Last spring, I did a combined birding/photography/family trip to Greece. I brought only my 800mm PF as telephoto lens (no space for a second one). For most of the trip, it was the perfect choice.
However, during the final days we visited lake Kerkini in Northern Greece, well-known among European birders and wildlife photographers as pelican paradise – both Dalmatian and Great white pelicans breed there. Since pelicans are huge and – at least in this place – not exactly shy, 800mm was definitely on the long end, especially for action. A zoom in the 200-600mm range would probably have been the best choice. But I had to work with what I had, and in the end, I found that the lens was more versatile than one might give it credit for – I ended up with a lot of keepers, also many nice action shots.
Here is a pick of my favorite photos of the pelicans:
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 800mm, ISO 100, 1/1000, f/6.3
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 800mm, ISO 250, 1/1000, f/6.3
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 800mm, ISO 160, 1/800, f/6.3
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 800mm, ISO 110, 1/800, f/6.3
Nikon Z9 + Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S @ 800mm, ISO 450, 1/1600, f/6.3
Wow, awesome images! Really like that last one 👍
Thank you! :)
@ronaldsmeets that's actually my favourite, too - the slightly out-of-focus Cormorants complement the Pelican perfectly, i think.
Thank you! :)
@ronaldsmeets that's actually my favourite, too - the slightly out-of-focus Cormorants complement the Pelican perfectly, i think.
That, plus there's something about the posture of the pelican caught in mid-flight - looks like its going beyond the sound barrier ;-)