Charles Raines

My Birds

One of my most enjoyable pastimes is photographing birds. My primary equipment is a Canon 1D Mark II N digital camera with a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens. More often than not, I add a Canon 1.4x or 2.0x extender. For hand-held shots, I occasionally use the 500/4 but am more comfortable with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM zoom lens. For support I use a Gitzo 1325 trioid with an Arca-Swiss B1 ball head. I find the Wimberley Sidekick works very well with the 500/4. For fill flash, I often use a Canon 580EX Speedlite and a Better Beamer FX-3 Flash X-Tender.

I recently acquired a Canon 7D digital body. So far I am very impressed. I like its 18 megapixels image size, its 8 fpm burst mode and its long-lasting battery. The 1.6 image factor is also a benefit in photographing birds. At 1/3 the price of a Canon 1D Mark 4, this camera could well become my primary camera.

These collections are a work in progress. If you see something that interests you, please drop me a note using the link below. I am always interested in talking about photography.

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