Friday 28 December 2007

It's fun to be a mastiff- # 336

What a sight to test a new camera! Walking in Richmond Park trying out the new Olympus E3 I came across this mastiff at play.

He was hurling himself up to the branch about 3.5 meters above the ground. He caught the branch between his jaws and then hung there before dropping down and trying again.

Here is in mid flight about to get his jaws round the branch.

Camera info: Olympus E3 with 50-200mm 2.8-3.5f zoom lens on max extension equivalent to 400mm in 35mm format. Settings all on automatic with Image Stabilisation and shutter set to shoot 12 frames at 5 frames per second.

8 comments:

  1. This is the shot I usually miss because I DON'T have my camera with me. Great catch!!!

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  2. That's a great shot and a great new camera you have! This shot ought to be a finalist for your Best of 2007.

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  3. Gret shot, Chuckeroon! It's superb when blown up full size. Bet you are in seventh heaven with your new toy.

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  4. Having fun with the new camera - I'm sure there's a lot to learn. I'm surprised IS works with moving subjects, although I think it works differently than on the Canon IS stabilised lenses. As an aside, the photo makes me a little uncomfortable as the subject of large powerful dogs has again tragically hit the headlines. I've nothing against the dogs, it's the owners I wonder about.

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  5. ... nb I should add I wasn't implying any insensitivity in the choice of post, which was made before the news from W Yorkshire hit the media

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  6. @R...fair point, and the irony of the unexpected news report was not lost on me - it came to my atttention long after the post. I noticed that unlike most "big dogs" today, this one was not muzzled, but his owner was nearby and seemed to be responsible. In the dog's favour, was, afterall, just being a happy dog, but one had to hope that he was good natured. He was clearly a powerful fellow.

    The Image Stab on the E3 has two settings. The second choice cancels the horizontal so that e.g. horse racing shots come out clear with blurred background as you pan. This shot was done in with both horizontal and vertical stabilisation switched on.

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  7. Chucker - yes, that's the way the Canon lenses work, but general if movement is detected during whatever occurs during the "stabilising" process, then the results are poor. Maybe you caught the dog as it was motionless. I notice some nice DOF with lens. I didn't realise it was a .5x sensor size in relation to old full frame 35mm. They've packed a lot of pixels onto it

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  8. Man and animal playing, I like that. Even if the boy's toys are ever so slightly more valuable than a tree branch. Jealous, moi? I assume you have the 12-60 too, I look forward to seeing what happens with that.

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