Manual Mode Trials at the Beach

Yesterday was a beach day for us (at Wrightsville Beach near Wilmington NC.) While my beach-happy spouse enjoyed the surf and I worked on my burn, I used the time to try the BirdCam Manual Mode on sea- and shorebirds. In this mode the Birdcam is used like any other digital camera. However, it has its limits. Despite spectacular light and good contrasts, I failed to get any croppable images beyond ten feet. One needs to get as close as one can in lieu of having a zoom lens. I also learned that moving the camera while shooting has its downsides -- weirdly distorted images being the most interesting. But there were some jewels to be had. If one is well positioned and steady, photos like the one above are the reward. Lots of fun! but lots to learn.