Ringed-Neck Ducks (Three Photographs)

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This is my first post with photographs from 2016. Moreover, they were taken with a new and challenging lens: Nikon’s 200-500 F5.6 lens. To get sharp photos you need to shoot above 5.6, e.g. F6.3. This means higher ISOs if the sunlight is not bright enough. This is a smaller aperture than I would normally use. Secondly, the lens has great vibration controls, although that mechanism does cause the framing to shift from shot to shot. Thirdly, on a D7200 it focuses a little slower than my 300mm prime. I bought it to get shots like these and it’s less expensive than other lenses with similar reach. All of the issues I mentioned take time to get used to, once you do you can work well with the lens. So far I am using the lens hand-held and with all its little drawbacks I am getting some good shots, shots like these that I could not otherwise have hoped to get. The temptation to shoot at 500mm is hard to overcome, but I am increasingly finding myself pulling back to get some context and better framing. If you want better quality and smoother shooting at 400 to 500mm its going to cost ten times more and even on a tripod you will find those lenses cumbersome.