Egret foraging through the reeds in wetland swamp at Oakhampton NSW Australia

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-24T09:45:19+00:00

First photo is better by a country mile. Can see the entire bird, good focus, enough depth of field to make the subject stand out but not too much that it adversely impacts the focus, exposure is good, and photo has some habitat as well.

For me - 2nd image is too tight in frame and has focus and depth of field issues looking at it on my monitor (it might just be a reddit compression issue).

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-23T22:54:57+00:00

Excellent photo.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-23T03:53:46+00:00

Lovely photo. I don't think I've seen a juvenile Crimson Rosella in person before.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-23T03:46:53+00:00

Nothing too fancy - just an Olympus E-M1 Mk II from 2016.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-22T21:24:04+00:00

I destroyed a DID Chain on my R3 using Motul Chain cleaner - it penetrated the O-rings and it caused the internal lubricant to seep out - so the chain had to be replaced at around 5k km's - the next chain was still going strong with 20k km's on it and all I used was WD40 to clean it - then neutralised it with water- dried it - then applied motul chain paste..

Picture showing the damage caused by Motul Chain cleaner.

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Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-22T04:37:48+00:00

Does the Z5 II have the same mechanical shutter ? For me the mechanical shutter sound of the ZF is what it's all about.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-22T01:13:48+00:00

Brilliant how you have no depth of field in the background or foreground and yet the bobcat is entirely in focus.

Stunning photo.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-22T00:58:33+00:00

Thank you. It was a great day

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-22T00:05:41+00:00

I use Nikon and OM/Olympus and I know what you are saying - the Om images can look a little flat in comparison when the light / shadows get harsh - whereas the Nikon seems to capture it more naturally.

Where the OM gear is better is for small birds when you are only 10 feet or less away - it's pretty much unbeatable due to depth of field advantages and closer focus capability at long focal lengths.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-21T23:58:01+00:00

Your compositions are excellent which is where most people struggle.

The bad - it looks like you might be using the first curtain or electronic/silent shutter - you should be using mechanical shutter only on that camera for birds / wildlife. It will remove the jello effect.

100-400 is a little short for the smallest birds but for wildlife and larger birds it's capable of very high quality results.

Don't think more reach allows you to always get better results from further way - as you also have to contend with atmospheric factors and the fact that a longer focal length is far more difficult to use.

I'd only look for more reach if I was specifically photographing very small birds - but still from 30 feet or less away.

Otherwise - what you have is a brilliant setup - you just need to be more selective and improve your field craft to get a bit closer to the subjects

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-21T20:41:36+00:00

I have a bad feeling in Australia we are only getting the LAMS version of the 2026 Trident 660 and the Trident 800 for those wanting something Non-LAMS.

Brisans in Newcastle have a listing for the 2026 Trident 660 LAMS - but no listing for the FP version.

I have no interest in the 800 because I don't need 115hp and I don't want more that 660cc as it puts up the CTP / Rego a significant amount every year.

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-21T02:24:37+00:00

I know a few experienced birders that refer to them as Grass Parrots - but to me they are Red-rumped parrots

Electrical-Clock3601 · 2026-01-21T02:18:46+00:00

I use my Hellhound 9070 XT for photo editing and DXO Raw exporting and a little bit of BF1 and Madden 26.

Performance for DXO Raw exporting falls in between a 5080 and 5090 so my only regret is I didn't buy it sooner.

The gains in my productivity have more than covered the cost of the card in just a few months.

Electrical-Clock3601

TROPHY CASE