RF 800 vs. RF 600mm

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #19316582
All of you, shooting eagles? I really really hate you. Just so you know...

Just because we have Eagles doesn't mean we can get photos; it's been dark, cloudy and rainy so much I haven't shot much of anything in like 2mo

jmckayak wrote in post #19316649
Here's a recent pic using the R5 and 800mm f11. Peregrine vs Eagle

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Wow. Amazing pic!

Snydremark wrote in post #19316698
Just because we have Eagles doesn't mean we can get photos; it's been dark, cloudy and rainy so much I haven't shot much of anything in like 2mo

I hear you, Eric. But that weather with its bad light we too have. Such is the Fall/Winter. But no matter the season, I will never get to shoot your magnificent eagles as we don’t have them here. Snifff…

The RF 600 f11 is no slouch. Red-shoulder Hawk - Quick snap-shot, handheld

jmckayak wrote in post #19316757
The RF 600 f11 is no slouch. Red-shoulder Hawk - Quick snap-shot, handheld

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Certainly not a bad lens, at all; nice shot

Well this should really piss you off

TeamSpeed wrote in post #19316485
I think a 20' MFD is problematic in some situations but not in others. I think with most wildlife situations, you are likely more than 20' away (less than the space between the 40 and 50 yard markers on a football field). But with small birds, or kids in a school event, etc, you might be a bit closer maybe.

My average shooting distance is around 20-30', I seldom manage to get much closer, even in areas that are habituated to people.

umphotography wrote in post #19318230
Well this should really piss you off

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When did you go RF?

umphotography wrote in post #19318230
Well this should really piss you off

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Okay, that does it. I’m putting you on my shlt list!

Nah, just kidding. Love you really.

Seriously though, that’s a great shot, Mike.
They’re such powerful, almost majestic looking birds.

Imagine what you could do with an R3!

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #19318342
When did you go RF?

LOL

No, Mike is still very much trying to convince himself that his 1DXII is far superior to anything that comes with an R-mount.

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #19318358
LOL

No, Mike is still very much trying to convince himself that his 1DXII is far superior to anything that comes with an R-mount.

I mean, he's welcome to continue to be wrong like that if he wants; I won't complain

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #19318358
LOL

No, Mike is still very much trying to convince himself that his 1DXII is far superior to anything that comes with an R-mount.

hahahaha

I dont feel this way at all. I know there are advantages to the R mount systems. I pretty much shoot for fun now and will do minimal paid work. I continue to get great results with the old technology so I dont feel a need to step away and go into the Rmount systems. I was out with friends a couple of weeks ago. I spent 10 minutes enjoying the eagle show and clicked off about 30 shots. This was the result. I dont think iI will get better results with the new technology. I might get a lot more and I can go through 30 shot bursts to get the best ones.....but these are really good enough for what I do.

Its all about sensor technology for me. The R3 low light performance is best in its class and it opens up a lot of possibilities for wildlife photographers. So Its on my radar. Im impressed with what I see. The RF800 is a bargin for the $$$....but until i decide to jump...the 1Dx2 and my L lens will have to do. The sigma 150-600 gets me in the RF600 comparison territory. Advantages to the sigma in terms of stops. F/11 is a great daytime lens. But I still prefer to F/4 glass because in the late and early hours when wildlife is so active, a sensor like the R3 and R6 with F/4 glass opens up big big possibilities. More so than my 1Dx2. But I can get close to performance with F4 glass. We are taking a stop or maybe 1+ 1/3 to the R6....is that worth a 3K investment Everyone has to decide

in the meantime, I am going to continue using my equipment. Its really good. And I get really good results. This is the 1Dx2 and a 150-600

Snydremark wrote in post #19316698
Just because we have Eagles doesn't mean we can get photos; it's been dark, cloudy and rainy so much I haven't shot much of anything in like 2mo

Did skagit river tours stop ?? I know they shut down for covid, but I dont see anything for this season on their FB page. I got my best stuff on the Nooksak and the skagit with F/2.8 glass and 6400 ISO......I know how dark it gets up there...I wanted to go back but they did not respond to my emails. Nothing better for bald eagles than the Nooksak river

You could do worse, Mike. You have a great set-up. The only reason I made the switch was because I didn’t feel like I had anywhere to go from my 1D4. And to be totally honest, it was the RF 800/11 that was the decisive factor for me. I could never afford one of the big whites and loosing the 1.3x crop factor of the former 1D bodies would make my relatively short 400/5.6L even shorter so I was faced with a choice: 1DXII + EF 500/4L (both used) or R6 + RF800/11 (both new and with all the new tech on board). And with weight starting to matter as I age, the R6 + RF 800/11 was my best option. And I haven’t regretted my choice once. I’m very happy with the new gear. And I have now added the RF 100-500L as well.

I would love to get a R3 though as I do miss the feel of a 1D body, but buying a R3 is out of the question. I’m still recovering from the shock of having spent so much money on something that, basically, I don’t need. Maybe in a few years when used R3 bodies are around the 2000 euro mark.

umphotography wrote in post #19318383
Did skagit river tours stop ?? I know they shut down for covid, but I dont see anything for this season on their FB page. I got my best stuff on the Nooksak and the skagit with F/2.8 glass and 6400 ISO......I know how dark it gets up there...I wanted to go back but they did not respond to my emails. Nothing better for bald eagles than the Nooksak river

I, honestly, don't know about the tour groups; We're less than 3 hours' drive away, so we just make our own day/weekend overnight trips up there. Nooksack and Skagit used to be really reliable spots to get some great shots, but in the last few years, the weather and water conditions have just not resulted in behaviors that lead to good shoots. *Viewing* has stayed pretty good, but the waters have been high enough that most of the ground feeding or in-flight fishing close to the view points have been non-existent for photo purposes. Nooksack is still better than Skagit, though, as you noted.

I recommend getting into lower British Columbia, near Boundary Bay or out to the Harrison Hot Springs area in Nov/Dec for better viewing and photo ops than either the Skagit or Nooksack offer recently. Feeding ops are better out at Harrison, as well as group shots, but Boundary Bay had an open air, composting facility open a few years back and it draws a TON of Eagles in to the area. There is a dog/walking park just across the road that I've counted as many as 200 birds in one visit (within the space of around half a mile square. Restrictions being what they are, that's more difficult right now and the roads to/from Eastern BC were recently impinged or erased in some cases by weather, so Harrison is also trickier to get to than normal years, just as way of warnings for making actual travel plans.


Re: New gear/systems - I honestly don't believe that any of the updates since the 5DII really make for better images (other than resolution increases and minor noise handling); they just make the act of producing good photos easier. As your results show, experience and knowledge of your gear far outweigh most of the upgrades except for really extreme circumstances that a much smaller percentage of shooters encounter. That doesn't mean it isn't entertaining for the rest of us to give others a good ribbing about it You've got some great results there and it makes me want to get out to them again.