Capturing A Steely-Vented Hummingbird With The Canon R5 And RF 100-500mm Lens

adamrainoff — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 05:46:26 GMT

High in the Andean foothills at Mirador Barlovento above Pradera in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, I waited quietly as a male Steely-vented Hummingbird (Saucerottia saucerottei) landed on a slender branch. The late-afternoon light was perfect, and my Canon R5 paired with the RF 100-500mm lens at 500mm gave me the reach I needed without disturbing the bird.

The camera chose 1/1500 second at f/6.7 while I dialed the ISO up to 3200. The R5 handled the high ISO with remarkable cleanliness, freezing any subtle movement while the lens delivered tack-sharp detail on the eye and every iridescent feather. The emerald-green body glowed against the soft forest bokeh, with the crisp white belly and steely-blue tail creating strong contrast.

This combination of speed, reach, and high-ISO performance let me document the species ethically and efficiently in its natural habitat. The Steely-vented Hummingbird is a vital pollinator in these transitional ecosystems, and moments like this remind me why the Canon R5 and RF 100-500mm have become my go-to setup for remote conservation fieldwork.

Re: Capturing A Steely-Vented Hummingbird With The Canon R5 And RF 100-500mm Lens

Tintype_18 — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:32:04 GMT

I'll post a like and a complement on the photo. We got interested in them through a magazine, Birds & Blooms; highly recommend it for anyone interested in birds, flowers, shrubbery, etc. Hummers are our favorite birds. We have feeders out and waiting for them to appear here in SE TN.

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Capturing A Steely-Vented Hummingbird With The Canon R5 And RF 100-500mm Lens

Re: Capturing A Steely-Vented Hummingbird With The Canon R5 And RF 100-500mm Lens