This week I bought a “new, used” camera.  I found a Nikon D3S with very low shutter actuations for sale on Craigslist.  I wanted the D3S for its 11 frames per second burst mode to help in capturing birds in flight.  I mounted it with my 70-200mm and headed down to Percival Landing to practice on some seagulls.  I wanted to be sure I understood the best focus mode to use to be sure to catch the action without losing focus.  Seagulls aren’t the most interesting birds, but you can be sure of lots of them when you’re at the harbor.  So here are some shots from the D3S with the 70-200mm f/2.8 and some with the 2x teleconverter added for more reach.  For most shots I had it on 21 point AF-C.  I think that’s what works the best for me.

Here is a sampling of what I shot that day. For the complete gallery, click here.