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Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maximus) (PAW 8/52)
Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maximus) (PAW 8/52)
HarveyG


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: Vivitar MF 500mm f/6.3 Mirror (Reflex)
Location: South Africa
Aperture: f/6.3
ISO: 1000
Shutter: 1/800
Galleries: Birds
Date Uploaded: Feb 20, 2012

Viewed: 530
Comments: 10
Favorites: 1 (view)

 Thought I'd treat you all to our GKF. In this shot he was about 40m/131" away! He's obscured by the branch so not a memorable image, record shot imo.

The GKF is the largest kingfisher in Africa, where it is a resident breeding bird over most of the continent south of the Sahara Desert other than the arid southwest and is 42–48 cm (16.5-18.9") long! Thats from your fingertips to about halfway down your arm. This large species feeds on crabs, fish, and frogs, caught in the typical kingfisher way by a dive from a perch.

What makes this shot interesting is that I took it with my 500mm Vivitar Series 1 Mirror Reflex Lens, in a bird hide on a bean bag. On APS-C (small frame) sensors that gives you a whopping 750mm focal length at f/6.3! Manual Focus, manual exposure, fixed aperture "lens" and best of all no CA :) (Chromatic Aberration=Purple Fringing on contrasty edges often found on cheap long focal length glass lenses, like 75-300mm/18-250mm f/4.5-5.6 type lenses)
Bah humbug! to all the nay-sayers of mirror lenses. (I'm awaiting the BG (bokeh) circle of confusion comments, specifically about a mirror lens phenomenon...) :) It is very useful for Paparazzi style street work too, not just wildlife.

The "lens" is a fully manual focus, multi-coated, catadioptric (reflex), fixed aperture “Super” Telephoto Mirror. Read my own Mirror Lens review and article here.

Another Mirror shot here: Enlarge this:


No multiple lens elements:


Partial and full Gaussian Blur BG


for Photograph a Week 2012

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AuthorThread
Canon PowerShot SX60 HS
 03/04/2012 12:27:31 PM
Amazing image, of course. And yes, I also recognized the characteristic 'donut' bokeh.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/03/2012 12:58:21 AM
Unique donut bokeh:) and beautiful bg colors. This lens are very sharp, nice shot, bro!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D3000
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6G ED
 02/22/2012 12:40:28 PM
BOKEH! I love it! The kingfisher is simultaneously elegant and slightly goofy-looking. Very nice!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-60D
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 for Canon
 02/21/2012 07:58:16 PM
I think the bokeh a cool...very painterly. Thanks for sharing all the info, sounds like a fun lens.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-6D
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS
 02/21/2012 06:34:37 PM
Nice shot again. Very good result for that distance to subject.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon Z9
Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
 02/21/2012 03:28:44 PM
So cool that you got this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L II
 02/20/2012 05:34:02 PM
Great photo -- knew is was a mirror lens. Keep thinking it would be good to have; but, we don't have the neat birds you do.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 02/20/2012 05:19:41 PM
instant i saw that bokeh i knew it was a 500 mirror i had a similar one on my canon ae-1 program and it made the same circles mine was fixed f8

big bird that, good capture
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 02/20/2012 05:14:27 PM
I have no idea what you're going on about with the lens (I'm just not quite that savvy) but I love the picture. And I LOVE the bokeh! It does exactly what it is supposed to, which is show off your subject. Hard to tell how big he is, but gosh he's pretty! Thanks for the info!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM
 02/20/2012 08:03:31 AM
You'll get some good comments on this I bet Harvey, it's beautifully shot. I like the angle, shooting up like that has added an interesting dynamics as we view the bird looking out from its perch. And yes, lovely blurred background. Cheers, Michele
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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