Thursday (11-November-2010) — New Jersey

Backyard Autumn Nighttime Sky Over New Jersey.

Waxing crescent moon on Veteran’s Day. Image taken with Nikon D3s camera and 400 mm f/2.8 lens with TC-E 2.0 teleconverter (ISO 200, 800 mm f/8, 1/100 sec).

Waxing Crescent Moon. Image taken with Nikon D3s and 400 mm f/2.8 lens with TC-E 2.0 teleconverter (ISO 200, 800 mm f/8, 1/100 sec) (David J Mathre)
Waxing Crescent Moon. Image taken with Nikon D3s camera and 400 mm f/2.8 lens with TC-E 2.0 teleconverter (ISO 200, 800 mm f/8, 1/100 sec) (David J Mathre)

Author: David Mathre

I am a scientist by training (Eckerd College, BSc; Caltech, Ph.D.). I worked for 27 years as a Chemist in the Pharmaceutical Industry developing processes to manufacture medicines for human and animal health. I now spend my time as a photographer and world traveler. My interests include the natural world, wildlife, landscapes, sky, and seascapes, travel, and astrophotography. I look for unique ways of viewing the world and presenting my images. I have traveled to over 55 countries in six continents, often on Semester at Sea voyages. While at home in New Jersey, I spend time on home renovation and expansion of a wildflower garden/meadow.

3 thoughts on “Thursday (11-November-2010) — New Jersey”

  1. Nice. 800mm really pulls it in.

    BTW, I’m thinking of buying the Nikkor 80-400. What do you think of it ? Is the focusing speed a problem for birds. I guess the moon does not move that fast, so it should be OK for that.

    Jim

    1. The 80-400 VR was my second lens when I bought my first DLSR (D200) in 1996. It has been one of my most used lenses. I could walk around for hours using it hand-held. Many of my best bird and other animal images were taken with this lens. It is slow to auto-focus (better with the newer pro-bodies with higher power drives). After learning its capabilities, you know how to use it. I would often bracket or shoot in burst mode to have more than one chance at good focus for an image. One feature not often recognized is that it takes something like 20 turns of the screw drive to go all the way from closest focus to infinity, thus it can be much more accurate in focusing than many more recent lenses. Make sure you get the most recent version as it has a closer near focus range. Many of us have been waiting for an AF-S upgrade, but the upgrade may not have the focus accuracy of the original.

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