Testing the 70-200 2.8IS.....Photos Included

[wpman]

While out riding around today, I passed by the local Coast Coliseum and Convention Center. I saw dogs all over the place. I decided to stop in and test out my recently acquired Canon 70-200 2.8IS lens. I have not tried the IS function until now.

I was using a Canon EOS 1D. The lighting inside the convention hall was not very good. I had to set my ISO at 800. I shot most of these pictures around 1/30th or 1/40th at f2.8 to f4.5. All were handheld with no flash. I didn't want to distract the dogs. I wanted to test the IS function in very low light levels.

I'm satisfied with the way the lens handled. I'm sure a lot of you have had good results in stark, available light situations..

BTW, I used auto levels contrast and unsharp mask to "fix" the images which were shot in the JPEG large mode.

1) ASCOB Cocker Spaniel

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/DS6-web.jpg




2) French Bulldog

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/DS8-web.jpg




3) Boston Terrier

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/DS9-web.jpg




4) English Bulldog

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/DS10-web.jpg




5) English Springer Spaniel

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/DS11-web.jpg

[pos]

You gotta love this lens, great shots. pos

[AmpedPhoto]

It appears that these shots are a bit dull in color, there not popping off my screen. I think they need some help in levels. Also you lucky guy with the IS

[flawlessly]

You need to show us 100% crop with no PP.

[KevNJ]

Your watermark image seems blurry, the ©. The first image, your name seems really blurred.

It it a transparent image your laying in ?

[kolok]

That seems more like a compression issue than watermarking. Look at the image size - only 70K. Wpman, if you can, post a link to a full size image (imageshack, photobucket, etc).

[wpman]

Rather than post the original unprocessed JPEG files here, I'll just link each one in the order as above. The files are over 1.5mb in size. The place that I shot the photos was very starkly lit.. Just a few mercury-vapor/halogen(?) lights overhead. I wasn't sure about the correct white balance setting to use, so I used automatic. I believe the color matrix setting was 4--the Adobe setting. Without checking the EXIF numbers. most of these shots were in the 150-200mm range at either 1/30th or 1/40th of a second.. I didn't want to use a flash because I didn't want to possibly "spook" or distract the dogs when the judge was checking them over.

I'm new to DSLRs..I've had my 1D about a month now..the 70-200 2.8IS about two weeks. I know my post processing skills are at the beginner level.

Here are the links..It might take 45-50 seconds to download with a high speed connection.

The Cocker Spaniel:

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/Cocker.JPG

The French Bulldog:

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/French.JPG

The Boston Terrier:

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/Boston%20T.JPG

The English Bulldog:

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/Bulldog.JPG

The Springer Spaniel:

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/Spaniel.JPG

[wpman]

About the name.. I used a batch process step to insert my name. The first "imprint" was too light, so I re-stamped them with a more opaque setting.. It was like a double stamp with a rubber stamp...

[DocFrankenstein]

What are they looking for handling the dogs like that?

nice shots and congrats on a new lens.

[wpman]

The judges check out all the physical aspects of a dog against the "standard" for the breed. The jaw has to be a certain way, the eyes, all the facial aspects as well as the body build. They also judge the poise and walk of the dog. It's not that a bulldog is a better dog than a cocker spaniel, rather it's how close a particular dog is to the "ideal" standard for the breed. It's very seldom any dogs score a perfect 10. Those who score closest to a 10--in the judge's interpretation of the standard--usually go on to win events like the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Show in New York City.

[kolok]

Wonder if a dog ever loses it and nips the judge. :eek: I mean, being poked and prodded and squeezed in all sorts of places...

[wpman]

I believe a dog is automatically disqualified if it snaps at or bites a judge.

Here's a picture of the judge checking the French Bulldog. The judge's hand is blurred as a result of the slow shutter speed. Oh, this is a RAW file..I used Canon's DPP program to tweak it.

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/French%20Feel%20Web.jpg

[DocFrankenstein]

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/French%20Feel%20Web.jpg
I'd bite the judge for sure. :lol:

The judges check out all the physical aspects of a dog against the "standard" for the breed. The jaw has to be a certain way, the eyes, all the facial aspects as well as the body build. They also judge the poise and walk of the dog. It's not that a bulldog is a better dog than a cocker spaniel, rather it's how close a particular dog is to the "ideal" standard for the breed. It's very seldom any dogs score a perfect 10. Those who score closest to a 10--in the judge's interpretation of the standard--usually go on to win events like the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Show in New York City.

Thank you for the explanation.

[deeeez]

If I may be honest, something does not look right in those pictures (the full res. ones).
Maybe a little boost in saturation, or NR? The pictures seem a little soft too.

[wpman]

The 1D, because of its anti-alias filter makes the original captures a bit soft. Canon recommends certain settings to use with the "unsharp mask" tool in PhotoShop of Photo Elements.. I shot both RAW and JPEG.. The full rez photos are unretouched, straight off the card..no post processing..

There might be differences in monitors to consider..I'm using a large LCD monitor, so its rendition of photos could be different from what your monitor shows.

Probably the biggest "challenge" taking these pictures was the lighting.. The facility was hammered by Hurricane Katrina..Was closed for something like eight months. The place is still being rebuilt more than 18 months after the hurricane. There are very few overhead lights. They're some type of mercury vapor(?) lights that give off a greenish-yellow glow. The fact that I was shooting these at 1/30th or 1/40th of a second at f3.2 at ISO 800 says something about the dearth of quality lighting.

I'm still learning my way around the digital world. I've had my 1D four weeks now. I'm still experimenting with the various settings. I guess had I used color matrix 3 instead of 4, the colors out of the camera would have been brighter.

Another problem I had was that the dogs, being a solid color--be it white, black, red, tan, gold, etc., didn't lend themselves very well to center point autofocus.. Not enough distinctive contrast lines upon which to focus. I ended up trying to lock the focus on the bottom edge of table and then recompose the picture. In this particular photo of the French Bulldog, his head is a bit soft--actually blurred--because he was moving his head as he followed his handler's hands. The shutter speed was 1/40, the aperture F4, the ISO 800.

Here's a RAW file of the French Bulldog with some auto correction and unsharp mask through Photo Elements:

http://myweb.cableone.net/wpman/French%202%20web.jpg

[David John]

They look pretty fu*king good to me, bro. I love the English Bull pic...but then again, I partial to the breed being an owner of two.