Mr and Mrs Chaffinch.

[John 2]

I wish I could tell you about all the great gear I used to take these but the main piece of equipment was the remains of a ham sandwich. I'll own up to the first one being a PS composite. They were on the same log at the same time but I have moved them closer together.

All with a Nikon D7100 and the 18-200mm Nikkor. ISO 800 @ various settings

[FrankMi]

Outstanding images John. I'm thinking about replacing my D3100 with a D7100 and images like these are a good argument for spending the money!

On the other hand, if I had the skill to get images like these, I likely wouldn't need to spend the money!

[pnodrog]

All good but I particularly like the first shot regardless of your shocking confession......

[Brownbear]

Very nice. Lovely detail. I especially like 1,2 and 3, and especially 3.

[FootLoose]

Great captures, John, and good work on the comp.

[deetheturk]

Great images John,well captured bud!

David

[IzzieK]

Awwww....how beautiful are these birdies! You did very well capturing them. I don't care if the first one is a composite, it is a nice composite anyway. I particularly like -- all of them.

[bnnrcn]

Stunning images John I would never know that #1 was a composite, if you didn't tell us. It is a great composition and very good work.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[CaolIla]

The first one is really nice and could be hanging on the wall.
A bit to heavy sharpening of all of them though. I can see that you have softened the background afterwards on at least the first one making it less disturbing.
The last one has leafs just behind the bird that has become just massive green fields.

But, none the less the first one is a keeper.

[MariaMaria]

Gorgeous photos! So nice and clear. My D7100 and I have to get to know one another a lot better before I can make images like those!

[Scouse]

Well done John. Nice captures (nice fake)

[John 2]

Thanks so much for your comments. Frank, I wouldn't disuade you. I think that I have already said elsewhere, the quality rendered by the 7100's pixel count in combination witha good lens (an some learning from this forum) has been enough to make any thoughts of FF redundant for me - for the sort of thing that I do. If I was in the business of making super enlargements, that probably wouldn't be the case, but I'm not.

LP, thanks. I see photography as making images and although I wouldn't enter the first image in a natural history catagory in composition, I'm relaxed about doing that sort of thing. Although, I would rather make a "shocking confession" than be caught out.

Thanks Mats. You could be right about the sharpening. I left the Nik Output Sharpener on its default setting and perhaps I should have backed it off a bit. The BG in 1 hasn't been softened. That's how the lens rendered it. I have however, desaturated and darkened the yellows and greens selectively. 1, 2 and 3 are the same image in that respect. I have softened the back ground in the last image though. The Ivy was just too busy. You can tell here because I have had to select the bird to retain it's focus and it has made the edges more coarse.