Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/22

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Subject: Eagles and the Vario-Elmar (Re: [Leica] Turkeys and Telyts wee
From: "Roy Zartarian" <royzart@connix.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 22:05:32 +0000

The eagle wintering season in southern New England will soon 
come to an end. So recently a friend & I took a three-hour 
eagle watching cruise on the Connecticut River in the course of an 
absolutely beautiful day. Because we had been on this particular trip 
a couple of years ago and knew what to expect once underway, I 
decided against the encumbrance of a 400/6.8 and shoulder stock along 
with binoculars and camera bag amidst all the passengers.  Instead,  
a recently acquired 80-200 Vario Elmar came along so that I could 
see  how it would perform in an environment other than my back 
yard where it's done some very nice images of my resident downy 
woodpecker.

Well, I had a hunch that I would be underpowered, glass-wise, and 
that turned out to be the case.  The cruise is an environmentally 
conscious operation and for reasons of both safety and concern for 
the birds themselves the captain did not approach closely. The negs 
on the light table and some Panalure prints do show some decent 
record shots but nothing to compare with Robert Stevens' magnificient 
pictures. 

Nevertheless, the day was a memorable one: 12 immature bald eagles, 4 
adults, some red-throated loons, a golden eagle (unusual for these 
parts), a rough legged hawk (ditto), and a harbor seal!

And next year, the 400 will come along.

Roy