500mm 2.8

A friend of mine has a canon 500mm 2.8 that he bought so he could shoot his Nascar races and doesnt use it much since its "so big" and "I dont like the effect it gets from the 1.6 crop on my 30D"...after talking to him about it for a while he said I could use it whenever I wanted...I was at first like DANG...then I was like, Dnage, thats 10-15K lens, what if I breath on it wrong...LOL

I guess my question is, what else would it be good for other then wildlife up here in Alaska? there are not car races I could use it on, and it seem too long for soccer, or is it?

I just wanna use it cuz it sounds cool...

Oooo I know... spying on Canadians.

It is f/4 not f/2.8.

The lens is one of the best available for wildlife and birds. In the southern US it is used to get topless shots of movie stars sunbathing by their swimming pools, but that is not much use in Alaska at this time of the year.

A 500 mm lens can have a great many uses. It can even be used for landscape shots where it flattens distances, bringing both close and distant objects into the same narrow view for intesting effects. You need to find exactly the right location where that will work well.

I didn't know there was a 500mm f2.8???

So what lens are you really talking about?

superdiver wrote in post #2560916
A friend of mine has a canon 500mm 2.8

No such lens.

its either the 500 f/4 or the 400 f/2.8

not any southern US that I know of. we're simple homespun type here. don't go in for that big city stuff.

Well as has been said... no such lens as a 500 f2.8; Pity mind.
You will see a 500 f4 or the 400 f2.8 which IMO is one of the best lenses ever for sport on a film SLR, add a 1.4 and you get a 600 f4.... or with most digitals you get 600 with no converter.
The old 500 f4.5 used to be nice and light, if a bit slow... I used to prefer the 600 f4 if I need anything that long...coz 4.5 was really nearly 5.6... so dark for focusing and the AF didn't like it.
Regards
Gareth

DavidEB wrote in post #2561296
not any southern US that I know of. we're simple homespun type here. don't go in for that big city stuff.

I believe he was referring to LA, which technically is in the south.. but is really "out west" and not "down south."

LOL...thanks guys...I think he was refering to south of HERE...

He must be confused on what he has...maybe I will borrow it one of these nice weekends and play with it and see what it is and how it runs....

For Nascar I'd think 400mm f/2.8

It would be great for wildlife (though heavy) and works very well with both of Canon's T-cons.
Don't even think of borrowing it unless he or you have a substantial tripod to hold it (13 pounds )

The 500mm f/4 on the other hand is a little easier to deal with, @ about 8 pounds, if it's the IS version it even works well on a solid monopod. But still a good tripod is best.

For Alaska... I know you said other than wildlife, but it's really ideal for bears and birds. Having taken a bush flight out to Katmai NP in the Fall, I'd have killed for the reach. My 70-200 f/4 and 1.4x TC didn't quite pack the same punch, not until the bears came closer anyway, and by then you could have used a wide angle... for candids at standoff ranges, the reach certainly would have been nice.

Bit of a haul from Ketchikan, though. Maybe whales when they return, if that's your immediate range? You should have tons of opportunities for bald eagle shots too, though that's rather obvious and you've likely already figured that one out.

Other than wildlife... you know, if it's a 2.8, it would be a killer lens for arena ice hockey in Alaska. I'd love to take one to Washington Caps games down here. If f/4, a bit slow.

The 500 could still be good for sports. I have even seen a guy using the 600 for youth soccer matches. Heck, the 400 on a crop camera is barely long enough for action at the opposite end of the pitch, so a 500 would be nice for the far end of the pitch.

Most reviews of the 500 f/4L IS say it is still sharper with a 1.4x TC than a 400 f/5.6L is without one. THAT must be wicked sharp without one.

DavidEB wrote in post #2561296
not any southern US that I know of. we're simple homespun type here. don't go in for that big city stuff.

Ohhhh! You said big City!