Goldfinch with the D70

 

I think this was my best image from the Prairie yesterday.  A goldfinch who was not shy allowed me to get close enough.  Unlike the butterflies and hummingbirds, most of the bird species at the prairie are very skittish and it's challenging to get close enough, let alone find a good angle and get the camera focused and the shot in time.  I have missed many great shots because nature is just too fast most of the time.  

Because of the sharpness and low light performance, the Nikon D70 was again my go to camera paired with the Nikon AF 70-300mm.  The first image is the original and I was fortunate to get this shot on an exposed set of branches which set the bird apart from the background and with a great profile and angle.  Most of the time the birds are hiding in dense bushes and darting behind the leaves making it difficult to photograph.  The second image is the same only cropped in to focus more on the bird.  I am impressed with the sharpness, color and image quality I am getting from the D70 and it is more than capable of capturing great quality wildlife photos.  The limiting factor is always me.


American Goldfinch:  1/640, f7.1, 1600


American Goldfinch:  1/640, f7.1, 1600 (cropped)


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