Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @450mm, f8, ISO 500, Nikon Z 6 Twilight of the forest edge. Lucky to get the focus right here. Before any firmware upgrade, the autofocus made you very busy in these scenarios, trying every trick to get the focus fast enough. The bright, high contrast background and low contrast subject bring out the AF limits we experienced with our first 135 format EVF camera. The combination of a larger single focus point, contrast detection behaviour and the viewfinder limitations was responsible for it. Things got better in later cameras, including effective AF modes for moving subjects. Rajasthan
Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @460mm, f8, Nikon Z 6 Late afternoon; three birds in the top right part are in (crisp) focus; the ibis’ symbolic role in cultures is widely known. It helped the northern bald ibis (or hermit ibis) survive until the early ‘90s in southern Turkey where ornithologists from Europe used to visit to see them. The last stronghold for this species was Central Europe where an abrupt climate change event and continued hunting wiped them out in the 17th century. Extensive efforts are made to get the wild populations back in Europe today, with motorised paragliders guiding the birds into wintering areas across the mountain saddles. A recent campaign against poaching in Italy led to a 50% reduction in losses... The current conditions seem to favour the project in Spain, which may well mimic the start and course of the species return should it attempt to reestablish its populations naturally in our times. If people want to hunt ethically, they may want to play a part in restoring the environment for it first. How does it feel to “hunt” in pockets of nature’s wasteland where everything screams devastation? The skill can be needed for rangers or hired hunters for all sorts of reasons, but that in corresponding environments. An entirely different experience, even if you return without success. Rajasthan
Nikkor 200-500 VR/TC 14 III @650mm, f8, ISO 450, Nikon Z 6 Late morning; resting in the forest canopy Rajasthan
