Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS

[Martin.D]

First example images have surfaced with regards to the Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS lens - would love to see more examples from users here on the forum..

First images I have found so far can be found here (http://www.pbase.com/mjlamoon/canon70300l)

Post away..

[Panda_stunter]

im curious as well. what does this have that the regular 70-300 f/4-5.6 other than a fatty enclosure and a red ring??

hopefully there is a ton of difference! and not just physically.

[Rainyday]

Jared Polin gave a video review of it. He's a Nikon guy so his review is slightly biased. Personally, I think it would do well if you don't mind the variable aperture and price. I'm anxious to see pics from it as well. If it looks suitable, I just might sell my Tamron 200-500 and get the Canon instead. The Tamron is a monster!

[orena]

would also like to see pics

[Martin.D]

another video review ..

On You Tube... (http://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalRevCom#p/u/2/fNbwKGpbBYQ)

No one have this lens yet?

[dtw757]

here's one photo">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5206/5239770375_d31fac5deb_b.jpg

[dtw757]

">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5089/5238829289_4b5310b521_b.jpg

[dtw757]

The black spot between the bridge and the plane is a Gull...I'm about 1500 feet from the end of the runway">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5246/5236607574_7abdf90aa7_b.jpg

[dtw757]

Another in fairly low light (and wet)">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5045/5255304669_414d284dca_b.jpg

[dtw757]

And it also does a decent job in panning......F15C on takeoff">http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5202/5245525548_35773c7113_b.jpg

[Kekumba]

Nice pics. Would love this for the airport.

[FuzzFace]

gasp! nikon strap on a 5d @6:24 hah

another video review ..

On You Tube... (http://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalRevCom#p/u/2/fNbwKGpbBYQ)

No one have this lens yet?

[pooleroes]

gasp! nikon strap on a 5d @6:24 hah

I also found that weird having a nikon strap on a Canon cam. But he's called "Nikon fan boy" he might be sponsored :)

Man I'm tempted !!!

from the site where the user did the practical review and posted pics, the bokeh is really interesting no matter the range!! I would live with the variable max appertures if it delivers this IQ!!

thanks for initiating the thread, after the first reviews, I had to pass by to see if there was one, I see it exists, with a bit of patience and some financial tweaking I think by the end of juanuary I could be posting images from this one!
Tony

[Martin.D]

review by Canon Rumours (http://www.canonrumors.com/2010/12/ef-70-300-f4-5-6l-is-review/)

Too expensive for me..

[Memory_Junction]

im curious as well. what does this have that the regular 70-300 f/4-5.6 other than a fatty enclosure and a red ring??

hopefully there is a ton of difference! and not just physically.

I have the regular 70-300. It's that bad wide open at 300 that I have stopped using it altogether. I miss the reach, though. I end up cropping photos from my 70-200 f4L all the time. The answer, from my point of view, is that it is guarranteed to have a ton of difference, and it is probably going to be my next lens. Unless, of course, I stumble upon enough money to buy the 300 2.8L.

[Nocturnus]

Would love to see more samples from the lens if possible. I'm looking at renting this lens when I take a trip over to Louisiana.

[ckkone]

More here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/ef_70-300mm_f4-56l_is_usm/

[Nocturnus]

Nice, thanks. Now, I just hope it's in stock when the time to rent comes up. I know 100mm will not cut it for my longest lens. Esp, since I'll be going to swampy areas by the coast.

[marcial4]

just get this lens the past weekend... pricey but I like my first shots with it...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5179/5445555180_af0c0685ec_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5445555180/)
semillero en un tejado (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5445555180/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5448968289_7f67c12899_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5448968289/)
después de la lluvia... el arcoiris (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5448968289/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5447458763_a064abb2b1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5447458763/)
En equilibrio (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5447458763/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[Immaculens]

So there are 2 threads for this lens, here is the other:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=922485

neither have seen much action in quite a while - based on the above link thread - I've been saving and waiting for the price to come down before I pull the trigger - but these are mainly dead threads - what's up with the lens? I know the variable aperture sucks, but its a solid performer:
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/571-canon70300f456islapsc?start=1

[mchova]

Mine just arrived this evening. I've only taken a few shots with it, but I think I'm going to like it. I'll have some time this weekend to play with it and post back.

[robonrome]

So there are 2 threads for this lens, here is the other:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=922485

neither have seen much action in quite a while - based on the above link thread - I've been saving and waiting for the price to come down before I pull the trigger - but these are mainly dead threads - what's up with the lens? I know the variable aperture sucks, but its a solid performer:
http://www.photozone.de/canon-eos/571-canon70300f456islapsc?start=1

Nothing up with this lens. It's all down to your use. I hated having to use a TC with my 70-200 f4 and this has turned out just a lot more convenient and suited to my style of shooting. I got a good deal in Thailand so price not an issue for me but is a barrier that will reduce over time. I also love the feel of this lens - it is so well balanced on my 5D2.

http://hardlightimages.zenfolio.com/img/s6/v5/p240701978-4.jpg

http://hardlightimages.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v24/p742323841-4.jpg

[jjcharity]

5Dmk2.

http://jcharity.smugmug.com/Nature/Landscape/Conservatory-1SM/1164572675_DS8Jw-XL.jpg

http://jcharity.smugmug.com/Nature/Landscape/Detroit-SM/1164572678_cVenZ-XL.jpg

5Dmk2+Kenko DGX..AF...Handheld.

http://jcharity.smugmug.com/Nature/Landscape/1-Moon-70-300L/1191733736_5RpFG-XL.jpg

[Immaculens]

Shipping ! :D :cool:

[VirtualRain]

Some recent photos with mine... (all shots at 300mm or very close to it and many at f5.6)

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v26/p502017328-4.jpg

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s1/v19/p933862698-4.jpg

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v26/p572001465-4.jpg

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s10/v2/p734954762-4.jpg

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v23/p572360770-4.jpg

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s9/v0/p567958197-4.jpg

AI servo with boat and bird moving fast in terrible light...

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s10/v18/p124438388-4.jpg

Check out the wisp of smoke on the horizon...

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s7/v7/p433157375-4.jpg

[VirtualRain]

One at 70mm...

http://chrismccormack.zenfolio.com/img/s1/v20/p394084994-4.jpg

[Immaculens]

Cool - looks like this thread may shape up to be a happy `user` thread instead of a complainer `non-user` thread :-)

[marcial4]

the closest thing to nature in my house hehehe....

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/5469677586_6a112e3017_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5469677586/)
Esperando (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5469677586/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

nice to see more people showing photos with his new L lens!...

keep this threat growing!...

[Immaculens]

the closest thing to nature in my house hehehe....

nice to see more people showing photos with his new L lens!...

keep this threat growing!...

Hi Marcia - I'll post within hours of getting mine

Hey what is the focal length & aperture of your kitty shot please?

[marcial4]

300 mm at f5.6

[Immaculens]

Received my 70-300L today. Her name is ELLY, she is beautiful, really built, and looking forward to a long relationship... ;)

the first impression out of the box was of course its weight - pretty substantial vs my previous 70-300 IS non-L. Took a few shots, played around....

The IS is very impressive also - was taking 1 second and .5 second shots of a flower on my wall @ 300mm - pretty sharp... looking forward to getting ELLY outside tomorrow and introduce her to the local waterfowl ~ ;)

[robonrome]

A few more

At 70mm on the 60D
http://hardlightimages.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v23/p457347551-5.jpg

At 300mm on 5D2 at F5.6
http://hardlightimages.zenfolio.com/img/s6/v5/p1045941443-4.jpg

[Immaculens]

A few more

wow robonrome - we're really the black sheep of the black sheep of the family - have a 'controversial' body & 'controversial' lens! ;) :p

[robonrome]

wow robonrome - we're really the black sheep of the black sheep of the family - have a 'controversial' body & 'controversial' lens! ;) :p

I know what you mean, we should be outcasts ;-)...I reckon the 60D controversy is about run it's course...will take a bit longer for the 70-300L as it hasn't been out as long.

Pity people can't just accept that everything has a niche... I always liked my 70-300 IS for usability, but not the slowish focus and lack of long end sharpness so sold it for the 70-200 F4IS, but missed the long end and hate TCs. Canon gave me what I wanted - thank you Canon :-)

[marcial4]

here's a photo of my wife... 300 mm at f5.6

good to see you finally recived your lens Immaculens...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5472006489_1d8303f307_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5472006489/)
Carmen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5472006489/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[Immaculens]

...good to see you finally recived your lens Immaculens...

Thank-you ~ awaiting fair light outside to test out 300mm with AI Servo. I was fortunate it did not really take long to ship

[rjx]

For fun I wanted to compare the length and weight of the 70-300 L with other Canon tele zooms. Thought I would post it here for the heck of it since someone else might be interested.

I got the specs from the BH website.

70-300
5.6 inch, 2.3 lbs

100-400
7.4 inch, 3 lbs

70-200 f4 IS
6.8 inch, 1.7 lbs

70-200 2.8 IS MKl
7.7 inch, 3.2 lbs

70-200 2.8 IS MKll
7.8 inch, 3.4 lbs

55-250
4.3 inch, 13.8 ounces

[marcial4]

the first thing I noticed since received my 70-300L is that weight difference between the 55-250 I had and this new lens.. but it's easy to see why when you see how well built is...

[marcial4]

ok.. two more photos of this past weekend... Both at 300 mm... for the flower macro f8, for the bird f5.6

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5485427450_884e13cf84_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5485427450/)
Una flor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5485427450/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5172/5485706651_4ec7ce9bfa_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5485706651/)
Colibri (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5485706651/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[robonrome]

Great shots marcial showing off the 300mm sharpness

[Tommydigi]

It looks really nice, I don't know if I have much need for such a lens since I kinda like the 2.8 of my 70-200 but I was amazed at the size ( at least the length )

He shows a side by side with other popular tele lenses.

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-EF-70-300mm-f-4-5.6-IS-L-USM-Lens-Review.aspx

[marcial4]

Thanks Robonrome... yes I'm very satisfy with the sharpness of this lens... Here's a heavily cropped shot.. but still show some detail to be a small hummingbird at 12 mts...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5488141359_917c53623b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5488141359/)
Colibri (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5488141359/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[marcial4]

this is more closer than the previous shot I posted!... a macro shot at 300 mm f5.6
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5131/5491543060_5d2105a07c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5491543060/)
Orquídea (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5491543060/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[marcial4]

for landscapes is a nice option!..
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5495075303_d8fb88f350_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5495075303/)
Valle de Batatal (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5495075303/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[rjx]

for landscapes is a nice option!..
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5495075303_d8fb88f350_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5495075303/)
Valle de Batatal (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5495075303/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr
Hell yeah! Love tele's for landscapes. I think they are under-used in that regard.

[marcial4]

Hell yeah! Love tele's for landscapes. I think they are under-used in that regard.

yes.. with my previous telephoto lens I didn't considered as an option to shoot landscapes.. with this one it's diferent...

meanwhile another shot... another flower...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5252/5495789558_4f3e4d6712_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5495789558/)
Flor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5495789558/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[arn]

Some pics with the 70-300L from me. Click for 1200x wide.

200mm f/5.6:
http://www.pbase.com/arn/image/132896720.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/arn/image/132896720/original)

188mm f/5.6:
http://www.pbase.com/arn/image/132897424.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/arn/image/132897424/original)

300mm f/5.6:
http://www.pbase.com/arn/image/132951545.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/arn/image/132951545/original)

300mm f/5.6:
http://www.pbase.com/arn/image/132951540.jpg (http://www.pbase.com/arn/image/132951540/original)

My 70-300L sample gallery with 100% crops is here:
http://www.pbase.com/arn/canon_70300l_samples

You can see 2560x1600 sizes in my wallpaper gallery of the padlock pics here:
http://www.pbase.com/arn/wallpapers
(click "original" there to see full size)

[Thort]

Indeed it's a sharp lens.

[Immaculens]

Indeed it's a sharp lens.

Me Likes.

still testing to see what aperture on my copy does the best - been shooting f6.3 which I'm quite happy with and allows for fast shutter on a well lit day - but frankly have not even tested f5.6 yet ;) :cool:

[Immaculens]

Golly - I better post at least a few pics or I won't be pulling my weight around here...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5490525664_a617d6f64f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5490525664/)
IMG_6175-2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5490525664/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/5500307419_3c0439ffce_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5500307419/)
IMG_6052 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5500307419/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

[robonrome]

I can say I'm not impressed with either flickr's rendering of jpegs - the dog's coat/fur is smudged online - but looks very good on Lightroom...

Might be time to try one of the other guys...I'm very happy with the rendering on Zenfolio...costs though. Great shots by the way :-)

[gkarris]

Love the aviation shots ;)

Gonna rent one for a Sci-Fi convention in August... can't wait...

[CRJ]

Golly - I better post at least a few pics or I won't be pulling my weight around here...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5490525664_a617d6f64f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5490525664/)
IMG_6175-2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5490525664/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/5500307419_3c0439ffce_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5500307419/)
IMG_6052 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5500307419/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

Great Dog!

[marcial4]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5136/5500778479_71a7318d6f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5500778479/)
El último refugio (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5500778479/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[bobobird]

Some fast action shots please if possible.

Thanks.

[Immaculens]

Some fast action shots please if possible.

Thanks.

I have some but need time to process them. a few fun ones from this morning - several more but I'll see what's worth posting. Action are my fave but have not had good days to get out and shoot ~

[bobobird]

Thanks immaculens, keep em coming.

Both pics are very nice and tell a great story. Big dog chasing the geese and their taking flight in pic 2. hehe

[marcial4]

300 mm but at f8
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/5507473592_34c5d0b183_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5507473592/)
el ganzo ojos azules (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5507473592/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[Immaculens]

I took all sorts of shots of deer and hawks to day and soem time later realized I was shooting f/5.6 @300mm... Doh! :mad: :confused::lol: ;) I'll post anything worth its salt - it will be good for me to see - usually I've been shooting at f/6.3 so - I guess I wanted to see how sharp she is at f/5.6 - here is my chance!

[Mick5]

Hi can i use Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS as a walk around lens with 7D would this combo heavy to carry in my Thinktank retro10 ?
Thanks

[marcial4]

both camera and lens are almost 2 kg inside your bag.. I walked around with them and a 17-55 2.8 lens inside a tamrac velocity bag without a problem... of course it's not a light combo...

[Immaculens]

Hi can i use Canon EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 L IS as a walk around lens with 7D would this combo heavy to carry in my Thinktank retro10 ?
Thanks

for its focal length - this is a compact lens... :cool: :cool:

1040 grams (2.3 lbs) I think, vs the 3lbs of the 100-400L

3.3 lbs for the 70-200 f/2.8 II L IS

[alex2131]

Just ordered mine today, Next day service of course!!!!!
Man I hate the waiting, Can't they send it by email, or txt message, phss its a hardware....
well maybe beem it to me just like Star Trek...Oh that would be Awesoooome. or AweZoom.
Its a zoom lens... you know 70-300... zooom LOL

Sorry I'm just not good at waiting...
Lets see what would be my first pic with it?....hmm my kids hate to be pictured, I don't have cats... no ducks around either.... There is this dog but darn it's so ugly I can't imagine it at 300mm...
the girl next door :), nah too risky... oh the waiting...
where is that brown truck...

[marcial4]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5513677876_bcae66ea0d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5513677876/)
simetria imperfecta (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5513677876/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5139/5514113551_d2db5313e3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5514113551/)
el simple bombillo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5514113551/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[oldcanon]

a few recent BIF shots with my 7D + 70-300 LIS, single shot + AI servo, ISO 400, shot at the Hawk Conservancy, Andover, UK. 300mm f5.6

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/burrowingowl.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/sakersalute.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/baldeagleapproach1.jpg

[CRJ]

a few recent BIF shots with my 7D + 70-300 LIS, single shot + AI servo, ISO 400, shot at the Hawk Conservancy, Andover, UK. 300mm f5.6

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/burrowingowl.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/sakersalute.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/baldeagleapproach1.jpg

AWESOME SHOTS!!

[Immaculens]

Nice Shots All! Enjoy seeing this lens' potential...

smiley moon a few nights ago
I tried f/6.3, 7.1, 8, and f/9 - and it appeared that f/6.3 was sharpest on my copy.

I'll try other tests but I've pretty much had my 300mm shots all at f/6.3 over the last few wks since getting it and I'm pleased.

[marcial4]

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/baldeagleapproach1.jpg

very impressive focus!!!... beautiful this shot!!!

[oldcanon]

here are a couple from the same venue showing how the 7D + 70 - 300 LIS keeps focus even with flight shots against trees, both AI servo single shot at 300 mm with f5.6 and ISO 400. Also from the Hawk Conservancy, its shows a Bald Eagle and Black Tailed Kite

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/eagleagainsttrees.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/kitebeforetrees.jpg

[alex2131]

Wow Amazing shots. Bald Eagle is my favorite, hope someday I can take some pics like these.
I got my 70-300l yesterday, still no chance to go out and play...

[mainbyte]

Thanks to all the posted pics and advice here on the Canon 70-300L, I decided to add one to my collection. I received mine today and though I didn't get much time to shoot outside I grabbed a few quick shots of a squirrel in my backyard. The sun was setting and I just put the lens on my 7D and took some quick shots. Let me say I am very pleased.

I had purchased a Tamron 70-300 trying to save some money (I actually tried two of them). Though it is a nice lens, it just didn't have what I wanted. I feel my Canon 55-250 was equal or maybe even a tad sharper then the Tamron lens.

Believe me, it took a lot for me to purchase a $1500 lens, but now that I have it in hand I am very glad I took the plunge. This is my first L lens, and now I know why I hear so many say "WOW" when they get their first one.

I thought I would post a few shots I took tonight. Please know that I am not anywhere near a professional photographer, so keep that in mind when looking at the photos. I cropped the pictures in Lightroom, but did not apply any settings. These just quickly show what a "regular guy (or gal)" might expect from this lens. There is nothing scientific about these shots.

The first two shots are ones that I took with the Tamron. I had much better light, and I really took my time. I took many shots using the Tamron of the squirrels, and all turned out pretty much the same.

All photos were taken hand-held.


http://mainbyte.com/photos/sq/sq1.jpg

http://mainbyte.com/photos/sq/sq2.jpg
The above shot is 100%

The next three shots are with the Canon 70-300 L.

http://mainbyte.com/photos/sq/sq3.jpg

http://mainbyte.com/photos/sq/sq4.jpg

http://mainbyte.com/photos/sq/sq5.jpg

I think the glints in the eyes say it all :>).. The last shot above is the squirrel in a split in a dead tree. The split is the glint in his eye. I might sound like an ad but it was hard to take a bad picture with this lens, what a joy to use.

Thanks again! I can't wait to get out and put some miles on this lens! I am open to any questions or comments.....

-Ron

[marcial4]

you get what you paid for... I think the tamron and the 70-300L lens are in a different league... even it was hard to me paid 1600$ for my first L.. I'm very pleased when see back my 55-250 shots in similar conditions with my 7D... of course is 300$ lens but they're fine for people who don't want to spend all that money for pro lenses...

a floating nest.... 300 mm at f5.6
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5171/5518235595_4f78711c3c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5518235595/)
Nido flotante (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5518235595/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[Immaculens]

nice shots folks - nice to see this L deliver the goods at f/5.6 @ 300mm.... :cool:

[oldcanon]

AI focus, single shot mode with ISO 200 at 300mm wide open. 7D+ 70-300 LIS

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/funonthebeachblackdog2.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/funonthebeachblackdog.jpg

[alex2131]

AI focus, single shot mode with ISO 200 at 300mm wide open. 7D+ 70-300 LIS

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/funonthebeachblackdog2.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/funonthebeachblackdog.jpg

Can you tell which IS method did you used for this image? I'm a bit confused which one is the best for this kind, not sure if pos. 1 or 2

Oh Pretty dog BTW

[oldcanon]

Alex, in this case I shot with IS mode 1 (vertical and horizontal stabilisation) with shutter speeds of 1/3200th for the top shot and 1/1600th for the lower shot.

The dog belonged to someone else, we were there with our Grandson (who was also rushing about having a great time! :) )

[Immaculens]

After 3 wks or so I finally had a nice sunny day + time to shoot.

Was testing AI Servo - which I was not impressed with but only because I should have known better than to use f/6.3 (next time f/7.1 or f/8 to help get more in focus)

The first two are SOOC - the remainder- edited.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5527336679_17a582859c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527336679/)
IMG_6552 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527336679/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5527336741_6bb9eaeca1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527336741/)
IMG_6554 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527336741/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

Here is the one AI Servo that turned out ok - but my keeper rate was abysmal (see aperture note above)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5527926564_4bac286197_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926564/)
IMG_6578 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926564/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

Nothing special, liked the shadows...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5527926506_d7c46eb5ef_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926506/)
IMG_6555 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926506/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

This lady and gentleman flew into town a few days ago and decided to spend a romantic getaway. Hope they stay for awhile

Stealing a kiss

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5017/5527926296_5802a37663_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926296/)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5527926140_ffe8fec573_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926140/)

This woodpecker shot is not special in itself, except to say it quite a crop - original below

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5018/5527926060_c2c9ff5b1b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926060/)
IMG_6634 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926060/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5527926714_110c0ffcc6_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5527926714/)


I'm quite pleased with stills and am still testing AI Servo against my memory of my very capable 70-300 IS non-L

[fahrvergnugen]

Wah!! The shots are all very nice & sharp..

I have one shot to share.

T1i+70-300L at 300mm 1/1000 Shutter-Priority AE f/5.6 Spot Metering ISO 800 AI Servo AF

http://gallery.me.com/petelim/100186/IMG_7342/web.jpg?ver=13002008180001

PS: Hi oldcanon, I find out how to post image..

- Pete

[oldcanon]

Well done Pete! There looks to be plenty of detail there :)

[rjx]

What is the cheapest price in the united states I can get this lens new? Anyone selling theirs?

[marcial4]

rjx almost all retail stores sells the lens at $1499, a $100 instant rebate from the original price. it's still a new lens to see a drop in his price beyond this.

another one taken today, a big iguana...
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5015/5529187681_e2212bc0b0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5529187681/)
de quien me cuido (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5529187681/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[alex2131]

Yikes Marcial4 that iguana is pretty sharp. Nice one!

[marcial4]

thanks alex.. at the same time I took the photo of the iguana, I took this shot of one of my cats when they were watching this visitor
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5530927268_c4f1c1c102_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5530927268/)
alerta (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5530927268/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[oldcanon]

whisker sharp! (nice cat too)

[Immaculens]

from the last few days

[alex2131]

Bambi, lovely pic

[alex2131]

Anyone using a 2x with this lens? Would like to see some pics and comparisons.

[arn]

Anyone using a 2x with this lens? Would like to see some pics and comparisons.

That would make it f/11 and the Canon extenders don't even physically fit...

[alex2131]

Oh yes, I was thinking of Kenko extenders, btw will it make it f11 also?

[marcial4]

I would not think about putting a 2x kenko TC on this lens.. maybe a 1.4x and doing manual focusing...

[arn]

Oh yes, I was thinking of Kenko extenders, btw will it make it f11 also?

yes, any x2 extender will make it f/11. A 1.4x would make it f/8.

[Immaculens]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5294/5535568565_7b66d8f2d1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5535568565/)
IMG_6879 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5535568565/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5536146998_659867ab38_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5536146998/)
IMG_6855 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5536146998/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

[marcial4]

nice shots immaculens!!!!

[Immaculens]

Thank-you !
I'm enjoying the lens - Its doing its job so I can feel better while I'll still be paying for it months and months down the road...

regards,
Will ;)

[fahrvergnugen]

Hi Will & marcial4

How do you get your shots so sharp?

This is one of my sharpest I can get... Still a long way to go to reach your level..

http://gallery.me.com/petelim/100186/Sunbird-/web.jpg?ver=13004484550001

-Pete

[oldcanon]

you image looks inherently sharp but under-exposed and very noisy to me? What were your shot settings?

[fahrvergnugen]

Hi oldcanon

Your shots are fantastic.. esp the eagles..

The above shot settings:-
t1i +70-300L at 300mm 1/1000 Shutter-Priority AE f/5.6 Evaluative Metering
ISO 400 AI Servo AF.

Thank you in advance for any CC and advices.

-Pete

[oldcanon]

Thanks for your kind comment Pete, I had a quick play with your image and I estimate you were around 1 to 1.5 stops under-exposed, which hasn't helped with your noise levels. (was this a crop? The noise level seems very high for only 400 ISO).

For a shot like this I would either have shot in Av mode, wide open or using manual exposure

Post-processing does show that there was detail under the noise so if you get the chance, try shooting again in the way I suggest

edit:

For comparison, this was shot with ISO 400 in manual exposure mode at 300mm wide open with 1/2000th sec. Its about 25% of the original frame and whilst it isn't a great shot does give an idea of what you should be able to achieve re: noise and sharpness without much effort

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/sakerrouse.jpg

[fahrvergnugen]

Hi oldcanon

Thank you for your advices.

Wah! Nice eagle.. That's what I should expect, right?

Ok. I will try out Av, wide open... and over-expose?

Sometimes, I think the sun here is 'not bright enough', the shot are dark when I select 1/1600th. As such, I bring up ISO which makes the shot grainer.. Sigh..

By any chance, could t1i be limiting?
Then again, most probably it is the user's fault.

Thanks again.

-Pete

[alex2131]

Here two birds near my house, CC appreciated.
Small Crops and some PP.

[oldcanon]

Pete, its a Saker Falcon which is a fair bit smaller than an Eagle. I usually try to shoot with the histogram to the right but without clipping but a lot depends on whether you are shooting against the light or with the light behind you. The key is to try to expose for the subject, not the average light (spot metering can work well sometimes). Its why I find I'm shooting in manual exposure mode more and more these days

And yes, I would consider that the minimum you should be expecting once you get your shooting right, the T1i shouldn't be reducing your image quality.

With a static bird I would happily allow my shutter speed to drop down to 1/400th sec, keeping the ISO under control (I needed the higher speed here as I wanted to get the feather detail as the bird "Roused" which is quite a fast moving process)

[lexus3x]

hi
bay it today
i am happy!!!
to sharp
100% crops from 300mm 5.6 ISO 400 1/160 flash 580II up, EOS Canon 7D
100% crops from 135mm 4.5 ISO 3200 1/50 flash 580II OFF, EOS Canon 7D

______________________________________
Canon EOS 7D / 50 1.8 II / sigma 17-50 2.8 EX DG OS / canon 70-300 L 4-5.6

[lexus3x]

resise of the previous photo

[Immaculens]

Hello fahrvergnugen - Maybe its different in certain threads on photo forums - but when somebody posts a shot with no editing involved - the poster often/usually states it is "Straight out of camera" (SOOC) which is very helpful for others to judge in certain ways - but on the other hand - everyone's different camera models do different in-camera processing, different photo editors will process jpegs differently, etc - or at least there are some variances.

I had the 50D and like the T1i (500D) - that generation of camera body did not do much in the way of "default in-camera processing" - versus - for example - 2 yrs later with the 7D/60D/T2i/T3i which made a more punchy shot by adding more saturation, contrast, and sharpening and calling it "default levels". I am referencing a 60D review on the web when I mention the different Raw/jpeg in-camera treatments certain models will do.

for myself I do a fair bit of PP including sharpening, contrast, clarity, etc, etc, in Lightroom. A few posts ago I did include a few SOOC shots

I had been shooting at f/6.3 but if light conditions permit - I shoot f/8 for better periphery focus.

One of these days I'll have to test f/5.6 on my copy - ... I keep saying that! :D :p ;)

there is nothing inherently wrong with your shot, (although yes - maybe up the exposure or brightness a touch and apply some NR) its just a matter of how much PP you wish to add to make it pop, which sometimes means just upping contrast a touch, maybe a pinch of saturation.

Keep posting and practicing and good luck - I've got a lot more experience to get myself

cheers,
Will

Hi Will & marcial4

How do you get your shots so sharp?

This is one of my sharpest I can get... Still a long way to go to reach your level..

http://gallery.me.com/petelim/100186/Sunbird-/web.jpg?ver=13004484550001

-Pete

[marcial4]

Hi Will & marcial4

How do you get your shots so sharp?

This is one of my sharpest I can get... Still a long way to go to reach your level..

http://gallery.me.com/petelim/100186/Sunbird-/web.jpg?ver=13004484550001

-Pete

Pete I see your shot sharp, with small birds it's very important to be as close as you can, this is a good way to get sharper photos, I guess you're far from the subject so getting detail from it is harder for the lens. Also you'll need to do some post processing. In my case I adjust all possible values and double standard sharpness from 25 to 50 in lightroom not only with this lens but all the rest, also get a better exposure to avoid noise when you try to recover the photo in pp. Don't be afraid to shoot at 5.6, but it's not always necessary to shoot at 1/1600 of sec if you don't have good light conditions...

Also don't discard the possibility you got a bad copy but I don't thinks this is the case. Do you use all focusing points or just the center one?

[marcial4]

tomorrow night we'll see the biggest full moon in 20 years... tonight the moon was bigger than normal.. so let's see how big will be tomorrow.. so I did some practice shots...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5538621036_ed55b70f21_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5538621036/)
La luna de hoy es grande pero la de mañana (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5538621036/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[Immaculens]

I don't know - its only about 2 inches on my monitor...?...

:D

but it looks very good! ;)

tomorrow night we'll see the biggest full moon in 20 years... tonight the moon was bigger than normal.. so let's see how big will be tomorrow.. so I did some practice shots...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5538621036_ed55b70f21_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5538621036/)
La luna de hoy es grande pero la de mañana (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5538621036/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[fahrvergnugen]

Pete, its a Saker Falcon which is a fair bit smaller than an Eagle. I usually try to shoot with the histogram to the right but without clipping but a lot depends on whether you are shooting against the light or with the light behind you. The key is to try to expose for the subject, not the average light (spot metering can work well sometimes). Its why I find I'm shooting in manual exposure mode more and more these days

And yes, I would consider that the minimum you should be expecting once you get your shooting right, the T1i shouldn't be reducing your image quality.

With a static bird I would happily allow my shutter speed to drop down to 1/400th sec, keeping the ISO under control (I needed the higher speed here as I wanted to get the feather detail as the bird "Roused" which is quite a fast moving process)
Hi oldcanon

Thank you for your kind advices. I will definitely try out Av, wide open and over-exposing.

Pardon my ignorance about the falcon.

-Pete

[fahrvergnugen]

Hello fahrvergnugen - Maybe its different in certain threads on photo forums - but when somebody posts a shot with no editing involved - the poster often/usually states it is "Straight out of camera" (SOOC) which is very helpful for others to judge in certain ways - but on the other hand - everyone's different camera models do different in-camera processing, different photo editors will process jpegs differently, etc - or at least there are some variances.

I had the 50D and like the T1i (500D) - that generation of camera body did not do much in the way of "default in-camera processing" - versus - for example - 2 yrs later with the 7D/60D/T2i/T3i which made a more punchy shot by adding more saturation, contrast, and sharpening and calling it "default levels". I am referencing a 60D review on the web when I mention the different Raw/jpeg in-camera treatments certain models will do.

for myself I do a fair bit of PP including sharpening, contrast, clarity, etc, etc, in Lightroom. A few posts ago I did include a few SOOC shots

I had been shooting at f/6.3 but if light conditions permit - I shoot f/8 for better periphery focus.

One of these days I'll have to test f/5.6 on my copy - ... I keep saying that! :D :p ;)

there is nothing inherently wrong with your shot, (although yes - maybe up the exposure or brightness a touch and apply some NR) its just a matter of how much PP you wish to add to make it pop, which sometimes means just upping contrast a touch, maybe a pinch of saturation.

Keep posting and practicing and good luck - I've got a lot more experience to get myself

cheers,
Will
Hi Will

Thank you for letting me know about SOOC.

Yes, the shot is SOOC cropped with no PP.

I have included the original shot:-
http://gallery.me.com/petelim/100186/IMG_7315/web.jpg?ver=130050095300028

Oh.. I was also advised to use f/6.3, f/8 or even f/11 at 300mm so that I can get wider DOF to get more in focus.
Now, I am kinda confused.

Thank you in advance for any comments or advices.

-Pete

[fahrvergnugen]

Pete I see your shot sharp, with small birds it's very important to be as close as you can, this is a good way to get sharper photos, I guess you're far from the subject so getting detail from it is harder for the lens. Also you'll need to do some post processing. In my case I adjust all possible values and double standard sharpness from 25 to 50 in lightroom not only with this lens but all the rest, also get a better exposure to avoid noise when you try to recover the photo in pp. Don't be afraid to shoot at 5.6, but it's not always necessary to shoot at 1/1600 of sec if you don't have good light conditions...

Also don't discard the possibility you got a bad copy but I don't thinks this is the case. Do you use all focusing points or just the center one?
Hi marcial4

Thank you for your advices.
I will have to start learning how to do post processing.

For this shot, I used center focus.

-Pete

[fahrvergnugen]

tomorrow night we'll see the biggest full moon in 20 years... tonight the moon was bigger than normal.. so let's see how big will be tomorrow.. so I did some practice shots...

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5256/5538621036_ed55b70f21_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5538621036/)
La luna de hoy es grande pero la de mañana (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5538621036/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr
Hi Marcial4

The moon is big and bright tonight (GMT+8).

May I know what settings do you use to take the moon?

-Pete

[rjx]

May I know what settings do you use to take the moon?

-Pete
click on the image
click on "actions"
select "view exif info"

[marcial4]

Hi Marcial4

The moon is big and bright tonight (GMT+8).

May I know what settings do you use to take the moon?

-Pete

Pete, focal length 300 mm, iso 250, aperture f/8 and exposure 1/640

[marcial4]

ok.. yesterday I uploaded a moon shot to do some practice for tonight... so here's my supermoon... no noise reduction applied in PP with LR3
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5178/5540956707_ea6d72371b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5540956707/)
Super Moon (3-19-2011) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5540956707/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[Immaculens]

ok.. yesterday I uploaded a moon shot to do some practice for tonight... so here's my supermoon...

Super Moon (3-19-2011) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5540956707/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

cool - but lets see a tighter crop of her please! ;) and bigger!

[marcial4]

cool - but lets see a tighter crop of her please! ;) and bigger!

reedit my previous post to put the 1024 pixels version.... ;)

[alex2131]

Here my First duckie ever, I think it looks cute. Flickr looks a bit darker though... (yeah I finally learn how to link to flicker haha)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5297/5541284121_14804d0ec1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/38799772@N06/5541284121/)
duckie (http://www.flickr.com/photos/38799772@N06/5541284121/) by AVLAB2 (http://www.flickr.com/people/38799772@N06/), on Flickr

[alex2131]

I wish it was an eagle, oh well a pigeon... ckick the image to see bigger size.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5295/5541949996_1c467a6eb0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/38799772@N06/5541949996/)
pegeon (http://www.flickr.com/photos/38799772@N06/5541949996/) by AVLAB2 (http://www.flickr.com/people/38799772@N06/), on Flickr

[marcial4]

very sharp both Alex...

[jjcharity]

This was shot last night. It was somewhat cloudy not a clear sky.
5Dmk2...70-300 L + 1.4 teleconverter = 420mm.

http://jcharity.smugmug.com/photos/1221973977_YFkTz-X2.jpg
(http://jcharity.smugmug.com/photos/1221973977_YFkTz-X2.jpg)

[Immaculens]

Very nice - looks very clean - great detail

This was shot last night. It was somewhat cloudy not a clear sky.
5Dmk2...70-300 L + 1.4 teleconverter = 420mm.

http://jcharity.smugmug.com/photos/1221973977_YFkTz-X2.jpg
(http://jcharity.smugmug.com/photos/1221973977_YFkTz-X2.jpg)

[marcial4]

nice moon shot jjcharity... really the kenko TC did a great job keeping detail... I'm considering getting one soon....

[Immaculens]

repost - didn't like how the forum rendered the jpeg - looks great in Lightroom...

although maybe my color management profile is corrupt again, as is typical with Windows... I'll delete this extraneous stuff when its figured out...

[alex2131]

This was shot last night. It was somewhat cloudy not a clear sky.
5Dmk2...70-300 L + 1.4 teleconverter = 420mm.



Nice example with the extender, Was this Kenko extender?

[alex2131]

very sharp both Alex...

Thanks Marcial, I'm still learning... moving objects are the most dificult for me, or they fly too fast or I'm way too slow :o I might start running turtles lol. One thing I know for sure, if there is something wrong it is not the lens:D.

[marcial4]

repost - didn't like how the forum rendered the jpeg - looks great in Lightroom...

although maybe my color management profile is corrupt again, as is typical with Windows... I'll delete this extraneous stuff when its figured out...

sometimes that happens to me too... shots looks great in lightroom but when looks a little bit different when I uploaded it to flickr for example...

[jjcharity]

Very nice - looks very clean - great detail

nice moon shot jjcharity... really the kenko TC did a great job keeping detail... I'm considering getting one soon....

Thanks..

Nice example with the extender, Was this Kenko extender?

Kenko DGX is great!.

[drkim]

I just ordered this lens - should be with me before the end of the week. Pulled the trigger just before the rebate expired, and with the expectation of lens prices increasing over the coming months.

I bought it as an upgrade to my 70-200L f4 - I am going on a trip to the jungles of Borneo in 6 weeks and decided that IS would be essential for the conditions there. I prefer the extra reach over the 70-200L f4 IS, for about the same price, and the portability over the 100-400L and the improved IS (as I will be backpacking).

Hopefully it's the right choice! Excellent shots from everyone so far.

[Immaculens]

I think you will be pleased... :cool:

[fahrvergnugen]

click on the image
click on "actions"
select "view exif info"
Hi rjx

Thank you very much for letting me know.
Learn something new today!!

-Pete

[fahrvergnugen]

Hi alex2131 & jjcharity

Very nice and sharp shots!!!

-Pete

[rjx]

Hi rjx

Thank you very much for letting me know.
Learn something new today!!

-Pete
Hi Pete.

Glad I could help.

I always enjoy looking at exif when I find an image on flickr I like. Unfortunately not all flickr members allow that data to be viewed.

Take care.

[oldcanon]

something at the small end of the spectrum, a 100% crop of a Bumble Bee feeding on Pieris Forestti, hand-held with ISO 400 at 1/400th sec, f5.6 and 277mm (only because I didn't check I was at full extension! :oops: )

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/beeat277mm.jpg

[arn]

a 100% crop of a Bumble Bee
Damn, that's pretty nifty!

[fahrvergnugen]

Hi oldcanon

I think I have some success with your recommendation.

The below shot settings:-
SOOC
t1i +70-300L at 300mm Aperature-Priority EV+1 f/5.6 Spot Metering ISO 200 AI Servo AF.

The subject is brighter now.
However, I noticed that the shutter speed is only 1/250 and I do not think I see sharp details at 100% crop.
What do you think I am still not doing right?
Thanks in advance.

-Pete

http://gallery.me.com/petelim/100186/Olive-backed-20Sunbird-Female-_2/web.jpg

[oldcanon]

your base problem is that you are trying to get detail from a subject that is only about 4% of the total frame area - sorry, you never will!

You need to find a way of getting closer (I reckon I can crop to 30% of the origicnal frame and get reasonable results but even then the focus needs to be spot on and ISO to be low)

You do seem to be getting better exposure though which is a step in the right direction

[Immaculens]

and if I may say that having your shutter only at 1/250th can run typical risk of getting slight motion blur which would also be amplified when shown in a crop and translated into a lack of sharpness - 'if' your subject moves at the time of the shot.

Nevertheless - nice capture!

we folks with 70-300mm vs 400+ have to be a stealthy bunch to get closer... ;)

[fahrvergnugen]

Hi oldcanon and Immaculens

Thank you for your advice and encouragement.

-Pete

[oldcanon]

one other thought Pete, you may want to consider using manual focus to really nail a small, reasonably static subject in a confused background.

[oldcanon]

Pete, a couple of pics to show what I would consider my minimum feasible size of subject,(as it is its focused on the body, not the eye) neither has been PP'd other than conversion from RAW in LR3 at base settings, the full frame has been resized to fit and the Robin is extracted as a 100% crop.
Hand-held with single point focus at about 20ft distance. 300mm, f5.6 in Av mode with ISO 200, 1/500th sec and -1/3rd ev using one-shot AF

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/robinincamellia.jpg

http://i1130.photobucket.com/albums/m531/oldcanon/robinincamellia100crop.jpg

[Immaculens]

based on the math - this thread gets an average of 77 views every time there is a new post so just taking a moment to say to all of you nice folks...

"Its a great lens! Go get it!"

and have a lovely day :)

[mainbyte]

Getting closer helps a lot.

Here are 3 shots I took, all hand-held, cropped 100%, using a 7D. I did some minor pp work. They are not great, but usable. I am still learning bird shooting. My original exposures were a bit dark so I had to lighten them just a bit. Picking up some great tips here.. thanks!

http://mainbyte.com/photos/potn/bird1.jpg
300mm f/5.6 1/250 ISO-200
focus distance/40ft

http://mainbyte.com/photos/potn/bird2.jpg
300mm f/5.6 1/320 ISO-200
focus distance/30ft

http://mainbyte.com/photos/potn/bird3.jpg
300mm f/5.6 1/400 ISO-200
focus distance/23ft

Ron

[fahrvergnugen]

Hi oldcanon

Thank you once again.
I will try out the manual focus and I think I get the idea of "minimum feasible size of subject".
I will keep on trying..

BTW, nice shot of the robin.


Hi Ron
nice shots..

-Pete

[JCG11]

Just dropping into this thread for the first time. I didn't have time to read every page. What is generally the best place to buy this lens? I saw mention of a rebate a couple days back? But it's expired? The used market looks a little thin in the Marketplace section. Of course Ideally I'd find it used in a 10/10 condition.

Thanks!

[Immaculens]

B&H or Amazon both have it for $1599 - best I see in the USA, post rebate


Just dropping into this thread for the first time. I didn't have time to read every page. What is generally the best place to buy this lens? I saw mention of a rebate a couple days back? But it's expired? The used market looks a little thin in the Marketplace section. Of course Ideally I'd find it used in a 10/10 condition.

Thanks!

[Immaculens]

Something quite different from my normal 'wildlife' - but thought I'd try something out of my comfort zone.

based on a 100mm (approx) shot at f/4.5

Snowy spring day + day off + 60D's creative filters = experimenting fun...

all ISO 6400, no flash, PP added

Miniature filter - vertical to intensify 'bokeh'
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5553919964_a1e2bd7253_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5553919964/)
IMG_7073 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5553919964/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

Mini filter - as above - with 'Toy filter' + Lr3 'Post-Crop Vignetting' effects
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5070/5553920048_ce1b0acd03_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5553920048/)
IMG_7076 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5553920048/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

as above - modified
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5553334311_cd81f68695_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5553334311/)
IMG_7076-2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5553334311/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

again modified
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5173/5553920426_5efcfe4059_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5553920426/)
IMG_7076-4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/immaculens/5553920426/) by Immaculens (http://www.flickr.com/people/immaculens/), on Flickr

Fun to do actually, looking forward to honing the process & output - and now that I see the output it seems I could add more NR but so what - this isn't of course my typical thing ~

[marcial4]

coming back since the supermoon I could not forget shooting this spider... this time the pp was done with DPP and CS5 only... no LR
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5554458056_a02c652510_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5554458056/)
ven a mi red (http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcialquintero/5554458056/) by M@rshaLL (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcialquintero/), on Flickr

[JCG11]

Could anyone comment on this lens vs. the 100-400L, which is essentially the same price? Seems to me you'rre giving up 30 on the short end for an extra 100 on the long end. Any other considerations?

[Immaculens]

Could anyone comment on this lens vs. the 100-400L, which is essentially the same price? Seems to me you'rre giving up 30 on the short end for an extra 100 on the long end. Any other considerations?

off the top of my head ~

70-300L:
- Newest IS system Canon has to offer, including mode 2

- sharper at 200mm & 300mm vs same focal length as 100-400L

- less weight and Very Portable given its focal length versus 70-200 f2.8L I & II and even the 100-400L

- no push-pull of 100-400L ... although it takes getting used to the Zoom & MF rings in their odd locations - but that takes a week or so depending on use

Addendum: However if birding is your thing, then you best be pretty good at stalking up to your subjects, since birding pretty much begins at 400mm...

[JCG11]

Thanks Immaculens. That's exactly what I was looking for. I should add I'm expanding on a 24-70L walk around lens so I have something to shoot long with at MLB baseball. Also something to shoot outdoors with walking around from time to time.