a while ago.


Not a Teddy Bear Picnic…

One of the great things about living on a bush block is the wonderful critters that decide to just drop in a stay a day or two. A couple of times a year I get a Koala or two squatting for a few days. This evening I managed to get quite close to this one. I can’t yet tell the difference between the sexes, but she has either been mating, or he has been fighting!


Watch Out for the Clowns…

It’s amazing how even in a Spider it’s possible to imagine a human face…


I Spy with My Eight Eyes…

I just never cease to be fascinated by Spiders. They’re everywhere (well except the arctic & antarctic).


Early Morning Singer

This little fellow was out under the pergola for a while this morning until I moved him on into the trees again. Tiggakat was looking at him a little to closely for my liking, and potentially his survival. Anyway while saving his life I figured he should also make a contribution to the Fauna in my Library.