Hummingbirds - Spring 2022

Spring has arrived in the Gulf Islands, and the colourful Rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) have arrived to join our over-wintering Annas's hummingbirds (Calypte anna).

I have been trying out the new Olympus M.Zuiko 150-400mm f4.5 + 1.25 TC lens mounted on an E-M1x body alongside the excellent Sony A1 with the FE 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 zoom.  It would be a more fair comparison if I had the new OM-1 camera for the comparison, but they are still impossible to find in Canada.

Here are a few photos from the past couple of weeks:

Rufous Hummingbird, Olympus E-M1X and 150-400mm f4.5, 500mm @ f5.6

Rufous Hummingbird, Olympus E-M1X and 150-400mm f4.5, 500mm @ f5.6

Rufous Hummingbird, Olympus E-M1X and 150-400mm f4.5, 500mm @ f5.6

Rufous Hummingbird, Olympus E-M1X and 150-400mm f4.5, 400mm @ f4.5

Anna's Hummingbird, Olympus E-M1X and 150-400mm f4.5, 400mm @ f4.5

Rufous Hummingbird, Sony A1 and 200-600mm f5.6-6.3, 600mm @ f7.1

So far, I would give the Olympus lens a slight edge in speed, sharpness and close focusing ability, while the Sony A1's bird eye AF is superior to that of the Olympus E-M1X.  I'm hoping the OM-1 will match the A1 in that department.

Winter Solstice at the Majorville Medicine Wheel

Okay, these photos were actually taken the day before the winter solstice - sometimes our schedules don't allow us to be at a location at the precise time we would like to be...

Interpretive Sign, Majorville Medicine Wheel

This visit to the Omakh, or more popularly called the Majorville Medicine Wheel, coincided with the arrival of my new Sony FE 16-35mm f4 lens, and I wanted an interesting landscape subject to put it to the test.  Getting to the location was a bit of a challenge, as some of the snow drifts I had to drive through were very deep, and proved to be a good test of the off-roading capabilities of my VW Touareg.

Majorville Medicine Wheel in Winter

Majorville Medicine Wheel in Winter

Winter Sunset at the Majorville Medicine Wheel

I had planned to return to the site a few days later, but another snowfall had made the trail to the site completely impassable.  My next visit will have to wait until spring arrives.  

In the meantime, be sure to check out my web site for more photos of Omakh - The Majorville Medicine Wheel at www.imageswest.ca.