Canon 100-400 IS L for portraits?

When your studio is New York City, 100-400 looks to be about right.

BTW - great shots.

Well well............Probab​ly the most versatile lens in candid photography.

Wonderful shots.

Ro1

maderito wrote:
When your studio is New York City, 100-400 looks to be about right.

BTW - great shots.

Maderito,
I've learned so much from you about post processing, It's like getting a reply from an old friend. Your comment is exactly what I'm talking about. Some people get fixated on what is a proper portrait lens. I rarely work in a studio. I walk the streets of NYC looking at faces. The 100-400 gives me the crop that I want at a distance that's safe and as least intrusive as possible. I have a standard portrait lens (85mm) on my F5. It rarely gets used.
Regards.
Scott

Nicely done, Scott ....
and you're right.

Most of those people looked like they were aware that there was a camera trained on them - and I don't mean to imply that that's a "bad" thing .... I've just found it really hard to be inconspicuous with that 100-400 lens when trying to catch people in a candid moment.

Even when taking similar portrait-type shots of the ol' family dog, even he's aware of something pointed in his direction .....

Great shots, though ......

Ha! Not so, because of its gigantic size and blinding white color it can be spottet from miles away... Some (most?) of these shots are clearly failed candids, intentionaly or not.

Also I kind of don't think that really mature ladies in heavy-metal-harley-davidson-leather outfits are cool so I assume if they were cool to me, then I'd say something like, WOW dude, awesome shots! The two girls with one pointing pretty accurately into the lens really brought a smile to my face

Karusel,
You really need to work on your fear of expressing yourself. Relax, eveyone's entitled to their opinion, regardles of how wrong or ill spoken they may be. 8)
Scott

Hi Scott,

I've got to agree with you! As an outside portrait lens it can produce some superb images. You can put yourself some distance from your subject and use it as a 'candid' type of lens - now only if had been black in colour?

Cheers,
Barry

Now here's what you need...

dn7elson wrote:

scottbergerphoto wrote:
The 100-400 gives me the crop that I want at a distance that's safe and as least intrusive as possible.

Now here's what you need...

I'd love to have both.$$$$$$$$$$$$.
I bought the Sigma 500 4.5 EX APO HSM. It's a great lens. A little tough to hand hold though!

Barry,
Thanks.

Regards,
Scott

Man, I'd eat KD for a month for a lens cover like that. ( hold on a minute, I am eating KD for a few months) I've stooped to using a leg cut from a pair of army surplus camo kiddies jogging pants. Elastic sewn into both ends and, Voila! instant camo cover. No way as cool as the above, but it does work.

Wouldn't we all Actually, I was referring to the camouflage sleeves for the lenses, to conceal the lens "in the wild" of NY for inconspicuous portraits 8)