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Archive 2014 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm

  
 
PetKal
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


I will try to shoot the same target (Common terns in full cruise flight) three days in a row, under similar light conditions and distances, using the same 1DX camera (same settings, M exposure mode), with the following handheld lenses/combos:

(1) 500 II + 1.4xTC III
(2) 800L
(3) 600 II + 1.4xTC III
-----------------------------

Each shooting sessions will be limited to about an hour, perhaps resulting in about 300 frames out of which 30 or so are expected to be viable.

At the end I will try to compare the combos performance and effectiveness.

Hopefully the weather as well as them little pijuns will be cooperating.

Here's a couple of Part I sample shots obtained today with 500 II + 1.4xTC III.

Edited on Jun 27, 2014 at 07:15 PM · View previous versions



Jun 26, 2014 at 06:22 PM
mitesh
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Great start, Peter- looking forward to the next two sets and to reading your conclusions!


Jun 26, 2014 at 06:37 PM
Tapeman
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Great pics as usual. I also like the pics. I get from this combo. Yours are better than mine. Glad to see post from you


Jun 26, 2014 at 06:59 PM
psharvic
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Looking forwards to your analysis, Peter.


Jun 26, 2014 at 07:31 PM
StillFingerz
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Peter, sounds like a pretty cool bit of testing, first round results look great. The sharpness and clarity is spot on, and it seems the 1DX's AF is nailing it. Do you regularly use center point AF, expanded or zone when shooting your fast pijuns?

Hope the next few days are clear and your pijuns on the correct flight path



Jun 26, 2014 at 08:00 PM
PetKal
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Thanx Jerry.
When the background is vacant like in the shots above, I`d often use the center zone AF. However, when I do kind of proximity shots, I`d go for the center AF point with expansion. The reason for that is in AF accuracy under insufficient DOF. Zone AF will ``grab `` any part of the bird indiscriminately, whereas with the center AF point I try to aim for its cheek or eye or bill.

Let us just say that proximity BIF shots with long lenses are quite challenging on several levels.



Jun 26, 2014 at 08:25 PM
burningheart
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Very nice Peter, good to see you out running your analysis tests again. Have fun.


Jun 26, 2014 at 09:29 PM
Pixel Perfect
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Interested to see how AF of the 500/600 + 1.4 compares to the 800. For handholding 500 wins hands down of course, so will be also interested to see if you get more keepers due to lower weight or if 800 still trumps due to (possibly) better AF.


Jun 26, 2014 at 10:34 PM
Doctorbird
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


This will be interesting Peter. I bet you already have an opinion on the results. Fairly good feather details and beak textures so far. Please provide exposure details and crop factors.

Db



Jun 27, 2014 at 12:27 AM
Bones74
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Great shots Peter, looking forward to the rest of your test. As you know I love the 1DX / 500ii + 1.4 x iii combo. The TC practically lives on my lens and the overall performance never fails to impress. Hope you're well, Stu


Jun 27, 2014 at 01:33 AM
PetKal
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Doctorbird wrote:
This will be interesting Peter. I bet you already have an opinion on the results. Fairly good feather details and beak textures so far. Please provide exposure details and crop factors.

Db


Well, Db, I do have a pretty good feel on the outcome, although I have not done the comparison in as direct manner as I am trying to do now.
There seems to be some good light this morning, and I hope that there will be some pijuns flying.

I shall take the 600 II out now, and leave the 800L for the last part because the heavier lens may wreck my left shoulder which has been acting up.

The above shots were done at 1/1600 sec, f/10 to f/11 and ISO 800.
For 600 II + 1.4xTC I will raise the shutter speed to 1/2000 and stop the lens down to f/13.



Jun 27, 2014 at 05:12 AM
PetKal
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Bones74 wrote:
Great shots Peter, looking forward to the rest of your test. As you know I love the 1DX / 500ii + 1.4 x iii combo. The TC practically lives on my lens and the overall performance never fails to impress. Hope you're well, Stu


Thank you Stu. Not surprised that the 700mm is your staple lens combo. The TC takes some edge of the lurching AF behaviour of the bare lens, yet it doesn't affect the IQ in any significant manner. A winner all around, I'd say.



Jun 27, 2014 at 06:12 AM
PetKal
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Here the Pt. 2: 600 II + 1.4xTC III.
The main shooting parameters were 1/1600- 1/2000 sec, f/13, ISO1600.

Edited on Jun 27, 2014 at 07:14 PM · View previous versions



Jun 27, 2014 at 10:38 AM
Doctorbird
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Peter, on first sight these looks 'better'.

But for this to have any validity, it has to be done as a blind test - with blindfolds and thick gloves throughout.

Db



Jun 27, 2014 at 11:08 AM
PetKal
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Db, based on a couple of samples/illustrations one simply can not draw dependable conclusions because variations in bird pose, speed, distance, impinging light etc. represent a factor which is at least one order of magnitude more decisive than lens performance variations.

One has to look at very many shots, know the shoot conditions as well as the ease of capture, etc. That information can only the shooter himself have, it is not exact either, but it is as dependable as it gets. Naturally, another shooter might come with somewhat different conclusions.



Jun 27, 2014 at 11:42 AM
kaycephoto
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


PetKal wrote:
Db, based on a couple of samples/illustrations one simply can not draw dependable conclusions because variations in bird pose, speed, distance, impinging light etc. represent a factor which is at least one order of magnitude more decisive than lens performance variations.

One has to look at very many shots, know the shoot conditions as well as the ease of capture, etc. That information can only the shooter himself have, it is not exact either, but it is as dependable as it gets. Naturally, another shooter might come with somewhat different conclusions.


^ and as such, I look forward to hearing your conclusions! thanks for sharing your experiences + shots!



Jun 27, 2014 at 11:53 AM
PetKal
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Kayce, you do not have to wait for details until tomorrow. The bottom line is easy to see: for this type of shooting, and many other types, 500 II + 1.4xTC is the all around most effective tool, when one looks at it from the standpoint of "reach", IQ, AF, and ergonomics. As a bonus, 500 II + 1.4xTC is the least expensive option of the three combos being evaluated.


Jun 27, 2014 at 12:16 PM
Alan321
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


Hey, I finally got to see some of PetKal's photos before he takes them off-line

Peter, would you please tell us how much are you cropping the original images to give us what we see here ?

Also, in the case that you need to crop considerably, do you feel that you are sufficiently better off with the 1DX rather than say a 1D4 with its "extra reach" or "higher pixels per duck".

- Alan



Jun 27, 2014 at 12:26 PM
PetKal
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


These are all cropped to about 50%.
1DX has modest image file depth. If one crops bigger enlargements, then they might post 800 pix wide picture and not 1500 pixels like mine.
In a small image post just about anything could appear "sharp".

Edited on Jun 27, 2014 at 07:14 PM · View previous versions



Jun 27, 2014 at 01:29 PM
Doctorbird
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · BIF shooting: FL 700mm vs. 800mm vs. 840mm


PetKal wrote:
Db, based on a couple of samples/illustrations one simply can not draw dependable conclusions because variations in bird pose, speed, distance, impinging light etc. represent a factor which is at least one order of magnitude more decisive than lens performance variations.

One has to look at very many shots, know the shoot conditions as well as the ease of capture, etc. That information can only the shooter himself have, it is not exact either, but it is as dependable as it gets. Naturally, another shooter might come with somewhat different conclusions.


Peter,

That's precisely why I'll depend on your own assessment of the tests - especially since I don't believe that you'll be biased. Well, not too much anyway.

Db



Jun 27, 2014 at 04:31 PM
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