photoartflightFemale Wild Turkeys
I was checking out a new lens to see how it would work with a Canon R Camera. Sometimes, especially since I am getting older, I want to travel with fewer lenses to make life easier. I was looking at the Sigma 60-600mm, but it weighed a lot more. So I am trying a Tamron 150-600mm zoom lens to see if I like the images. This is not a full setup test, just a first test to see how the lens handled. I was just sitting outside my home photographing tree branches and other subjects to see the sharpness of the lens when I saw this group of Wild Turkeys coming towards me in a wooded area. The Male stayed further back in another yard, but the females were closer. I did not have a tripod with me so these are all handheld which was a challenge because they were in the shade so not a lot of light, but I tried a variety of shutter speeds, High ISO settings and f/stops. This also gave me an idea of how good the lens stabilization was. Wide open @ f/6.3 still gave me a limited slow shutter speed, so I increased ISO to get the shutter speed up somewhat. You will see some feet might have a slight blur from movement because of the lack of light. Also I tried a few teleconverters but the only one that would work on the Tamron was a Sigma 2X, but it did not pick up the teleconverter info and thought it was still an f/6.3 lens. It auto focused fine and and was quite responsive. The other teleconverters just gave me an error message on the Canon “R”.
The featured image was shot, handheld @ 375mm 1/200 sec, ISO 1600
Female Turkey, 600mm, 1/1250 sec, f/6.3, 3200 ISO (because of shade)
Female Turkeys, further back, In extreme shade, 600mm w/ Sigma 2X Teleconverter, 1/125 sec, f/6.3 (handheld) ISO 6400 (because of the lack of light and the 2X teleconverter. The f/6.3 is wrong, but the Canon R did not “see” the Sigma teleconverter, but still autofocused fine and was precise.
Love the iridescent plumage!
Thanks Eliza! They are almost daily visitors now.
How cool to have these wandering in your ‘backyard’! I love the turkey’s iridescent feathers, great shots, Reed!
Thanks Donna! They are fun to watch! A lot of my neighbors seem to be afraid of them. The male is usually a little ways off in the distance. The females seem to forage in a group. There is a wooded area near us where they live.
Your pictures of wild turkeys are nothing to grouse about.
Thanks Steve! You have a way with words!!!