nice to see waders close up particularly when it could have been distant; Frampton Marsh today - never seen a juv would be nice -- Canon 5D3 at 1600 ISO 400 DO 2 and 2x -- I love the IQ of that camera and files are so good to work on
Hi Andy For me its all a compromise; with a perennial disc problem I am always looking to cut down weight but also ergonomics are so important; to me this is such a light and portable lens with great balance that I can carry it for half a day over my shoulder and still be birding without having to carry a monopod or tripod and always put something down to look at a bird but still have that ability to make a quick snap if anything presents itself; obviously the 500 is a better lens and on paper its not much heavier but in practice I found it tricky to balance out and hand hold whereas this is very very easy; its IQ is probably not 100% of the 500 but its not that far off particularly with the 1DX or the 5D3-- with the 7D2 I think things are more variable but I am still not a great fan of that body where the IQ is not that good unless the light is good and things are close and the focus is still messy but for recording the 7D2 and 400 together are so light and portable that I carry them around where in the past the whole 500 rig would have been sat in the car. As I said its a compromise but unless you are printing pictures at 10 feet by 20 feet I think the IQ of this lens is really good and it works great with the 1.4x but of course you are restricted to the central AF points with the 2x which makes AF slower and less useful unless you are on static subjects. Some of the Greater Sand Plover shots from Cyprus in April were with the 2x (see if you can work out which -- I probably couldn't) and al the Montagu's Harriers were with the 400 and usually 1.4 -- I love the 300 2.8 but this is that much more powerful and even better at handling and for foreign trips its a great bonus for carry on -- Graham
Thanks Graham, Recently I've only taken the 300 2.8 on foreign trips when flying and I can usually manage. I have the 500 f4 Mark I which is very heavy. Hey follow you with the 400. My son has the Mark I version and he likes that.
3 comments:
Fantastic photos Graham, what are your thoughts now on the 400DO for birding photographers?
Hi Andy
For me its all a compromise; with a perennial disc problem I am always looking to cut down weight but also ergonomics are so important; to me this is such a light and portable lens with great balance that I can carry it for half a day over my shoulder and still be birding without having to carry a monopod or tripod and always put something down to look at a bird but still have that ability to make a quick snap if anything presents itself; obviously the 500 is a better lens and on paper its not much heavier but in practice I found it tricky to balance out and hand hold whereas this is very very easy; its IQ is probably not 100% of the 500 but its not that far off particularly with the 1DX or the 5D3-- with the 7D2 I think things are more variable but I am still not a great fan of that body where the IQ is not that good unless the light is good and things are close and the focus is still messy but for recording the 7D2 and 400 together are so light and portable that I carry them around where in the past the whole 500 rig would have been sat in the car. As I said its a compromise but unless you are printing pictures at 10 feet by 20 feet I think the IQ of this lens is really good and it works great with the 1.4x but of course you are restricted to the central AF points with the 2x which makes AF slower and less useful unless you are on static subjects. Some of the Greater Sand Plover shots from Cyprus in April were with the 2x (see if you can work out which -- I probably couldn't) and al the Montagu's Harriers were with the 400 and usually 1.4 -- I love the 300 2.8 but this is that much more powerful and even better at handling and for foreign trips its a great bonus for carry on --
Graham
Thanks Graham,
Recently I've only taken the 300 2.8 on foreign trips when flying and I can usually manage. I have the 500 f4 Mark I which is very heavy. Hey follow you with the 400. My son has the Mark I version and he likes that.
Regards
Andy
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