First Pictures With a Long Lens

I acquired a 75mm to 300mm lens. I hope this will let me get better pictures of distant things like aircraft, birds, and little furry critters.

I have missed getting photographs of some animals because I couldn't creep up close enough before they decided to get away from me, which almost all of them do with great speed. Now I won't have to get so close to fill the frame, which means I'm less likely to spook the creature I want to photograph.

It just happens today is not at all ideal for picture taking. The sky is overcast and snow falls continually. Nevertheless, I tried out my lens and the two pictures that follow are the result.

This photograph is at the widest/shortest setting for the lens. 75mm. I was inside about 40 feet/12 meters from the tree and bird feeder. At this angle in low light you can see the trees in the distance are out of focus. Depth of field now comes into play.

This is the same subject with the full length of the lens, 300mm. I focused on the bird feeder. You can see some of the branches are slightly out of focus and the road and pole in the background are completely blurry. I'm beginning to understand why Akira Kurosawa liked using a long lens.