Can someone please give me some hint on how to work the 200mm f/1.8 lens

[Shekinah]

Well I have done it, I have brought the EF 200mm f/1.8L USM lens, it is coming next week, could people who have used this lens please give me some tips on what are the best settings to use with this lens?? And what Not to do?? All help would be much apprecited??

[PetKal]

Good for you, and so clever to be spending that sort of money on one of the finest tele's as opposed to putting it into just another dSLR such as 5D, as many other photogs are doing.
Hope that your new "baby adoption" process wil be uneventful and pleasant for you.

[Shekinah]

[quote=Petkal]Good for you, and so clever to be spending that sort of money on one of the finest tele's

Clever or Stupid I am about to find out!! Well the important thing is that what ever we do, we have fun doing it!

[grego]

Work out!!!!! So your arms will be used to all the weight. :)

Best settings vary from what you shoot. But its sharp at 1.8 so if you need speed, there you go. AV mode will optimize 1.8.

[Shekinah]

Work out!!!!! So your arms will be used to all the weight. :)

Best settings vary from what you shoot. But its sharp at 1.8 so if you need speed, there you go. AV mode will optimize 1.8.

I may be a female but I am not week. I have been carrying around a 3000g bag of sugar, that is the same weight as this lens. It is heavy but that is what the tripods/monopods are for. Buy the way, that means I can go shopping now for a new monopod. Yeahhhh!! As you may be able to tell, I LOVE shopping.

[cmM]

whatever you do, don't break it. I don't think Canon services these lenses any longer.

[grego]

I may be a female but I am not week. I have been carrying around a 3000g bag of sugar, that is the same weight as this lens. It is heavy but that is what the tripods/monopods are for. Buy the way, that means I can go shopping now for a new monopod. Yeahhhh!! As you may be able to tell, I LOVE shopping.

Well, that's good, but remember holding it is diff when photographing. Good thing you are getting a monopod. :) I'm sure you'll be fine and have fun.

Oh and of course, shopping is a girl's best friend. And then her other friend is diamonds, oh and then another one seems to be expensive canon lens. :lol:

[guitarman]

I may be a female but I am not week. I have been carrying around a 3000g bag of sugar, that is the same weight as this lens. It is heavy but that is what the tripods/monopods are for. Buy the way, that means I can go shopping now for a new monopod. Yeahhhh!! As you may be able to tell, I LOVE shopping.

Whats the sugar for?

[SilentBob]

Whats the sugar for?


Big cups of tea??:wink:

[grego]

maybe she's a sugar momma........ ;)

[DavidEB]

I don't have this lens, but can guess where some of your troubles may come from.

Make sure you have a really good tripod and ball head. I would suggest that the weight rating of the combination should maybe exceed 2x the weight of your lens + camera. Read this (http://www.bythom.com/support.htm)and follow his advice to the letter. Make sure your quick release mechanism can support the weight without springing loose. Get an extra QR plate to attach to the foot of the lens, so you can mount it directly on the tripod. My tripod + head cost close to $500 combined but I wouldn't trust them with that lens -- spend more.

If you're using a monopod, either add a one-axis swivel clamp or a ball head. Use same QR system as your tripod, so you can just leave the QR plate on the lens at all times. Never hold the monopod without a strap wrapped around your wrist and the camera neck strap on your neck -- amazing how many ways a monopod can slide out from under you and hit the ground.

Get a cable release. Figure out how to make a rain cover big enough for your lens and camera (you're beyond the easy plastic baggie approach)

See if the lens fits any of your camera bags, and if not, get a big photo backpack.

get a hot pad for your aching muscles after lugging it around.

have fun,

[Shekinah]

Oh and of course, shopping is a girl's best friend. And then her other friend is diamonds,

Funny you meantioned that as I have now put on hold buying a Chopard 18ct Gold watch to buy this lens, the watch will wait, the lens would have sold to someone else.

[Shekinah]

Whats the sugar for?

It just so happens that the sugar is the exact same weight as the 200mm lens so I was trying to see if I could hold it. Maybe not a good example, as a lens is longer and narrower. Anyway I do not drink tea or coffee.

[Shekinah]

I don't have this lens, but can guess where some of your troubles may come from.

Make sure you have a really good tripod and ball head. I would suggest that the weight rating of the combination should maybe exceed 2x the weight of your lens + camera. Read this (http://www.bythom.com/support.htm)and follow his advice to the letter. Make sure your quick release mechanism can support the weight without springing loose. Get an extra QR plate to attach to the foot of the lens, so you can mount it directly on the tripod. My tripod + head cost close to $500 combined but I wouldn't trust them with that lens -- spend more.

If you're using a monopod, either add a one-axis swivel clamp or a ball head. Use same QR system as your tripod, so you can just leave the QR plate on the lens at all times. Never hold the monopod without a strap wrapped around your wrist and the camera neck strap on your neck -- amazing how many ways a monopod can slide out from under you and hit the ground.

Get a cable release. Figure out how to make a rain cover big enough for your lens and camera (you're beyond the easy plastic baggie approach)

See if the lens fits any of your camera bags, and if not, get a big photo backpack.

get a hot pad for your aching muscles after lugging it around.

have fun,


Thanks for your help. Do you have any suggestions on what monopod to buy eg Manfrotto or Gitzo do you have any models that I could go and look at eg I looked at the Gitzo G1588 would that one suit me? Manfrotto seems cheaper do you know what manfrotto monopod would suit me?? Thanks for your help.

[Shekinah]

whatever you do, don't break it. I don't think Canon services these lenses any longer.

Yeah, I have phoned Canon USA today and they are not very helpful. Anyway if anything happens to the lens my insurance hopefully will cover it.

[PetKal]

This thought might generate some fire and brimstone, but if I was receiving that kind of an expensive lens, I'd do the following on it immediately upon the receipt:
* Inspect for visible damage. Shake the sucker and listen for noises at several different positions of the focus ring.
* Check all the switches as well as lens functionality when mounted on the camera, including manual focusing.
* Verify focus accuracy, speed and, again, absence of unbecoming sounds when autofocusing.
* Run it through a comprehensive photo testing. That would be my main body of "documented evidence" on lens performance. I'd get independent opinion from POTN, some knowledgeable folks in my town and similar.
* Resist the temptation to consider my lens copy "good" based on (1) the lens model folklore ("everybody says it's good "), (2) perverse logic of the kind "Costs lots of $, so it has to be good" (3) succumbing to the desire to own that lens so bad that I'd tend to play down the evidence of lens weaknesses/flaws.

[Shekinah]

This thought might generate some fire and brimstone, but if I was receiving that kind of an expensive lens, I'd do the following on it immediately upon the receipt:
* Inspect for visible damage. Shake the sucker and listen for noises at several different positions of the focus ring.
* Check all the switches as well as lens functionality when mounted on the camera, including manual focusing.
* Verify focus accuracy, speed and, again, absence of unbecoming sounds when autofocusing.
* Run it through a comprehensive photo testing. That would be my main body of "documented evidence" on lens performance. I'd get independent opinion from POTN, some knowledgeable folks in my town and similar.
* Resist the temptation to consider my lens copy "good" based on (1) the lens model folklore ("everybody says it's good "), (2) perverse logic of the kind "Costs lots of $, so it has to be good" (3) succumbing to the desire to own that lens so bad that I'd tend to play down the evidence of lens weaknesses/flaws.

Thanks for your advise.

[myth337]

Hi Sharon..

I think the advice given here as covered most of anything I could think of... and stuff I wouldn't have thought of... yet. ;)

A few months ago, I had a chance to play with this lens for a small Air Show.. and my Manfrotto Monopod got a good workout that day!! In the beginning, it was less than easy to track fast moving aircraft with it.. but as I got used to it.. it wasn't too bad.

Keep carrying the sugar bag around for practice and weight training.. ;)

It produced some of the sharpest pictures I have taken with my camera. If the guy I borrowed it from decides to sell it for any reason, I will have to see what I can sacrifice to get it!!

Enjoy.

.. Lee

[CoolToolGuy]

Well I have done it, I have brought the EF 200mm f/1.8L USM lens, it is coming next week, could people who have used this lens please give me some tips on what are the best settings to use with this lens?? And what Not to do?? All help would be much apprecited??

Sharon,

As it turns out, one of my specialties is finding the best operating techniques of photo equipment and documenting the 'hot tips' so folks can get the most out of their stuff. I have not yet gotten around to doing this for the EF 200 f1.8L, so if you ship it to me I will thoroughly check it out and return it to you with the complete 'cheat sheet' within 6 months. :rolleyes:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Just kidding - congratulations, now get out there and shoot and show us what a great chunk of glass it is.

Have Fun,

[grego]

Rick, i noticed you have both 50's. Why? What's funny is on Ebay you can probably get back more than you paid. :)

[CoolToolGuy]

Rick, i noticed you have both 50's. Why? What's funny is on Ebay you can probably get back more than you paid. :)

Not to go too far OT, but I got the 1.8 first because of the low cost. Then I found myself doing some low light work where I thought I could use the speed, so I got the 1.4. I kept the 1.8 as the normal lens for the Elan.

I'm now trying to resist (weakly) the temptation to get a 5D. I may need to clean out the camera bag to round up some cash. the nifty fifty is a candidate, as well as the 200 f2.8L. Time will tell.

Have Fun,

[HKFEVER]

The worst are:
- You have to go to gym for your arms.:p
- Need to put some thick tape on the stoppers of the hood. The paint on the lens' rim can chipped very easily by the hood's stopper.;)

[jdrenda]

Hi Sharon, something you might want to consider is the Wimberley side kick. I got one for my 300 f2.8 and it works really nice and if you do get the long release plate makes it easier to balance the camera/lens . Just a thought. John