First shots with 300mmF2.8 VR

[peterjclarke]

I thought I would show you some of my latest images made using my d=brand new Nikon 300mm F2.8 VR lens. I bought this lens to give me a superfast medium range telephoto for birds in flight and to use with a 1.7x Tele Converter to give me a 500mm F4.8 lens with VR. I love this lens as much as the 70-200 F2.8 VR and I really wanted a challenge to test both the lens and my experience. I set off to photograph Ptarmigan (I'd never even seen one before). I did my research and spoke to lots of climbers and hikers to get an idea of where I could try and find them. After about a week and many ascents of the Cairngorms I found them and got some shots I'm very pleased with. Anyway on the first day even with two pairs of waterproof over trousers on my legs got completely soaked with lying in snow. I went into Aviemore and bought a pair of waterproof ski pants in a sale. Problem solved and I hope that advice is useful to some folks. On Friday the conditions were perfect with clear blue skies and no sign of bad weather. I made my ascent with about twice the clothing a hiker would carry, my 300mm lens, one D200 body and spare batteries, a small 18-70mm wide angle, a lightweight tripod and fluid head (head weighed about the same as the tripod), head torch, plenty of food, water and a flask of tea (essential for keeping warm), survival gear (compass, maps, survival bag etc) and a shovel to build a snow hide. I found the Ptarmigan at about 3000ft and spent time photographing them in below freezing temperatures. The Snow Buntings were a bonus as I've never seen them in reality before also.


Snow Bunting


Another Snow Bunting


My favourite although the bird is small in the frame I like the context of its surroundings.


Some Ice and snow


A Female Ptarmigan, again I like the context of its surroundings.


Two Female Ptarmigan as it was getting dark


Female Ptarmigan in action climbing a boulder. This is without a doubdt one of the hardest shots I've made and worth it to capture something different. The wind just whipped the snow of the bird's foot and blew it.


Finally some 200 or so Red Dear were ascending a mountain in Glenshee all in a line stretching out over a mile. I managed to locate and isolate this attractive 'S' shaped formation.

[big bill]

Excellant pics Peter well done love the pics of the Snow Bunting and the Ptarmigan so clear and sharp same with the deer the S shape formation is great instead of the one behind the other well done

[davetucker]

Extremly nice! Fantastic shots of the Snow Buntings
Dave

[Bub-les]

Lovely photos well done. Hope you didn't get too cold. Makes me cold to look at them but lucky you to get the chance to go there.

[Mumby]

300/2.8 ? Yes please!

You got some great shots there, I'm glad your persistence paid off. Did you find that the battery life of your D200 was much shorter in these cold conditions?

Paul

[willing to learn]

Great shots in a truely wild location.

[glsammy]

Excellent shots, well rewarded for your efforts.
I'd have liked to see larger versions, so to see a bit more detail, but I'm just greedy!

[Brocker]

Well done Peter. Very nice images. The focus is good and sharp which makes for good clean images. Nice subjects too.

[stephen p]

cracking shots, very well done. Very clear and sharp.

A brilliant lens, how was the VR in the cold conditions? or did you not use it?

[Ollie]

Those are excellent Peter, and just reward for your dedication in sticking to your task. Well done
Roger

[peterjclarke]

Thanks for all your comments. Only the Red Deer and the ice were shot without the teleconverter and there is hardly any degredation in quality. Unlike using a Bigma with a TC.

To answer a few of your questions,
Paul - The D200 batteries are excellent even the £6 replacement ones. I was did not really need to take any spares as I had two in the battery pack and after each days shooting I had only used between 50 and 100% of one battery.

Graham - I'll stick larger images in the main gallery when I get the chance.

Roger - I was really impressed with VR with my 70-200 F2.8 and thus I wanted the VR version of the 300mm. As the 300 had automatic tripod mode I just left it switched on all the time. The Ptarmigan were between 1/125 and 1/60th second exposures and the VR absorbed any mirror slap really well. I can't wait to try it on birds in flight.

[zan]

Beautiful, glad you got the shots you wanted and that your lens is living up to expectations! Just goes to show the photos you can take when you really know what you're doing

[HowlinWolf]

Peter,

You will grow to love this lens. I've been shooting with the same model since last June, and have never looked back. I always shoot with the lens wide open, and don't hesitate to add a x1.4 TC when I need it. Optically, it's invisible on this lens. I also leave the VR on at all times due to the tripod mode. All in all, probably the best glass Nikon has ever produced, and doesn't it balance well with the D200?
Looking forward to seeing more of your work with this lens.

HW

[Words]

Those are beautiful shots indeed!

[Maccattack]

Lovely shots well worth the effort , still mulling over the lens to get ,already have the 1.7x maybe should save up a bit for the 300 vr .

Well done

Malcolm Mac

[ron1863]

Lovely shots, especially the Snow Buntings

[d70mpv]

Fantastic shots and willing Peter!

You sound like a man after my own heart, getting out there to experience some of the beauty of the UK that those who spend most of their lives flopped in front of the telly will never see. Having spent a photo day freezing and letting water into my equally non-waterproof waterproofs at Donna Nook before Christmas I can sympathise with your plight, though I wasn't at 3000ft and several oC below!

[gfilmsuk]

The female Ptarmigan, brilliant shot. Many people concentrate on extreme close-up but this showing the bird off centre with environment is perfect.
Very well done.
Dave

[peterjclarke]

Thanks Dave,
I prefer animals within the context of their environments and I often feel a stronger image can be made by using this approach. i.e. the carefully composed Ptarmigan with leading lines and birds in strategic positions ensuring they are against rocks and not being lost in white snowy backgrounds. I rarely crop any of my images and I compose in both a landscape style and a wildlife style. Filling the frame is all well and good, but I'm strongly infulenced by my father who won the Peter Scott Silver Medal for Bird Photographer of the Year (now Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year) in the 60's. Filling the frame was not the style then mainly due to the equipment being nowhere near the cameras we have today. Filling the frame is an American style and European nature photography seems to be more animal and context. In Britain we seem to be undecided whether we are 'full frame' or not.

Anyway here is a few more from my trip which have been made using different lenses.


70-200 F2.8 VR It was snowing at the time and the streaks of snow can be seen.


35-70 mm, optically this lens is pretty good but not fast although its light weight means I can carry it most of the time.



Loch Morlich at sundown. 3 different exposures combined in Photoshop for full tonal range.


Again 3 exposures combined using masks in PS


Slightly wider angle


Mountain Hare footprints lead the eye into this snowy scene at dusk in Glenshee


Ptarmigan footprints in snow I had to hand hold this as I only had my fluid head and had to leaf my pan and tilt one in the van


Glenshee during rush hour. Actually the thousands of skiiers and their cars all trying to leave at once.

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by gfilmsuk

The female Ptarmigan, brilliant shot. Many people concentrate on extreme close-up but this showing the bird off centre with environment is perfect.
Very well done.
Dave

Absolutely.
My thoughts exactly Dave.
Doug.

[pressld2]

Excellent work Peter - very impressive. Love the bird shots and the Loch Morlich landscapes are superb.

Originally Posted by peterjclarke

I prefer animals within the context of their environments and I often feel a stronger image can be made by using this approach.

I agree. I keep striving for frame filling shots and rarely achieve it. Ocassionally though I get a nice one of the bird in it's environment. But because my mind was in "frame filling" mode when I fired the shutter the bird is usually in the centre of the image. If I'd thought more about the environment at the time I could have composed better, like you did with



and



to pick just two.

I shall write "I must try harder to think about composition" 200 times!

Dave P.

[JeffH]

What a superb series of contextual images Peter - and very well deserved after such an expedition! If these are anything to go by that new lens is going to pay for itself very quickly

Jeff

[PMG]

Well done Peter - lovely images and thread! I've laughed and laughed at your list of things to take - I wish I had seen you setting off uphill - I'm glad someone else goes at it like we do and to know that I don't look a pratt all by myself - but isn't it worth it when you come back and download............ Hope it still looks like this when we go in March.......... I particularly liked the rushhour in Glenshee - its the same past the campsite in Coylumbridge when they all go up or down Cairngorm and its as well to sit and watch them from a distance cos they're all so pumped up from skiing that their driving is horrendous

Pauline

[peterjclarke]

Originally Posted by pressld2

Excellent work Peter - very impressive. Love the bird shots and the Loch Morlich landscapes are superb.



I agree. I keep striving for frame filling shots and rarely achieve it. Ocassionally though I get a nice one of the bird in it's environment. But because my mind was in "frame filling" mode when I fired the shutter the bird is usually in the centre of the image. If I'd thought more about the environment at the time I could have composed better, like you did with



and



to pick just two.

I shall write "I must try harder to think about composition" 200 times!

Dave P.

Dave,
I can amost guarantee that by thinking 'less fill frame' your composition will improve overall. I certainly found that coming from a landscape background then when I went digital and started photographing wildlife.

[peterjclarke]

Originally Posted by PMG

Well done Peter - lovely images and thread! I've laughed and laughed at your list of things to take - I wish I had seen you setting off uphill - I'm glad someone else goes at it like we do and to know that I don't look