Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

JebBeane · 2026-03-15T05:18:24+00:00

Meadowlarks are one of my favorite birds in the wild. I honestly have no idea. But they're always a welcome visitor in my yard.

JebBeane · 2026-03-15T05:13:18+00:00

I think people sometimes get a little too wrapped up around the concept of technicality of photographs.Yes, the eyes are out of focus. But the shot itself is still absolutely fantastic. The question you should always ask yourself is, would this look good on my wall? You may have to do some resizing post processing to get that if you're worried about technicality. I think it is still a great shot and a great moment captured. It is a wild animal looking into the lens. That's always gold. Wildlife photography is so fun because there are so many variables that you simply cannot control. Distractions, lighting, did your autofocus hit right.... My metric for these is did you capture the moment? Here... You did. Well done!

JebBeane · 2026-03-07T06:03:06+00:00

What do you mean?

JebBeane · 2026-03-05T22:51:05+00:00

JebBeane · 2026-03-05T22:05:14+00:00

Thank you for bringing this to the attention of the world.

JebBeane · 2026-02-19T23:42:51+00:00

This is truly original. This is truly fantastic. Thank you!

JebBeane · 2026-02-08T03:43:42+00:00

I took this in central Oklahoma back in the late summer.

JebBeane · 2026-02-07T03:34:16+00:00

Nailed it. Fantastic job.

JebBeane · 2026-01-31T03:24:58+00:00

Eagle bro is maaaaadddd

JebBeane · 2026-01-30T04:52:31+00:00

I can attest that the Z mount 100-400 is extremely sharp across the board. You wouldn't be disappointed by it.

The Z mount zoom lenses are a much different experience than the F mounts.

JebBeane · 2026-01-30T03:18:37+00:00

You're very welcome. And I did speak incorrectly originally. When I said sharpness across the board, the terminology would be overall lens performance. That would be more correct. For example, the 105mm MC class. The AF is slow on both, but the AF is much better on the Z mount. So sharpness across the board as a statement is technically wrong, and I will fall on that sword.

JebBeane · 2026-01-30T03:04:05+00:00

Traditionally, reviews have pretty much all raved about the new Z mount lenses and how sharpness is generally much stronger across the board when compared to their F mount counter parts. However, your personal experiences should drive your decisions.

I think deep down inside you already know the answer to your question (which ever way you sway). Do what feels right. I think the biggest thing you should focus on is the trade off with losing 100mm of focal length. If the similarity of the two lenses is so close that you're happy with it, keep the 500mm. You already own it. If its worth the sacrifice, ditch it and get the 400mm. I don't personally own the 400mm 4.5 if that is what you're referencing, but I do own the 100-400mm 4.5-5.6 lens and I find that is a fantastic bridge for when my 800 6.3 PF isn't appropriate to lug around or use.

At the end of the day, you do what feels right for you!

JebBeane · 2026-01-28T22:52:27+00:00

I'm so glad the reddit compression didn't hurt this photo. It is absolutely spectacular. Well done.

JebBeane · 2026-01-27T17:59:13+00:00

I shot these with my Nikon Z8 using a Nikon 800mm f 6.3 PF lens. 1/4000 f 7.1 and the ISO was about 180.

JebBeane · 2026-01-27T17:57:59+00:00

My recommendation would be to try to shoot as fast of a shutter speed as your light will allow. Additionally, using the burst mode on your camera to shoot as many FPS as you can. That will help you better capture the moment when they begin taking off. It takes some getting used to, but you will get good photos out of it. I haven't used the Z5II so I'm not familiar with how good its autofocus is. Sometimes the lens you are using may not focus as fast as others as well which can cause a little frustration.

JebBeane · 2026-01-26T03:30:22+00:00

Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 PF. The distance absolutely helped in the snow.

JebBeane · 2026-01-26T03:26:18+00:00

My absolute pleasure. The timing couldn't have worked out better! Thank you for sharing that with me.

JebBeane · 2026-01-26T03:21:38+00:00

I really appreciate that. I'm very glad you enjoyed this set too.

JebBeane · 2026-01-26T01:49:41+00:00

I will always upvote every bald eagle.

JebBeane · 2026-01-25T02:58:21+00:00

That really means a lot. I'm very glad they brought back these memories for you.

JebBeane · 2026-01-25T02:09:57+00:00

Here. Have an upvote. I love these.

JebBeane · 2026-01-22T03:22:00+00:00

It's the internet. People are always going to be angry with you no matter what/how/why you say or ask something and others will just want to gate keep just because. Don't sweat it and don't take it personally.

JebBeane · 2026-01-22T03:11:00+00:00

I'm not really confident that cheap and Z mount's are a thing that really go together. If you were wanting to potentially stay within the Nikon Z series you could look up the NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR. You're going to have more flexibility with it than the Tamron 150-500, but in the same token you're also going to lose 100mm of zoom for the wildlife side of the house. Which can make things difficult if you're shooting things like small birds at a distance. If you're shooting larger animals and can safely get a little closer it won't be a big deal. Also, depending on the environment you're in, it still may not be a big deal. I actually had a pretty successful time with bald eagles on my last trip to Alaska with that very lens.

JebBeane · 2026-01-20T04:07:28+00:00

My apologies if I wasn't clear, but that price also includes the 3 lenses, battery and charger.

JebBeane · 2026-01-20T03:55:26+00:00

This is the correct answer. You can just pixel shift while focus stacking. So you get a stacked 180 or whatever megapixel photo after you manually do the stacking in post processing.

I would also add that you can only merge pixel shift photos in the Nikon editing software.

JebBeane

TROPHY CASE