Speaking of EXIF

[Belmondo]

I was out having some fun with my 400mm f/5.6L lens along with the 2X extender. I actually had some good success with it for a change---earlier attempts had resulted in less than stellar picture quality for reasons I still don't understand. I hate the cliche, but the pictures today were 'tack sharp.'

Anyway, my question is: I notice the 2X extender does not show up in the EXIF information. Is that normal? If so, is that common to all Canon telephoto lenses when used with the 2X extender? Does it also apply to the 1.4X extender? Can we edit EXIF files when there's an obvious error or omission? It's useful information, and I hate the thoughts of it being incorrect.

Thanks,

Tom

[lightandlife]

Not having used it before, I really don't know.

If the extender is added at the end of the zoom, the camera would not know if you added one.

If it is added before the zoom, perhaps the camera thinks it is just a socket for the zoom and the extender may not give any extra information to the camera, such as its presence or what magnification factor it has.

[JABACo]

Tom,

I have the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 with the 2x TC. In my exif it shows up as a 140-400mm so I assume it recognizes it this way.

Bradley

[Belmondo]

JABACo wrote:
Tom,

I have the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 with the 2x TC. In my exif it shows up as a 140-400mm so I assume it recognizes it this way.

Maybe the Sigma lens/extender combo is 'smarter' than Canon. That would sure upset a few folks!

Thanks for the feedback.

Tom

[JABACo]

Tom,

Well I'd hate to think so but you may have a point there. I only bought the Sigma for financial reasons.

Bradley

[Belmondo]

I was back out today shooting the same setup, and the EXIF files showed 800mm. Hmmmmmm.

What's really interesting is, the pictures were not that great again Of course, the lens doesn't autofocus with the 2X extender on it, and I was focusing manually, but they still seemed generally out-of-focus.

The biggest difference between today and yesterday is that I was shooting in the morning yesterday, and in the afternoon today---in other words, it was much warmer, and I was getting a lot of heat distortion beyond about 200-300 feet.

Anyway, the EXIF file was showing the proper focal length, so I've answered most of my own questions, I suppose.

Thanks,

Tom

[JABACo]

belmondo wrote:
I was back out today shooting the same setup, and the EXIF files showed 800mm. Hmmmmmm.

What's really interesting is, the pictures were not that great again Of course, the lens doesn't autofocus with the 2X extender on it, and I was focusing manually, but they still seemed generally out-of-focus.

The biggest difference between today and yesterday is that I was shooting in the morning yesterday, and in the afternoon today---in other words, it was much warmer, and I was getting a lot of heat distortion beyond about 200-300 feet.

Anyway, the EXIF file was showing the proper focal length, so I've answered most of my own questions, I suppose.

Thanks,

Tom

Tom,

First, remember to attach the extender to the lens first, then to the camera.

Second, and I can't speak for the Canon L but only on the Sigma, at the full range on mine with AF I get blurry pictures as well. This is due to my not holding steady on a monopod. I just pull back a little and there's no problem.

Bradley

[Belmondo]

Bradley:
Thanks for your input. I went back and closely studied the pictures I took today, and I'm more convinced than ever that the problems related to the heat. It was just over 100 degrees here in the desert, and the wind was blowing quite hard. I looked at a couple of the pictures that were essentially infinity-focus shots at ground level, and the heat distortion is extremely noticeable starting at a couple hundred feet. At several hundred feet, the image is almost not recognizable.

On the other hand, I took a couple pictures of the upper station of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway on Mt. San Jacinto. It’s a few miles away, and about 8,000 feet above where I was standing. Although the pictures still suffer from the heat distortion, they’re a lot clearer than the ground-level shots.

I guess this is all part of the learning curve---for now, I’ll have to leave the extender in the bag and only take it out when it’s nice and cool. In the desert, that severely limits my opportunities for using it.

Here’s a couple examples of what I’m talking about.


Tom
http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/data/500/353Mt_San_Jacinto-med.jpg
http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/data/500/353116_1669-med.jpg