Are Lens Hoods Wrecking Your Photos In Cold Weather?

[@benjaminolry5849]

With telescope this is called tube seeing. It is especially pronounced in Newtonian designs that have both large amounts of air in the optical tube assembly and big thermal mass (thick mirror) that needs time to adjust to outdood temperature. I wouldn't have thought that the relatively short lens hoods would be prone to it, but thank you for your testing.

[@pbm77]

agreed. Have never had this problem with refractors and the relative short hood on them. even with magnifications of +200x.

[@nyobunknown6983]

That applies to the inside of tube of the telescope and not any lens hood.

[@chriskrueger]

As an avid winter photographer, and a long-time sufferer of mushy photos of winter geese, I sincerely thank you, Steve. If this is what has been causing my "just going out for a quick shoot" mornings to often result in such disappointing photos, you've just made my life as a cold climate photographer much happier. Can't wait for that Z9 guide!

[@wrightcubbins]

Hey Chris! Have you been out since writing this comment and if so, what are your results? Really interested to know!

[@nyobunknown6983]

It's not because of the lens hood.

[@Rockymtnchick]

OMG! Being in Canada, I do a lot of cold weather shooting. Heat haze drives me nuts. I assumed my soft images were down to the lens not being the greatest, and of course the heat haze, but I’ve had plenty of shots where I couldn’t explain the softness if I was shooting close subjects and not in the heat bubble of my vehicle. I can’t wait to get out and test this. Thank you! 🤞🏻

[@bubbly6379]

Any updates on your findings with this? A second opinion is always a great one

[@Rockymtnchick]

@@bubbly6379 unfortunately not, today was my first day out with the camera in 3 months, and it was a mild day. I think I had the lens hood off during a cold day back in November, but I was shooting from inside the car, so it wasn’t a good test.

[@jimreimer6140]

Unbelievable! I never would have guessed. I'm from Canada, and believe me, I will remember that one!

[@StephenBridgett]

You just solved a mystery that has plagued me for the last couple of weeks. After getting the same results that you did, and while shooting Snowy Owls by the way, I brought my lens/camera in and did a thorough lens calibration using my Sigma dock. It was a mystery to me, I even bumped the shutter speed to 1/5000 second on a 500mm lens, still and still got the blurry results you have demonstrated. I knew the equipment was good but even at that shutter speed i could not get a clean shot. It was driving me nuts. The temperature was well below the freezing point as I got out of the warm car to shoot. Thanks for rescuing my sanity.

[@TheMrNeffels]

Bonus/alternative tip. Turn the heat off in your car or as low as you can to keep windshield clear and preferably if your car has it just use seat heaters and dress warm. Youre able to shoot directly from your car then if needed and you can keep lens hood on. I also usually "pre condition" my camera by putting it outside in bag to let it cool off slowly. This can also help avoid any possible condensation issues(I just got to part in video where you talked about letting it cool off lol)

[@DeputyNordburg]

You can also keep the gear in an ice chest in the car to insulate it from the heat or A/C of the car. Those chests with wheels and a handle make for great transport of the gear and look a whole lot less interesting to thieves. Unless they are hungry. Just find one big enough to hold your whole camera bag.

[@russelltorres5276]

Good tips! Just don't shoot through the windshield as it can cause refraction and soften the image. Learned that the hard way. 😊

[@PhilipWalker]

Wow, this tip is absolutely gold. This is the kind of stuff that you'd encounter and never even realize what went wrong. Thank you so much for the explanation!

[@danielschmaderer]

Oh wow! This never would have crossed my mind of ever being an issue. Granted I don’t ever shoot in cold weather, since Los Angeles California is usually warm, but this could be useful info if I venture out to the desert or mountains.

[@backcountrygallery]

LOL, if I shoot once or twice a winter it's a lot, so I hear ya! I think I'll head to FL next :)

[@perniciouspete4986]

Would never have thought of that.

[@carlosalexandresouza5816]

You're more then a great photographer, you're a great scientist!!! You can notice something wrong, or even just not ideal, but you know that it shoulb be better. So, you figure out what was happening and causing that issue! You're great! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@akkasbashy]

You are Great Master. Thank you very much.

[@vincentz2390]

This is the most unbelievable photographic advice I have ever seen! Incredible.

[@quicktastic]

Interesting. I'd be thrilled just to find a snowy owl to photograph. :)

[@TinManLee]

Wow that’s one of the biggest discoveries ever! Thank you for being so generous to share that with us plus all the detailed analysis. Can’t wait to try it out. I got a lot of heat distorted photos over the years and I almost completely surrendered to it.

[@backcountrygallery]

Thank you! BTW - I love your photography!

[@TinManLee]

@@backcountrygallery same here. I have all your books and love them too. I may even get a Z9 but I invested so much in Sony now lol. Well ok I confess I already put in the order few days ago but it’s gonna be a long wait for it to be in stock. Thank you once again. I already shared your findings with some of my buddies and are discussing. Amazing.

[@backcountrygallery]

@@TinManLee Overall, I'm liking the Z9, but I like my a1 better. It's just more customizable and offers more flexibility in the field, at least for me.

[@TinManLee]

I will try the Z9 soon but I agree. I was stunned by how easy to customize things in Sony. And their idea of toggling among wide, zone, spot AF is genius. Very lucky to be able to see where the eye focus technology can bring.

[@filippobrandini9233]

Steve, you are great... I have no words to define the respect I have for you and what you do. Thanks.

[@betodef1]

I believe this happened to me this morning. It's crazy that your video showed up on my KZbin to explain why some of my shots were soft. Thanks a lot!

[@febco1]

Steve, thank you very much for this recommendation about a lens hood causing image distortion in cold weather. The same problem occurs when you shoot on a hot day and the gear has been stored in a cold car. A few years back I bought an Igloo Marine soft cooler (48 cans size) to keep my camera and lens at a temperature closer to the outdoors temperature. In the winter, as of late we have had temps in the -5 to -15 deg F, I keep my camera cold so once I get out of the car the optics and the viewfinder do not fog. In the hot days of summer I can keep the gear warm as the inside of the car is 15-30 degrees cooler. It works very well for me. As a bonus the cooler protects the gear from bumps and prying eyes. The cooler that i bought seems that have been replaced with a different line but they are still similar. I think I paid about $45.00.

[@mustafakasapoglu]

Great tip Steve. In many cases, I was grabing the camera when I am in the car, without checking the temperature differece in between and capturing without caring the sharpness thru the back screen. Thanks so much.

[@ajcfactor]

This is quite the find. I'd have never thought of that being a source for soft photos, but your experiment makes it pretty clear that it is. Very useful info.

[@randybarney3144]

Steve, your my hero! I just experienced this shooting Bryce Canyon NP in March! I have been so perplexed trying to figure out why all of my shots were not sharp. Thank you!

[@joepalmer75]

Great tip! Shooting in winter is so different...particularly in snow.

[@Virindi77]

Great tip. Also don't shoot through the open window of the warm car because the heat coming from inside the car will cause a strong refraction effect too. For 100% optimal image quality the whole lens should be at the same temperature as the environment; the bigger the lens and glass, the longer it takes.

[@billchandlercanada]

That is a wonderful "discovery". I was wondering the same thing when I was in a car. Often I had no time to open the door and get to the bird for some photos so sitting at my passenger side is the only option. Now I know what to do when the situation arises again. Thank you! I love your channel. You are clear, professional and not gimmicky (there are KZbinrs out there with a lot of non related promoting Ads within their videos which I hate).

[@backcountrygallery]

Keep in mind that if the inside of the car is warm you'll still have issues. This trick only helps if you're away from the car. The warm air form the car will mix with the air directly outside the window and cause major issues.

[@EugeneKam]

Great post! Didnt really think it would effect it that much, but these examples speak for themselves.

[@halfmouse]

Wow! This is really interesting! Never crossed my mind that a lens hood might act a tunnel for heat distortion to occur! Thanks for sharing!!

[@Wklambert]

Dang man... That is some pretty crazy science there. Seriously, this is good stuff. Equalizing that temp... I imagine after shooting a while, the camera and lens internally will heat up too. Kinda reminds me of the eternal thermostat debate. There is a HUGE difference between 74 and 75 degrees. You just made it possible here, to see that difference, physically. Amazing work!!!

[@y0utube5uxx]

H3ll no 74 or 75. Just keep it always at 70!!!

[@themep1969]

Mind blown! I had this happen to me in Grand Teton in December and couldn't figure out was was going on. Adding my thanks to all the rest!

[@RonClifford]

This blew me away. I shoot in Canada, Antarctica and the Arctic and this is new news for me. My gear is usually "acclimated" but there have been times Icouldnt nail this effect down. It has happened to me and likely more than I was aware! GREAT INFORMATION

[@adamkrauss303]

Thanks Steve. This is a critical eye opening tip. I of course am aware of the need to allow gear temp to equalize where it goes from cool to hot and fog formation occurs but did not think about the opposite.

[@PRES-gi4le]

This is absolutely true. I noticed this issue a couple of years ago also photographing owls in the winter. I was so frustrated with soft images that were all shot from or just out side of the car. I took the lens hood off because of the high wind and to my relief images were much sharper. I shot the rest of the day without the hood with great success.

[@josephsworkshop75]

Thanks Steve, Another great tip as per usual. Your information rich content is what keeps you as one of the best KZbinrs out there. Keep up the great work. Cheers from Australia

[@toddaophoto]

I just experienced this problem no longer than 12 hours ago (as I write this) Thanx a lot Steve! Your videos are always very informative.

[@axelgraneskog]

I was experience this exact same thing this week when just bought my first prime 300 mm. Tought it was me that couldn't handle the new lens. Thank you very much for the information Steve!

[@OwenEDell]

Oh man, this happened to me just this afternoon, working from my car so as not to scare the birds. Talk about a timely tip! Thanks so much.

[@vanlamphotography]

Thank you so much Steve! I ran into this problem recently and was scratching my head trying to figure it out. Always learn something new with your video, thank you for sharing!

[@merkin22]

I do a lot of shooting in truly cold temperatures, most all of it on foot. BUT, last winter I did a lot of driving around on the hunt for, as it turns out, for Snowy Owls, and it was bitterly cold most days (-20 to -30C stuff) and while I found no Snowies, one day I did stop and shoot hawks a few times, having stopped the car and getting out to quickly do the shooting -- and I swear, I have questioned the 'quality' of either my ability to hand hold the lens I was using, or it's very optics, ever since! You're brilliant! Great work, as usual.

[@jenparson9832]

This happened to me just a few weekends ago! I couldn’t figure out what was happening! Your video showed up THE NEXT DAY and when I went out again this weekend, I did what you suggested and all was good! Love your videos! I’ve learned so much from your ebooks as well! Thank you!!!

[@antonoat]

I have to admit I find this very surprising, but as you've demonstrated it can make a very noticeable difference. Great job Steve, thank you.

[@SidsCalling]

I conduct photography tours in the Himalayas for snow leopards and other wildlife, and this mushy photo issue has been the biggest problem that me and my clients have faced since the beginning. I tried everything from using drop-in CPLs to wrap around warmers for the camera but nothing worked. This tip is totally priceless. I'll test this out in -30 deg Celsius and bright and sunny conditions. I really can't thank you enough for sharing this hack.

[@stevethompson8154]

WOW this is something I'll not forget and will definitely take advantage of

[@gurubry]

If I could like a video more than once, I would. I recently purchased a Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 OSS II and was really disappointed when I went out for a few minutes on a cold winter's day, to test the lens for the first time. All my images were soft and thought somehow I got a bad copy. After seeing your experience with the hoods, I was sure that it was also happening to me. So I went back outside again the next day in the cold, leaving the hood inside. All my images were suddenly tack sharp. I was relieved! Thanks for the tip--it's not something you think of as being a factor but it makes complete sense. I will spread this information as much as I can.

[@charlesd2109]

This was 4:46 well spent!! Thanks so much for this! I am usually out for quite a while, giving my gear time to cool off, but if I see something in the first few minutes when I am out, I really gotta remember this.

[@joanrob1]

So that explains it!!!!!!!! I often go out very early and shoot raptors from my car. I open the window and stick my 200-600 out and shoot. The first 20 minutes or so I have a hard time getting a sharp photo. I thought was a low light problem. But now I suspect it's the lens hood! What a fantastic tip!

[@joanrob1]

Just saw your note about shooting from the car. Next time I'll bundle up and use seat heaters!

[@johnstewart2011]

Great tip that I had never seen before in well over 50 years of photography. Thanks.

[@cambodiabird]

Great info. Thank for sharing.

[@GONZOFAM7]

Perfect timing, I was about to go out and shoot with my lens hood on. Glad this video was recommended.

[@wirawijoga7006]

Thanks a lot Steve ! Now it makes sense .. I had similar experience in just last month in Northern Europe, shooting in - 10 C, most of my photos were soft and mushy, then our guide told us to leave our equipment bags in the non-heated room the night before our second day of shooting, as well as when we just entered the hide whilst waiting for the first light. Almost all of our day2 results were tack sharp !

[@DavidDarrow]

Thank you! I have had this happen a few times, but always shrugged it off assuming I had just screwed something up. Angry I didn't spend a bit of time thinking about it, as it makes total sense. Again...Thank you!

[@SWeberpal]

Living in Wisconsin I learned this lesson years ago. Kudos for bringing it to the forefront. Beyond the hood, rolling down the car windows and turning off the heat is my other go to for winter shooting.

[@backcountrygallery]

I agree, the best bet is acclimation. The hood removal is a good for when that's not an option :)

[@adamleewicks8529]

Thank you for this tip. I live in UK and have a af_S nikorr 55-200 mm f4.5 to 5.6 ed vr . I have always had this issue when go from warm indoors to cold outdoors. As English weather so unpredictable as where I live in Norfolk UK the gulf stream goes right across us so this will help immensly. I am so pleased to be subscribed to your channel

[@CreativeJ75]

Had the same problem about a week ago and was like what is going on, glad you posted this thank you.

[@ashokms76]

This makes so much sense, thanks Steve. I wish I had this information a week before and I was puzzling over my soft pics taken in the cold weather up in the Himalayas.

[@jerryesh]

Holy cow, you're a genius! I've been dealing with this scenario the past two winters. I just couldn't figure out why my camera could sometimes nail the shot and other times it couldn't even though it seemed like an easy focus grab. I hope to be able to put it to the test this weekend. Thanks heaps, Steve!

[@louisruth9348]

Great video, sharing the solutions with us. Thank you. As always knowledge is key as is testing your equipment is all weather conditions. You rock Steve!! ✌

[@gabriel84]

I had never heard about thius issue. I'll keep an eye on it from now on . Thanks Steve!!!

[@tylerspangler598]

I’ve taken some cold weather shots recently and couldn’t understand why they were soft. Now I know! Thanks Steve

[@jries77]

Yeah it's always advisable to allow your gear to thermally optimize to avoid these issues. It's the exact same thing when using a telescope in cool/cold conditions.

[@colette8022]

Yeah I was thinking the reason this never happens to me in snowy conditions is because I always keep my gear as cold as the outside temperature even if it’s to the detriment of freezing myself in my car.

[@jries77]

@@colette8022 that is exactly right. Also people forget that there's air that is inside those lenses. Obviously most of them don't house as much air as a large telescope per se but that air inside can also alter the image quality due to "convection currents" when it is not optimized thermally.

[@jacksonteague876]

Thank you. This never entered my mind, but I believe you are on to something.

[@timthorington4498]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I had the exact same problem last week. I had a snowy owl on a post and I hopped out of the car and started shooting. It was -15 C. When I got home the photos were all soft (not sharp) and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. You just solved my problem.. Great tip..

[@jeffgrotte]

Shooting primarily owls in Minnesota there are always cold weather issues that you have to work with. This tip is great.

[@KymGphoto]

This is so awesome to know….has happened many times to me….Wisconsin weather is cold! Giving it a try for sure! Thanks

[@chrismcgowan6385]

Just had the same thing happen to me and had no idea why. Thanks for the explanation, Steve!!!

[@EmoEmu]

I never thought about the hood creating this problem but it does make a lot of sense. I know a photographer couple who used to put their gear in the trunk of their car ahead of time to equal out the temperatures more and avoid things like fogged up lenses, but I never realised that just the hood alone would cause trouble. Thanks.

[@backcountrygallery]

Yeah, the best solution is that the gear is the same temp as the outdoors. However, removing the hood sure makes a difference when it's not :) At least for this kind of heat distortion (It wont' help with the hundred other ways you can get it!)

[@EmilWall]

WOW, such a huge difference! This is golden information.

[@rustyanddebbieperkins]

Watched your videos on distortion and now lens hoods based on a recommendation from the Pangolin group. Glad I did as this is fantastic content!

[@brucegraner5901]

Brilliant! Nice catch and analysis. Living in the Florida panhandle cold weather haze isn't a big problem but it's something I wouldn't even have considered without this video. Much thanks.

[@LilBallOfScorpioInTheCorner]

I usually keep my gear in the garage for an hour before heading out. Ty for uploading.

[@CiroPerez]

WOW! I would have never told!! in so cold, needing to take care of heat... by the hood? Thanks for sharing Steve. I follow you since YEARS ago... and love how you always come with something new and interesting!. Big hug from Spain

[@EuropaChronicles]

I was shooting a white tail from inside my truck the other day (Montana ~15*F) and I think this explains why those photos were the only ones from the entire day that were inexplicably soft. Very interesting, this is definitely something I’ll be considering in the future.

[@Needacreate]

Just learned something I didn't use to know. Vital knowledge for someone like me who normally relies on lens hoods almost religiously. Highly appreciated, Steve. 👍

[@NathanJacksonEsq]

I just got back from a trip to Iceland and I wish I had seen this before I left! Great find!! Thank you for the information!

[@csb65536]

Wow! I don’t think I would have ever figured that out myself. I do shoot a lot in cold weather, I do love it when I can shoot from the car. I always assumed if I shut my car off, I would not get heat wave distortion. I’m shooting through a 400 2.8 with a massive lens hood. This really is great information.

[@Xetenor]

This is great information to have! We often come out of our cars with the heater running into cold weather. I remember not being impressed with my sony 100-400 gm and now i can see why. Great video!

[@annettejane4031]

Thank you for another GREAT tip ! Coming from an Alaskan shooter, this was an important bit of info !!!

[@mikedavis1110]

Great information and video presentation on the “cold air” distortion issue!! Can’t wait to see your Z9 review and recommend setup for BIF!!

[@TheExtraTerrestrial]

Interesting discovery. I've never ran into this issue myself, but I'm almost always hiking around, so by the time I start shooting, the lens has adjusted to ambient temps.

[@johnashcroft-jones6091]

Thanks Steve for this excellent and surprising observation and sharing it, Kudos. As a Sony shooter As a rule, I use my hoods on all lenses so will watch out for this problem.

[@patricianadarajah6833]

Ha! I live North and we are currently experiencing some harsh -34c weather and I saw what you just described on a friend’s photo! Brilliant explanation

[@scinexus]

Back in the astrophotography days of the 80's the community was pretty avid about prepping your gear. It seemed the rule of all thumbs to put your gear in a ziplock bag to lock out moisture condensation and either chill it outside or even putting the gear in the fridge overnight. When we came back in at the crack of dawn, it was even more important to put that camera back in a baggie to let it warm up without chancing the internals from sweating from condensation. Maybe it's excessive, but I still practice it today.

[@RalphHightower]

In 2012, I had a monthly personal project to photograph the rising and setting of the full moon. Shooting B&W film, I used the B&W contrast filters, yellow, orange, and red, on my 80-205mm f4.5 and 400mm f6.3 (no filters). During the low humidity, cold winter, and the high humidity summer, I left my equipment to be used in my car to get it acclimated.

[@daniellindhardt7876]

I knew heat waves were a big problem, but I never even considered my lens hood! That explains a lot! Thanks Steve!

[@jimd5918]

I had never thought about the lens hood (600 f4) as another culprit for heat refraction. I generally don't shoot long lenses when it is sunny, much beyond sunrise, because of the poor light and refraction. I tested my hooded lens and unhooded lens in the sun at 11C. The focus target and ground between my lens was in the shade. The camera was in the sun. The lens hood warmed up to 40C, measured with an IR thermometer. There was a definite softness to the Hooded shots compared to the Hoodless photos. For me, knowing this is huge. Over the years I have blamed many lenses for the many ways heat haze can ruin a long lens photo. Thanks for bringing this issue to light!

[@brycepinson8641]

WOW... What an astute observation. I've notices uncharacteristic softness from my 500/4 in cold weather before. But I never made this connection. Sincerely thank you for sharing this.

[@michaelvanvalkenburg5593]

Wow, thanks so much. I live in Northern Minnesota and do a lot of photography from the car in the winter. Like some others, I've always assumed that poor focus was my fault do to poor technique etc. To use your phrase, this could be a "Game Changer" for me.

[@backcountrygallery]

If you're shooting from a warm car, removing the hood won't help.The problem is the warm air from the car mixing with the cooler air outside casing the same phenomenon we talk about in the video. See my heat diffraction and shooting from the car videos for more info. :)

[@johng5819]

I've been having the same issue with all my cameras with my Sigma 150-600. I knew it HAD to be the lens but didn't know what. I will check this out soon. Thanks!

[@tv510]

Thanks for enduring the 1 degree weather to help us all create better images!

[@charlesdavis6371]

wow - I never even considered that. TY Steve - that's a HUGE help.

[@Tindomul1of9]

I noticed this problem lately, but had no idea what it was. Thanks, I will try out the solution and see if it works!

[@chrismichaud3228]

Had the same issue with 200-600 the other day shooting snowy owls. Thanks for the insight.

[@bratvlad]

This is a good one 👍I am positive that this happened to my shooting wildlife before, shooting with a great lens and trying to figure out what’s with the softness on images , in my case it was out of window of a car. Basically no heating in the car works best .

[@victorb4774]

That happened to me the other day. Thanks so much for figuring this out. I never would have guessed that it was heat distortion.

[@jmitchvision]

Wow bro I can’t wait to try this out. I have noticed in some of my images were a little soft down on the cold waters at the Conowingo Dam, and I am photographing with the large hood.. it’s not consistent but it’s there.. I will be sure to let you know brother!! Thank you Defoe all that you do for the community of photographers!! GOD bless!!

[@kathrynmilner5448]

Wow, I can’t wait to try this! We have this problem and are so glad you came up with a solution!

[@MikeJamesMedia]

Thank you for discovering and verifying this! Most of my shooting in cold weather (Anchorage, Alaska) is hiking, so my gear is probably mostly cold. But now, I'll be extra aware of this for the first few minutes. (I don't think I ever would've suspected this on my own... Probably would just have thought that I missed focus.) Great tip, Steve!

[@brianlemke6017]

Great tip. Thank you from Alberta Canada …….. where it’s often double digits negative, both F and C.

[@parks71a]

so interesting, I was just in Yellowstone and had some blurry photos, seemed like no where was in focus, I am 100% confident this was the issue, wish I saw this video before I went..... Thank you for posting! Great info!~

[@JanieP53]

This video is a week too late for me 😕. I just went on a photo tour in Yellowstone last week and this has to be why so many of my shots were soft! Even our pro on the trip was baffled by his soft shots. (?) Our snow coach was not kept cold enough either so in and out of a warm environment to single digit temps obviously didn’t help. It makes sense! This is just another “lesson” for me in my photo journey. Thanks for the tip!

[@DeputyNordburg]

Living in Puerto Rico, I have the same problem. Well, technically it is the opposite problem. Here a cold lens will do the same thing, and worse, will often form condensation. But my solution may help you too. I keep my cameras and lenses in the car, in an ice chest. That way the gear is insulated from the air conditioning of the car. You can even put a heat source (or in your case a cold source) in the ice chest, such as a heated brick. Avoid liquids! As a bonus, thieves are less likely to break into a car for an ice chest than a fancy looking camera bag.

[@backcountrygallery]

Great advice!

[@joshuadupuis346]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank You so much! I have recently ran into this exact problem. I was just about ready to send my Nikon 200-500 lens in. I have never been overly impressed with this lens since I bought it (used)….my first issue. I was out a few weeks back looking for Snowy Owls as well here in Michigan. I had an excellent day finding 7 different birds to shoot with this lens on my D500. Every single pic looked just like yours in the video. I was very discouraged and contacted Nikon USA for a calibration quote and getting ready to ship it out. I am sure I had the same issue as discussed in the video. I had never had that level of softness before(owned the lens since 2017) so I was puzzled. I Have since pulled up your Auto fine tune video and ran through the process. Gave it a test a few days ago with some ducks, geese and Great Blue Heron and was very pleased with the results. The big difference with this test was instead of shooting from my warm car in single digit weather I parked and walked over allowing my set up to cool properly. I am sure both the fine tune adjustment and the heat diffraction were the cause of my unfortunate Snowy Owl run. I now need to head back to give the Snowy’s another run. I had the best hit rate a few days ago I have ever pulled off and wish I made that -3 fine tune adjustment years ago. I was up yesterday to our vacation home and took a few quick shots of my Red-headed woodpecker neighbor up there who was hanging out on a tree in the back yard. The hit rate was duplicated on this mini test run while packing for home. Thanks again for all you do!

[@KnightsandWeekends]

George Costanza: "The water was cold!" - it's always great to have a handy excuse! But seriously... great observation.