shamrock838
2007-06-16, 11:57 AM
Greetings,
Well … the short (and the long) of it is … I visited J&R Photo yesterday … and walked out with a noticeably larger balance on my charge account. [BTW … B&H was asking $80 more … and were out of stock to boot.]
Later that day I visited LGA Spotter Site B off the GCT … see separate posting in “Spotting Planning and Review” …
1 - First thing I noticed was the 100-400mm’s size and “whiteness.” I would have preferred a less obvious black finish actually … but that’s a New Yawker speaking I guess. Then there’s its weight … a hefty handful that’ll take a tad adjusting to in terms of carrying / shooting. On this first shoot I found that sitting on a park bench and lifting / shooting only when a plane took off worked well. I left my tripod home … preferring to go hand-held this time to see what the IS could do . I’ll work out a suitable MO as I go along.
2 - The push-pull zooming was no problem once I adjusted the “Zooming Touch” ring. [My now-backup EF non-L 100-300mm had rotative zooming.]
3 - I was in AF Focus Mode and had the Focusing Range switch set at 1.8m … would using 6.5m have made a diff here?
4 - I noticed that the Manual Focusing ring moved from normal handling. I’m assuming this has no effect when in AF mode … yes?
5 - I had the Image Stabilizer (IS) on but was using Mode 1 … which may have been why some images were less-than-sharp … while others were OK. On second thought … the aircraft may have slipped momentarily out of AF point confirmation mode to cause slight blurring. Yes … I should have used Mode 2 since I was panning the aircraft as they lifted off and banked. Hey … first time out.
Now … what if I’m a passenger in a moving vehicle … say on the New Jersey Turnpike passing EWR … and want to photograph an aircraft taking off or landing. With both of “us” moving … will IS (in Mode 2) work here?
6 – BTW … when using any 100mm+ tele lens … IS or not … I increase my ISO from 200 to 400 for greater shutter speed and image stability. Yesterday’s images off the GCT were shot at 1/1000 and f/9.5 … with varying zoom values of course … albeit in IS Mode 1 instead of 2. At that speed and aperture … I’m wondering if IS would have helped at all … even if I was using the Mode 2?
7 – First use overall comments … the 100-400mm is a dream … with equivalent 160-640mm reach (re the 1.6 digital factor)! And … it’s my first “L” lens … which is a big confidence-booster in itself! I see m-a-n-y images in our collective future as I learn to get the most out of its many features. [Side note - I use the soft carry case (supplied) inside my non-photo carry / shoulder bag. I also don’t leave my gear exposed longer than necessary when in the field … especially now with a big Canon “white lens” on board. Lo-profile (spelled ‘d-i-s-c-r-e-t-e’) Mike is my byword.]
- - - -
Everything with the 100-400mm is still new to me … and I’m probably making predictably newbie mistakes and adjustments … so I’d welcome any and all comments / suggestions / tips / and such from you experienced users out there. Thanks.
Mike (shamrock838)
Well … the short (and the long) of it is … I visited J&R Photo yesterday … and walked out with a noticeably larger balance on my charge account. [BTW … B&H was asking $80 more … and were out of stock to boot.]
Later that day I visited LGA Spotter Site B off the GCT … see separate posting in “Spotting Planning and Review” …
1 - First thing I noticed was the 100-400mm’s size and “whiteness.” I would have preferred a less obvious black finish actually … but that’s a New Yawker speaking I guess. Then there’s its weight … a hefty handful that’ll take a tad adjusting to in terms of carrying / shooting. On this first shoot I found that sitting on a park bench and lifting / shooting only when a plane took off worked well. I left my tripod home … preferring to go hand-held this time to see what the IS could do . I’ll work out a suitable MO as I go along.
2 - The push-pull zooming was no problem once I adjusted the “Zooming Touch” ring. [My now-backup EF non-L 100-300mm had rotative zooming.]
3 - I was in AF Focus Mode and had the Focusing Range switch set at 1.8m … would using 6.5m have made a diff here?
4 - I noticed that the Manual Focusing ring moved from normal handling. I’m assuming this has no effect when in AF mode … yes?
5 - I had the Image Stabilizer (IS) on but was using Mode 1 … which may have been why some images were less-than-sharp … while others were OK. On second thought … the aircraft may have slipped momentarily out of AF point confirmation mode to cause slight blurring. Yes … I should have used Mode 2 since I was panning the aircraft as they lifted off and banked. Hey … first time out.
Now … what if I’m a passenger in a moving vehicle … say on the New Jersey Turnpike passing EWR … and want to photograph an aircraft taking off or landing. With both of “us” moving … will IS (in Mode 2) work here?
6 – BTW … when using any 100mm+ tele lens … IS or not … I increase my ISO from 200 to 400 for greater shutter speed and image stability. Yesterday’s images off the GCT were shot at 1/1000 and f/9.5 … with varying zoom values of course … albeit in IS Mode 1 instead of 2. At that speed and aperture … I’m wondering if IS would have helped at all … even if I was using the Mode 2?
7 – First use overall comments … the 100-400mm is a dream … with equivalent 160-640mm reach (re the 1.6 digital factor)! And … it’s my first “L” lens … which is a big confidence-booster in itself! I see m-a-n-y images in our collective future as I learn to get the most out of its many features. [Side note - I use the soft carry case (supplied) inside my non-photo carry / shoulder bag. I also don’t leave my gear exposed longer than necessary when in the field … especially now with a big Canon “white lens” on board. Lo-profile (spelled ‘d-i-s-c-r-e-t-e’) Mike is my byword.]
- - - -
Everything with the 100-400mm is still new to me … and I’m probably making predictably newbie mistakes and adjustments … so I’d welcome any and all comments / suggestions / tips / and such from you experienced users out there. Thanks.
Mike (shamrock838)