Testing 1,2,3... Testing...

I got a fun Fedex package today. :)) I've been wanting to try the lens some call "Big-Daddy" (the Tamron 200-500mm), so I rented it for the week. Man is this thing big and heavy compared to anything I have ever used. I started out my day of experimentation with it on my monopod and tracked down the usual birds. I shot a bunch, then checked those on the computer, shot some more, checked some more... you get the idea. The images from the first half of the day were okay. You can really get in close and certainly get to birds, in the distance, that I couldn't with my 70-300mm for sure. But, I really wasn't blown away with the sharpness or the noise. My overall feeling about the lens was a bit lackluster. Then, during my dinner (with my camera inches from me, as it seems to alway be these days) this female oriole landed on the oranges for her dinner. Hmmm, what to do... I had removed the monopod and too much movement on my part will send her flying... So, I grabbed the camera to try it handheld. Nothing to loose if it doesn't work, right? And, holy cow, the images were so much better! This one isn't the sharpest image, from my evening handheld experiment, but it was the one I liked the best. It seems that maybe the lens wasn't so much the problem as it was my monopod skills... I'm very new to the monopod game, though I didn't think I'd be able to hold this beast steady with out it. I'm so glad that I tried it on it's own. I got tons of crisp shots in evening light, and I am feeling much better about this lens. A few quirks yet, but I think it's just a matter of learning to play to it's strengths and to alter my habits a bit.

As you can see, the female oriole isn't as bright as her male counterpart. Pretty typical, but she is quite stunning on her own. *More stunning* They have different plumage on their heads and he has a blush at the top of his chest that accentuates his orange, really making it POP.

I heard my first hummingbird tonight... yes, heard... my back was to the feeder and it was gone by the time I turned. But that's an unmistakeable sound, so hopefully it wont be long before I can get a hummer shot! That would certainly be good Big-Daddy experimental fun...