Soft wildlife with 70-200ISL

chauncey · 28th of November 2007 (Wed)

You guys talked me out of upgrading my xti so please help me with my 70-200 ISL lens.

I used this lens, at all ranges, with IS on, all summer at high altitudes (no haze) in CO. and I got some really good landscapes, handheld panoramas and handheld HDR. But...

When I got the occasional shot at wildlife, the images came out softer that what I like. I thought at first it was nothing more than "buck fever" and I started paying more attention and using "sniper" tactics in locking the camera to my body. Helped only a little. This occured throughout the range of f-stops and magnification. I shoot mostly in A-V or T-V modes.

Could it be that I wasn't waiting long enough for the IS and AF to "kick in"? How long does it take? Failing that, what else could it be?

Mark_Cohran · 28th of November 2007 (Wed)

The IS and AF kick in on this lens in under a second (usually and in good light), so unless you were really quickly snapping away, I doubt that's a problem. However, if the wildlife is moving and you're trying to shoot with a low shutter speed (using the IS to hold the lens optics steady), you can still get soft photos. IS helps with camera/lens movement (shake), not subject movement.

Mark

viperx27 · 28th of November 2007 (Wed)

an example pic would really help. mine works great for wildlife, though a longer len is always nice too

Tom Reichner · 2nd of March 2009 (Mon)

Chauncey, Did you ever resolve this issue?

chauncey · 23rd of March 2009 (Mon)

Tom, you got me to thinking.
As hindsight, I don't believe the problem was in the lens, I think it was a body/user based problem.

That was about the time that I started to upgrade cameras, to the 5D>Ds2>Ds3.
I never took a quality image with the xti when extreme AF ability was necessary.
There were lots of decent landscapes, but none for that crispy critter shot.

Tom Reichner · 23rd of March 2009 (Mon)

Chauncey,

I'm glad you've figured this out. I just can't believe that people on this forum talked you out of upgrading your digitatl Rebel. Bad advice. I't great to see that you now have a body with a sensor as good as the 5D. You should see dramatic improvements in your wildlife images.

I'd love to see some of your recent attempts with the 5D.

Tom

chauncey · 23rd of March 2009 (Mon)

You misunderstood my response, I use a Ds3 now. 'Tis a superlative body.
See my signature.

28th of November 2007 (Wed)	#1
chauncey Cream of the Crop Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: MI/CO Posts: 7,683 IMAGE EDITING OK	Soft wildlife with 70-200ISL You guys talked me out of upgrading my xti so please help me with my 70-200 ISL lens. I used this lens, at all ranges, with IS on, all summer at high altitudes (no haze) in CO. and I got some really good landscapes, handheld panoramas and handheld HDR. But... When I got the occasional shot at wildlife, the images came out softer that what I like. I thought at first it was nothing more than "buck fever" and I started paying more attention and using "sniper" tactics in locking the camera to my body. Helped only a little. This occured throughout the range of f-stops and magnification. I shoot mostly in A-V or T-V modes. Could it be that I wasn't waiting long enough for the IS and AF to "kick in"? How long does it take? Failing that, what else could it be?

28th of November 2007 (Wed)	#2
Mark_Cohran Moderator Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 15,543	Re: Soft wildlife with 70-200ISL The IS and AF kick in on this lens in under a second (usually and in good light), so unless you were really quickly snapping away, I doubt that's a problem. However, if the wildlife is moving and you're trying to shoot with a low shutter speed (using the IS to hold the lens optics steady), you can still get soft photos. IS helps with camera/lens movement (shake), not subject movement. Mark __________________ Mark ----- Some primes, some zooms, some Ls, some bodies and they all play nice together. Thirty-five years of shooting and still learning. My G&N Blog (NSFW)- My Complete Gear List - Mac-Photo Website - *My Tumblr Site* (NSFW) G&N FORUM EARLY ACCESS & IMAGE POSTING RULES

28th of November 2007 (Wed)	#3
viperx27 User is banned from forums Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 305	Re: Soft wildlife with 70-200ISL an example pic would really help. mine works great for wildlife, though a longer len is always nice too

2nd of March 2009 (Mon)	#4
Tom Reichner Goldmember Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Washington state, USA Posts: 3,884	Re: Soft wildlife with 70-200ISL Chauncey, Did you ever resolve this issue? __________________ Wildlife photographed in the wild. http://www.tomreichner.com/Wildlife “There are no bad pictures; that's just how your face looks sometimes.” ― Abraham Lincoln

23rd of March 2009 (Mon)	#5
chauncey Cream of the Crop Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: MI/CO Posts: 7,683 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Soft wildlife with 70-200ISL Tom, you got me to thinking. As hindsight, I don't believe the problem was in the lens, I think it was a body/user based problem. That was about the time that I started to upgrade cameras, to the 5D>Ds2>Ds3. I never took a quality image with the xti when extreme AF ability was necessary. There were lots of decent landscapes, but none for that crispy critter shot. __________________ The things you do for yourself die with you, the things you do for others live forever. A man's worth should be judged, not when he basks in the sun, but how he faces the storm. Gear...Ds Mk III, 16-35 f/2.8, 24-105 f/4.0, 70-200 f/4 and f/2.8, 300 f/2.8, and assorted other stuff.

23rd of March 2009 (Mon)	#7
chauncey Cream of the Crop Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: MI/CO Posts: 7,683 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Soft wildlife with 70-200ISL You misunderstood my response, I use a Ds3 now. 'Tis a superlative body. See my signature. __________________ The things you do for yourself die with you, the things you do for others live forever. A man's worth should be judged, not when he basks in the sun, but how he faces the storm. Gear...Ds Mk III, 16-35 f/2.8, 24-105 f/4.0, 70-200 f/4 and f/2.8, 300 f/2.8, and assorted other stuff.

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