Barred Owl (high iso=12800)

[bobfriedman]

Nikon D5 ,Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR
1/250s f/8.0 at 600.0mm iso12800

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Another fine capture.

[NancyP]

He/she is a beauty, perfectly composed.

[gchappel]

It is a nice shot, but I question why f8?
Drop it down to f4, and iso drops to 3200. 
It would also improve the background blur.  Not sure what is would do to the front stick, but worth a try.
Gary

[bobfriedman]

It is a nice shot, but I question why f8?
Drop it down to f4, and iso drops to 3200. 
It would also improve the background blur.  Not sure what is would do to the front stick, but worth a try.
Gary

too low.. a 600mm lens already has very shallow depth of field.. being as close as I was, f/8 was where I need to be to get the bird sharp.

the shallow DoF of a long lens is precisely why I have to focus tune my gear. 

fortunately, my D5 is capable of this kind of ISO performance.. and is precisely why I posted it.  I have many barred owl shots a much lower ISO.