Eye to eye

Eye to eye

Pentax K200D + Tamron SP AF 90mm F2.8
f/4.5, 1/500 secs, ISO 200  (SOOC, no PP at all ... )

The Tamron 90mm macro is a gem of a lens, excellent value for money ... and a solid performer ... I used one when I shot a K200D, and it always got the job done. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a full-strength macro lens on a budget.

A walk amidst the greens

A walk amidst the greens

Nikon D300s + Nikon 105 VR
f/7.1, 1/125 secs, ISO 800

V1, and the new 85 1.8G via FT1 (2)

Nokia handset (yes, the type with keys!)

Nikon 1 V1 + FT1 + Nikon 85mm 1.8G + Canon 500D close up lens
f/1.8, 1/250 secs, ISO 400

This image has not been cropped, it is as-is, just re-sized for web. What you see is the key pad from a Nokia handset (yup ... with keys ... no touch screen, a Nokia 6330 to be precise). These images (this is the second in a series) show that when the 85mm is combined with the Canon 500D close up lens, it becomes a nice macro lens with more than ample control on the depth of field. And when you stick it on a V1, then it becomes even more interesting!

The Blue Tit, with a V1 (3)

Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

Nikon 1 V1 + FT1 + Nikon 70-300 VR @ 300mm
f/5.6, 1/125secs, ISO 400

I am very happy with this combination ... more than the D300s and the 70-300 VR ... where the reach is just not sufficient in most cases involving birds. This combination may have limitations (as imposed by the use of FT1) but  by letting me get much closer, I feel I get better results. That is not to say that a proper tele prime on the D300s would be a laggard by any stretch of imagination! But till that time comes this should help fill the gaps well :)

V1 shoots the Great Spotted Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major (male)

Nikon 1 V1 + FT1 + Nikon 70-300 VR @ 300mm
f/9, 1/250secs, ISO 160

I shall hunt this fellow till I get a SHARP one of him! 810mm can be challenging ... I guess good practice for when I can get a real big gun :)

Here are some more attempts with this combination (which looks like this) ... Blue Tit #1, Blue Tit #2

Red-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer (1)

Red-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer

Nikon D300s + Nikon 70-300 VR @ 300mm
f/5.6, 1/200 secs, ISO 200

Saving Hesaraghatta

Another patch of habitat about to disappear as we humans 'develop' and 'expand' ... this time the grasslands at Hesaraghatta, near Bangalore, India. Here is The Hindu (an Indian daily) reporting on this latest debacle. To quote this article (dated 28 March 2012) ... "The last surviving grassland in the city, Hesaraghatta, is being threatened again — this time by a theme park and ‘film city' proposed for a landscape that supports a unique biodiversity, including migratory birds."

Read how a previous attempt at tree plantation by the Bangalore Development Authority endangered this habitat at the Times of India website. And you can read a nature photographer's blog entry on his personal connection to this place, and access the online petition to save these grasslands at ... http://indianwildlifephotography.blogspot.de/2012/03/save-grassland.html

You can also access the online campaign directly at change.org directly here (or, copy and paste this ... http://www.change.org/petitions/principal-secretary-ms-building-ambedkar-vidhi-bangalore-stop-the-development-of-a-theme-park-on-the-grassland-near-hesaraghatta)

I hope this story has a happy ending. I am sure we can realise that we can derive a lot of joy and pleasure from a rich bio-diverse habitat, versus the usual motley of rides and slides.

Purple Sunbird, Nectarinia asiatica (female)

Purple Sunbird, Nectarinia asiatica (female)

Nikon D300s + Nikon 70-300 VR @ 300mm
f/5.6, 1/250 secs, ISO 320

Hibiscus (1)

Hibiscus

Nikon D300s + Nikon 70-300 VR @ 300mm
f/5.6, 1/30 secs, ISO 200