Tag Archives: Canon RF600mm

Day 4: (Friday 9/12/25)

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Day 4: (Friday 9/12/25), Slept great last night.  The camper bed with the mattress topper sleeps better than our bed at home.  Guess it is time to be looking for a new mattress yet again.  Seem to only get about 8 years out of them.  Anybody have a brand a model they love?

We did Mount Rushmore in the morning, got some required photos, did the tour and looked around a little.  We headed into the quaint little town of Custer SD for lunch and to give Sharon some much needed retail therapy. Then we headed back to camper to give the dogs a break. 

We headed back out at 4:00, we did the Custer State Park wildlife loop again, I say we because Sharon stayed home yesterday.  She is my good luck charm.  Large bison herd.  Even saw a couple nursing.  Couple more big bulls.  Sharon even spotted and found a mature prong horn buck laying down, I never saw it.  We then left the loop and headed to do the Needles highway for Sharon to experience it.  That is when the real magic happened.  We found 20 big horn sheep, with one alpha male.  (Yeah!). Still looking for the white goats, maybe tomorrow or Sunday.

Next up, then Badlands National Parks, and a supply run in Rapid City, SD.

Mount Rushmore in morning light.  I really enjoyed this!

Bison herd.  North America has NO Buffalo, we have Bison.

Red Dog, this springs calf.

One year old still nursing.

Juvenile Prong horn buck.  North America does not have Antelope, we have Prong Horn 

Not a huge buck, but he was the alpha male in a herd of about 20-25.

The family jewels. 

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Life is good and I am blessed!

Kent

New Teleconverter test

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Two weeks out from heading out west on our National Park vacation.  Decided to pull the trigger on the Canon RF 2X Teleconverter to complete the last missing piece of the big glass.

The following three test photos were shot at 50 yards, as measured with my golf laser range finder.  My teddy bear model is the same size as an Great Horned Owl or a small Bear’s head.  The rule of thumb in the national parks is NO closer than 50 yards from the wildlife.

Canon R5MK2 + Canon RF600 f4 = 600mm f4

Canon R5MK2 + Canon RF600 f4 + Canon RF 1.4 Teleconverter = 840mm f5.6

Canon R5MK2 + Canon RF600 f4 + Canon RF 2X Teleconverter = 1200mm f8

Doesn’t look like I’ll be giving up much sharpness withe either TC is there is adequate lighting.  

Here is an old review were I used the same teddy bear model: https://kentjarrett.com/2015/01/15/focussharpness/

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Life is good and I am blessed!

Kent

GHO in Tree Cavity

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Got a tip from a fellow “Owl’er”.  I took the chance with the weather and took off 80 miles to find the nest, still in Central Illinois.  Had a pin where to park, and a rough map of where the cavity tree was, but still took me a while to located it.  Especially since I had map upside down and started off walking away from the nest.  Went back to the truck and regrouped and started over in the right direction.  When I finally found the hole, only 1 fuzzy white head was visible.  I got 3 shots off hand held before it went back down inside the tree.  Moved the truck into location where I could observe the tree for over an hour with NO activity.  Decided I go to the nearest town, grabbed lunch and a bio break.

Went back to observation spot, still nothing.  I reclined the trucks seat and started streaming Shelby’s college softball game.  I would check the cavity every time they changed the field.  Finally in the bottom of the 4th, mom was spotted in the nest cavity.  I don’t know if she flew in, or if she climbed up from deeper in the cavity.

You can barely see the top of one of the two owlets trying to push it’s way up.

These were shot with the new RF600mm F4 IS with a 1.4 TC so effectively a 840mm f5.6

Loving the new lens, and I’ll be back to check on this family again.  Judging by the size of the one Owlet I saw, they will start to fletching soon.

At least I finally found a brown owl (with help), just wish is was closer to home. I’ll be back in the woods looking for more local owls closer to home next week.

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Life is good and I am blessed!