Bigma birds on a gray day

[Alex Paul]

Mitch and I swapped some gear, and I got his Bigma in the deal... Of course the rain showed up at the same time as the lens... I think the Wisconsin curse may have been packaged in with the lens.. .. Anyway in between the down pours I managed to shoot some hand held shots at 500mm... I think this lens in the sun will shine... Totally manageable hand holding at 500mm..I am quite pleased with the lens.. I think once I get some time with it and the sun is shining it will produce stellar shots... Anyway here are some bad light shots from today..

Least Grebe
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/IW4Q58061.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/IW4Q58071.jpg

Osprey in flight... Seems to hit focus fairly quick and accurately
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/IW4Q57951.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/IW4Q57611.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/IW4Q57941-1.jpg

With 100-400 and 1.4 TC yesterday
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/IW4Q56971.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/IW4Q56981.jpg

With 300D and 100-300 Canon
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n119/AlexPaul_2006/IMG_02392.jpg
Thanks for having a look... Take care.....Alex

[rw2]

Right now looks like you got a good deal! The lens works well. I will be waiting for pics from Mitch with his new camera.

[Alex Paul]

Thanks RW :) Yep I think this lens will be a keeper... I appreciate the nice comment... Mitch should be showing his stuff with the 1D Monday....
Take care RW... Thanks again.....Alex

Right now looks like you got a good deal! The lens works well. I will be waiting for pics from Mitch with his new camera.

[nwyman]

okay - you've raised a question from me - how do you do the 100-400 with a 1.4 TC? I had one ordered from B&H and cancelled it, because I wasn't sure I understood how it worked and was afraid I'd damage something (either the camera or the lens). I asked the salesman at B&H and he said he didn't think it was adviseable. So, I chickened out. (I'd ordered the Kenko Prowhatever)

[cool breeze]

All good shots, but I'm really captured by the head-on Osprey.

[canonloader]

Very nice Alex. Try the Bigma on f/8 or f/9 if you have the light. I always used a tripod, so it may not be fast enough at f/9 handheld, but f/8 was a little sharper than f/7.1. Still, they look pretty good.

I wiped all the Wisconsin off the lens before I boxed it up, so that rain is from Cuba, not Wisconsin. :)

[jpalmer]

great set alex i love the first osprey. ps let me under stand this mitch has got your 1ds and you,ve got his bigma. which camera is on the bigma.

[hTr]

Most of the 500's have a sweet spot around f8 at least mine does Way to go man.

I want to see what you can do after you get used to it!!! I look at Sindri with his and can not believe what he produces.

[LindaB]

What a cracking set of shots! Superb shooting.

Linda

[Alex Paul]

Hi NW :) Here is the deal .... The 100-400L works very well with the 1.4TC on a 1 series body as is... The 1 Series auto focuses well at an aperture of f8 unlike the f5.6 needed for the prosumer camera bodies... It in no way will cause damage to camera or lens on any of the bodies though... It is just a question of function and performance.. The 40D may have been upgraded to the f8 spec but I have no knowledge about that. I suspect it would be a stellar perfomer with the 40D from all the features I know about, and the results I have been seeing from them... I used it succesfully with my 20D's but fast accurate focusing on in flights was a hit or miss proposition... It was worth the hit or miss though. The trick with auto focusing with the Canon TC on the 100-400 with the 20 and 30D's was to cellophane tape the end three pins in the big cluster on the camera side of the TC.. This keeps the lens from reporting the f stop to the camera so that auto focus continues to work.... I have been using the 100-400 with 1.4 TC for a long time now and it makes hand holding 560mm easy...
Take care...

okay - you've raised a question from me - how do you do the 100-400 with a 1.4 TC? I had one ordered from B&H and cancelled it, because I wasn't sure I understood how it worked and was afraid I'd damage something (either the camera or the lens). I asked the salesman at B&H and he said he didn't think it was adviseable. So, I chickened out. (I'd ordered the Kenko Prowhatever)

[Alex Paul]

Thanks a lot Will :)

All good shots, but I'm really captured by the head-on Osprey.

[Alex Paul]

Hey Mitch... I was hand holding this bad boy in between rain showers :D.. The terrible light was what hurt the shots, as far as I can tell... I will experiment with it as I go.... Remember the 1 series typically focuses faster and more accurately than the prosumer bodies and so I think it will be sharp wide open if I do my job right... Time will tell.... My 100-400 with TC shoots sharp wide open and the same set up had to be closed down to f8 with the 20D's to get the same results, so I am not convinced yet that it will require it.... I won't wager it though;) Lets see.... Take care buddy

Very nice Alex. Try the Bigma on f/8 or f/9 if you have the light. I always used a tripod, so it may not be fast enough at f/9 handheld, but f/8 was a little sharper than f/7.1. Still, they look pretty good.

I wiped all the Wisconsin off the lens before I boxed it up, so that rain is from Cuba, not Wisconsin. :)

[Alex Paul]

Hi Jason... Thanks very much.. Mitch has my MKI with around 6000 shutter actuations.. Like new :)... I still have my MKII a couple of 20D's and a 300D The Bigma was on the MKII today... Thanks again Jason... Glad you liked these... Take care


great set alex i love the first osprey. ps let me under stand this mitch has got your 1ds and you,ve got his bigma. which camera is on the bigma.

[Alex Paul]

Thanks Gary :) :) These are my first few shots from it, and my MKII has proven to shoot my other setup sharp wide open, which isn't supposed to be sharp ;), so I am hoping to get similar performance from the Bigma with the faster aperture....Fingers are crossed.... The light was so bad today that I can't really determine how it did with higher ISO noise, and with the lack of contrast, it is hard to see the detail through the glare :)... I think the lens is easy to hold at 500mm so I think in better light I will try all kinds of things till we get it sweet :).... You know me... I am always determined to make things work... Take care brother..

Most of the 500's have a sweet spot around f8 at least mine does Way to go man.

I want to see what you can do after you get used to it!!! I look at Sindri with his and can not believe what he produces.

[pttenn]

Terrific action shots!
Karen

[Alex Paul]

Hi Linda :) Thank you very much... I am very pleased with the Bigma... I am sure the best is yet to come from this lens.... I really appreciate it my friend... Take care


What a cracking set of shots! Superb shooting.

Linda

[Alex Paul]

Hi Karen :) :) Thank you very much... The birds are returning to my little pond and so there is fun to be had again :)... Glad you liked these... I appreciate the nice comment... Take care


Terrific action shots!
Karen

[HWP]

Pretty damn nice shots for bad light. Looks like you'll have great success with the Bigma.

I'm curious about your mention of auto focus problems with a TC. I use a 1.4 TC with my 300mm f4L and 30d and it appears to AF pretty well. Are you talking about autofocus tracking as in AI servo? Mine seems to work ok there as well since I've been able to catch some BIF shots. But I still have limited experience so maybe I'm not getting as many as I could otherwise...like taping the pins down. If I taped the pins down do you think I might see noticeable af speed difference compared to the 300mm alone.

I hope you don't think I'm trying to derail your thread here.

Thanks

Henry

[Gary Fairhead]

Considering the poor light you did quite well here. Details are there ...I especially like the Grebe and it made me smile when i opened the post:D

[Alex Paul]

Hi Henry... First of all..... Thanks very much my friend.. The taping only needs to be done with the Canon 1.4 TC on a lens that has a max aperture of f5.6 .. The f4 lenses work beautifully with nothing done... The explanation on the tape routine was for the slower lenses. I'll bet yours works beautifully pal... Take care

Pretty damn nice shots for bad light. Looks like you'll have great success with the Bigma.

I'm curious about your mention of auto focus problems with a TC. I use a 1.4 TC with my 300mm f4L and 30d and it appears to AF pretty well. Are you talking about autofocus tracking as in AI servo? Mine seems to work ok there as well since I've been able to catch some BIF shots. But I still have limited experience so maybe I'm not getting as many as I could otherwise...like taping the pins down. If I taped the pins down do you think I might see noticeable af speed difference compared to the 300mm alone.

I hope you don't think I'm trying to derail your thread here.

Thanks

Henry

[Alex Paul]

Thanks a lot Gary :).. I think the Bigma will be a hit with me once I get a little more seat time with it :) The conditions here today were as bad as it gets :).. Figures it was the first day to play with the new lens.... Glad you liked these pal... I'm sure the best is yet to come... Take care Gary... Thanks again...

Considering the poor light you did quite well here. Details are there ...I especially like the Grebe and it made me smile when i opened the post:D

[Stephen Stephen]

Great series here Alex. I must say that you appear to have gotten the knack of the Bigma a lot faster than I did. It's not an L lens but I really like mine.

[Alex Paul]

Thanks a lot Stephen... I have been seeing great results from many of you with the Bigma.. That was the motivation to give it a shot... I have been shooting the 100-400 with TC for so long now that going to a lens with this reach with no TC sure makes the learning easier... I was very pleased with the focusing speed even in the bad light today... There was so little contrast that I was amazed it hit focus as well as it did... I see that when conditions are decent I am really going to enjoy this one.... Thanks again Pal... I think it has some L in it, with a little more seat time :D

Great series here Alex. I must say that you appear to have gotten the knack of the Bigma a lot faster than I did. It's not an L lens but I really like mine.

[guitarman3]

Congrats Alex on your new acquisition. Nice shots in bad conditions! I'm really interested to see what you'll come up with in some good light.

[Samdiver74]

Alex
very nice shots, I am thinking of acquiring the 100-400 with a Canon 1.4 TC just to give me that little bit of extra reach.
After shooting a Kestrel a couple of days ago with my 70-300 Sigma I was wishing I had more reach with better IQ, so 100-400 will be next lens purchase for me, followed by the 1.4X converter

[Alex Paul]

Thanks very much Dennis... I have had so much practice shooting the 100-400 with 1.4 TC for a length of 560mm, the transition to hand holding 500 without IS doesn't seem to bad... A bit of a learning curve with the new glass, but I am psyched to see what it will do with a little more seat time... Thanks again brother... I appreciate the nice comment all the way around;)... Take care

Congrats Alex on your new acquisition. Nice shots in bad conditions! I'm really interested to see what you'll come up with in some good light.

[Alex Paul]

Allan.... I support your decision 100%... I think it is an amazing combination... allows 560mm hand held with relative ease, shoots sharp, and doesn't require a second mortgage to own ;) ;)...

Alex
very nice shots, I am thinking of acquiring the 100-400 with a Canon 1.4 TC just to give me that little bit of extra reach.
After shooting a Kestrel a couple of days ago with my 70-300 Sigma I was wishing I had more reach with better IQ, so 100-400 will be next lens purchase for me, followed by the 1.4X converter