A Day out at Symbio Zoo

Lovely shot of a tiny Green Tree Frog.
Focal length 180mm - as the ISO is set to 10k, the result was very noisy. To minimise the damage, the file was processed using DXO Photo Lab 5 which I think produces unbelievably good noise-free results. See for yourself. Pic by Natalie Hitchens. 1/80s @ f4, ISO10000.

This is the same file just processed using Luminar Neo's noise reduction filter - not nearly as effective as the DXO product.

Firetail Finch.
Tricky to snap in its small enclosure - dark at the back section, dappled and overexposed light at the front and constant movement!
 1/320s @ f4, ISO1250. Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

We were afraid that the Tassie Devil was going to stay out of sight under his (her?) rock but that wasn't the case. This devil spent quite some time prowling the enclosure, giving us all great opportunities for some action photography! 1/50s @ f4, ISO640. Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

Male Eclectus Parrot, a native from far north Queensland and overseas - a unique bird in that the male is predominantly green, while the female is bright red (Symbio didn't have a female). Unfortunately, even using a 600mm equivalent lens, the bars on the back of the cage still show up
M.Zuiko 300mm f4 lens, 1/160s @ f4, ISO250, -1 f-stop.  

Technique: FYI Here's a good example (at left) of how sunlight falling on the cage mesh can ruin any attempt to get a sharp, clear image. Shifting the lens to the shoot through an unlit part of the cage (at right) produces far more satisfactory (and editable) results.

Close up of the front leg of a monitor lizard. The M.Zuiko 300mm f4 lens has an extraordinary close focussing feature (down to 1.4m) which allows you to get really near to (relatively) small subjects like this. The Canon equivalent, its hefty EF600mm f4 lens only focusses to 4.5metres
M.Zuiko 300mm f4 lens, 1/400s @ f4, ISO200, -1 f-stop.

Gouldian Finch
These amazingly colourful birds are endangered - although I read recently that numbers are increasing. This was snapped in a small enclosure so, although I was able to defocus the front mesh, the DOF was not shallow enough to make the mesh at the back of the cage invisible.
Focal length: 600mm, 1/3200s @ f4, ISO3200.

An immature (Gouldian finch?) photographed against a dark background - which effectively removes any tell-tale signs of wire mesh.
1/1250s @ f4, ISO2500, -0.7 f-stop.

Rare albino Echidna.
What struck us about many of the exhibits at Symbio was how well the enclosures were designed - the echidnas had a small stream running through the exhibit which was a nice touch. Catching an echidna in a good pose was tricky as they spend a lot of time snuffling in the dirt!
Focal length - 600mm, 1/1000s @ f4, ISO800.

Wedge-tailed Eagle - another very tricky portrait as this huge bird was at the rear of the cage, perched in dappled sun with a slatted timber background. Focal length 600mm. 1/8000s  f4, ISO1600.

Koala and Joey
Normally koalas are seen at rest unless you coincide your visit with feeding time. At Symbio we were very lucky to see this mother and joey - something that I have never seen before. (Pic by Graham Robinson, 1/800s @ f5, ISO200, -1/3 stop). 

Indian Star Tortoise
Endangered species from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
1/100s @ f5.6, ISO10000 (Pic by Graham Robinson).

Another Australian mammal that's hard to capture with a camera - Tassie Devils are often asleep in their dens or pacing at speed around their enclosures. This one has been caught on the prowl - the long 300mm lens produces a shot that makes it look as though you are almost on the same level as the devil. 1/640s @ f5.6, ISO200, -1/3 f-stop. Pic by Graham Robinson.

A great shot of a Gang Gang Parrot. Shooting with a 300mm lens really helps minimise the distractions of enclosure wire - it's never going to get rid of it entirely, but the wide aperture and long focal length certainly helps. 1/400s @ f4, ISO400. Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

A pair of Marmosets - tiny little critters smaller than a cat - very active and hard to capture in camera. 
1/250s @ f5.6, ISO640. Pic by Graham Robinson. 

Gouldian Finch in all of its colourful glory - these birds have to be seen to be believed. Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

A Tasmanian Devil doing what it does best - sniffing the air for food - like Graham's version above, this image gives you a really good idea of what its eating habits might be like. In the wild devils feed off carrion - and that includes dealing with all the bones - so I wouldn't pat one! Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

Another shot of the unusual albino Echidna, better than my version as this, shot on a lens with half the magnification (300mm equiv), provides a far more realistic environmental context. Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

I never even saw this fancy cockerel among the exhibits - captured here in 'mid-crow'. Symbio has a popular farm animals section which is fun to visit; alpacas, goats, chooks, ducks, quail and more.
Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

Another shy tree frog hiding up at the top of the cage. 1/320s @ f4, ISO1000. Pic by Natalie Hitchens

Meerkat doing what meerkats do best - be on constant lookout for danger, not from the human visitors that they mostly ignore, but aerial predators like birds of prey. Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

A tricky shot of a Bearded Dragon (?) up a fake tree. Most of the exhibits in the reptile house are heavily illuminated with different colour temperature lamps - making it hard to control the White Balance and therefore the final colour. 1/60s @ f4, ISO10000. Processed using DXO Photo Lab 5. Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

Shaggy billy goat in the kid's farm section of the zoo. Pic by Natalie Hitchens.

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Another shot of the male Eclectus parrot - by Natalie Hitchens.
Focal length: 300mm. 1/400s @ f4, ISO400. Below: Everyone loves a Red Panda. Like many animals in captivity, these two prowled through their spacious enclosure, only stopping for a snooze high up in a tree, nicely obscured by leaves and branches. Pic also by Natalie Hitchens.