Tuesday, March 14, 2017

A morning at the zoo

I'm getting accustomed to my zoom lens which I use with the Spotmatic.  I don't think I have the reflexes at this point to use it to its best effect, but it does allow a level of intimacy with my subjects which would be difficult to achieve otherwise.







I can't recall exactly when or where I got my Yashinon Zoom with the Pentax screw mount.  I think I paid about fifteen bucks for it.  The 75-230 zoom range gives it quite a lot of versatility.  The optics are excellent.  The 11-inch length and the weight make it a challenge to hand-hold.  It is a lens that definitely requires some practice in using so that you don't focus when you want to zoom and vice versa. 


2 comments:

JR Smith said...

Great shots! And hand held! Wow!

Mike said...

My rule of thumb is to keep the shutter speed at or above the focal length to avoid motion blur; so, 1/250 or above for the zoom. That works fine, but holding the long zoom in position waiting for the right moment can wear me down quickly.
What I'm usually looking for is the moment of eye contact with animals. Among the cats, the cougar and the snow leopard offer pretty frequent opportunities. The jaguar never seems to look into human eyes; it mostly paces endlessly, apparently in another world.
The great apes are obviously aware of the presence of visitors, but their eye contact is very furtive. The dark coloration and heavy eye ridges also present a photographic challenge.