Why I chose the OM 100-400 over the 150-400mm to photograph birds at a drinking pool.

[@richardbedford5558]

You've got a great set-up there, Mike. Brilliant...I'm envious!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you like it!

[@AndyM...]

Funnily enough I can also sit and wait for ages, I find it relaxing actually, and when something does pop up you're onto it. Nice setup Mike !!!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@davidosborn3356]

Another super breakfast time watch. Lovely video and lovely images.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@johnpark8297]

Fantastic as always Mike, thanks for making this 👍

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you.

[@GerhardBothaWFF]

Now watched it. So zoom range. OK! Nice info about the pool. Thanks!

[@cliftonwhittaker260]

Beautiful work, Mike. Thanks for the building instructions. Most of my work is done on or back porch now. I built a bird sanctuary and feeder there and I use a few potted plants at different times of the year and switch to fall leaves and grasses in the latter part of the year. I have a nice Japanese maple that makes a perfect red or yellow background in Oct and Nov. I have a crock water dish that the bird use but It isn't large enough for reflections. My camera is full frame and I use my 80-400mm most of the time for jays and cardinals, etc. Hummingbirds and small birds I usually use my 500mm. I can no longer get out during the bird migrations but I get ore beautiful shots here on the back porch although there isn't as much variety. I have been saving a large sheet of black glass to use in the bottom of a reflecting pool but I think I'm past that now and I'll probably never use it. Pity, I believe it would hav beautiful when used the right way.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you. Glad you are keeping active.

[@PaulMiguelPhotography]

Beautiful images Mike. The grass works so well.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks. Fresh young grass adds just the right colour.

[@louisswaim7024]

Thank you for your good work! I really enjoyed the images. The 100-400 is my go-to lens for birds in the wild. The flexibility is so helpful.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@stevevickers2844]

Excellent work mike and some really beautiful shots.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Many tahnks.

[@MJSPhotographyUK]

I enjoyed that video, Mike. Thanks for sharing.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you.

[@francoclivio]

Great video

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks!

[@truewarrior1980]

so chill so cool. keep up mike

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks

[@mk1photography62]

Thanks for a great video and your shots show just how sharp the 100-400 is I am getting one next February for my birthday

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Good choice!

[@mk1photography62]

Thanks I am looking forward to it

[@peterbowler6524]

Always a pleasure to watch your videos ,Mike.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@hauke3644]

Nice pictures! Obviously, good preparation is more important than top-level gear

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Very true!

[@cryptographerchris4856]

Great video. Wonderful images.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you.

[@johndoe-nh9sh]

Aaah Jays. I get a (nervous) one coming into my feeders. It'll sit in the trees above and impersonate a buzzard, presumably to clear the feeders of anything, before coming in.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

A very variable bird.

[@jimilipi5493]

I have a small concrete pond on the edge of my terrace and it's always beautiful photos of birds snorting in water against the green background of the garden in bokeh. Nice

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@aiofilms]

Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Welcome.

[@markwhitesell4491]

Awesome video and great pics, as your usual! And now I've got a new project to work on - thanks for the details on how to build it.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Good luck.

[@rogerhance5883]

Great video Mike. I do like these sort of videos where you show what you have constructed at your hide. I think the back of my reflection pool needs altering. I have it too high.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Very hard to get the rear end right, but you are the right man to do it.

[@hansvanpee6107]

Excellent pictures!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@murphyorama]

Great video Mike, I think I'm going to have a go at building one myself.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Plan the rear end first.

[@shanefeetham2920]

Another good video Mike need to get one off these built myself.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@ツPeter]

Great video as always Mike!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tomking3800]

The grass? growth at the end of the pool works a treat great set up

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you.

[@MrDunk66]

Thanks 🙏

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Welcome.

[@HGE2000_NRW]

❤❤❤❤❤Very nice pictures👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thank you.

[@53HB]

Super Mike

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks

[@enigmabletchley6936]

Lovely video, thanks!

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@bobbarnes808]

Lovely Video Mike, and using the lens that I have , makes me feel confident in my gear as I often struggle.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Being fussy about light is the most important thing in photography. Light not right I don't bother.

[@bobbarnes808]

@MikeLaneFRPS Thanks for the reply Mike, I like to go out in nature once a week, I now tend to put the 12-45 on and do landscape or big Lens and do video if the lights bad.

[@jonathanashton4758]

As usual a very helpful video - thanks Mike. I have a similar set up and like you I became obsessed with the appearance of the far edge and especially the background because you don't want the set up to look like the pool is suspended in mid air. For the edge of the pool I triesd smearing some waterproof glue and then rubbing soil into it... it seems to have worked well over 12 months.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Did similar with clay and soil mixed together.

[@markrogers256]

Nice video as always Mike. There is much discussion regarding the 100-400 on the internet. My guess is it suffers from copy variation. I bought it as I sometimes got frustrated with missing shots, clipping wings with the 300mm pro. I sent my copy back. After firmware updates and using it in perfect conditions my results were lousy! I was doing everything right to my knowledge, but getting very soft shots with unpleasant backgrounds. Then I see yourself and others who get stunning results from it! I don't think copy/sample variation is anything new, especially amongst the more budget lenses

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Sorry to hear you have had problems. It happens with expensive lenses too. Not all lenses are equal.

[@przybylskipawel]

These reflection pools present unique oportunity to take reflection shots. However I always find them very unnatural. Uncanny even. Water pools by nature's design are always situated at the lowest points. Clearly visible edge of the land close behind the edge of the water followed by distant defocused background immidiately gives out that this is some artificially elevated platform. One would have to design some oblique plane extending smoothly from the edge of the pool to make it look like a natural reservoir.

[@CamillaI]

Great video Mike the main take away for me from this video is keeping the edge of the reflection pool as flat as possible. When a Sparrowhawk visited my Garden a few years back I wish I had had a set up like this . Pond liner and edge are not the look I was going for 😢

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Sparrowhawk has bathed in this pool, but not often.

[@andrewellis3776]

Great Mike as usual. I always had a love hate relationship with the 100-400 (I owned two copies over the years). The stabilisation was never consistent and I never figured out truly if it was better switching lens IS off and using the OM-1 inbuilt IBIS, or relying on the lens IS on it’s own. If only Olympus had made this lens with sync IS like the 150-400 or 300 F4 Pro then I’m sure it would have been a keeper.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Thanks.

[@wildcat1065]

Looks so much better (more natural) without logs.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

I agree.

[@DavidL5star]

Have you considered using the 40-150 f2.8? I would have thought that would be a good option and with the faster aperture.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

For the small birds it would not be long enough.

[@nsbhagwat]

Fantastic. Can you please share the mode (Manual, shutter priority), aperture, iso for the photos you shared here in this video? Thanks.

[@Случайныйсвидетель-ш5ж]

Я пользуюсь ручным режимом с автоматическим выбором ISO.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

I shoot in Aperture priority and they were all 1600 iso.

[@christianpetersen1782]

Smashing video Mike. Two questions if I may; couldn’t you just place the table a bit further away so you could use your favourite 15-400 lens? Why does the table have to be so big when you’re only photographing the far end? Many thanks.

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

The table has been in place for over a year and is very heavy. Takes a lot of moving and getting level. I don't have a problem with the 100-400mm and I am happy to use it. The table needs to be longer than it is to get a full reflection. In some of the verticla shots the near end of the table is in the shot at the bottom of the pictures. The bigger the bird the bigger the problem.

[@toddbailey5198]

Very interesting video Mike! What focal length did you use for the smallest birds?

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

It would be 400mm or close.

[@toddbailey5198]

@@MikeLaneFRPS Thank you!

[@edwardrussell5413]

Another video with great content, 7.00am viewing would be better for me :-) Thanks

[@MikeLaneFRPS]

Okay Edward. 7am every Sunday it will be loaded for you. There is a logical reason for 8am. Next time we meet I will expain.

[@edwardrussell5413]

🤣

[@TeodorGroza]

In hide, sometimes I have two cameras with me, one for video, a for pictures

[@andirutherford2615]

Really interesting video and I am fully in agreement about the logs or stones, just wish I had a garden, though lucky to have the Lake District as my back garden and the irish sea as front garden. You said you get grey squirrels I hope have them euthanised, i find it hypocritical how some photographers come to the lakes to photograph our reds that we fight to support, yet accept greys ….. sorry a rant ……lov the videos

[@GerhardBothaWFF]

So f-stop I would guess. Going to watch now out of interest. I don’t shoot MFT but for what it is worth, I use an EF 100-400 L is ii which is F5.6 at 400. And I also have a big old EF 500mm F4 L is. The 500 is technically more demanding. You have a long beast and it is heavy. It is more challenging to get crisp shots with. The zoom has much more modern image stabilisation (is) and it is shorter and lighter. The bokeh is better on the big lens. But there is not much in it. I find I use the 500 in low light and when I can use a support. But 90% of the time, it is the zoom. No difference in IQ between the two. On my R7, I can also use a speedbooster. MFT have these too. That makes my 500 into a 350mm F2.8! Gives me 550mm equivalent. Awesome!

[@lq5109]

Hello Mike I left a message on your 8 yrs ago article on water rail Please can you comment much appreciate your beautiful work Lyn