nickjohnson wrote:
Interesting thoughts and observations, Jim. I like all the water park images – but I love the last one! The isolation of the subject against a subdued background is what helps transition a great action shot into the realms of art. Wonderful work! How much of that is down to using the wider aperture of the big primes is something that you (and very few others ?) can truly judge. But the big zooms do have a trick up their sleeve – close focus! My experience is limited to the 100-400 L IS II – I could nether lift nor afford / justify anything bigger. But the close focus of the zooms opens up a lot of possibilities with botanical subjects and gives perspectives not possible with even the longer macro lenses. All IMHO.
We need Ray to offer some thoughts on the indoor / nigh time sports gig. When I see those guys on TV there are quite a few not shooting with big lenses now. A few years ago it was all big lenses without exception. Is the better high ISO performance of modern cameras shifting the balance?...Show more →
Good Afternoon Nick,
First, thank you! The last image was captured at f/4 on my series I 300/2.8. How much different that image would look on my 100-400 II wide open I cannot say. Probably not a huge difference, especially if I was at a zoom range that exceeded the 300 focal length. Shooting the 300 at 2.8, depending upon the subject, produces magical results. Certainly the big whites bring other attributes to the table, faster focus acquisition, better coatings on the elements, etc. Your observations on the composition of sports photographer's gear are spot on. I think there are several factors in play, the first is the incredible iso performance of today's bodies, another is the cold hard fact that we shooters are aging and desperately seeking lighter gear. I know personally that the days I can wield my 800/1DX combo for 12 hours at a whack, are gone forever. Heck, it was always painful, now it has transitioned into excruciating and I pay for it for a week after. I think we are all doing the quality/weight calculations in our heads.
as come to grips with your "mortality". Rarely have I geared up like the sports guys with four bodies and a long lens case swinging around my neck, thankfully. Another reason you see smaller lenses is the fact that those photographers, and their companies, aren't making the kind of dough they did back in the day, so they aren't dropping $13,000 each on a slew of 600/III lenses, when $2500 gets them a 100-500 RF or a 100-400 III.
Great analysis Ray! They do look askance at "The old guy.....", until they get a glimpse of what the old guy is capturing, then the moniker takes on a warm and friendly feel to it. When I first began shooting for the Hydrous investors all those young "shredders" looked at me and laughed, then my images started to show up here and there and I quickly became "the old guy" that everyone rallied around and performed for when I showed up. One day I overheard one of the young boarders ask his buddy, "who is that old guy with the big camera....?" His friend laughed and said, "You want 'that old guy' pointing that big lens at you, man the shots he gets are sic!" I think that's good..........................
No, that's a Lear. JR has a client that just took delivery on a Praetor, we haven't seen it yet. Our Buddy Dee in Lufkin just picked up his new Phenom 300 with all the latest and greatest in it. He traded in this beauty.............
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Here is an example of just what we are discussing:
Yep, no doubt my 300 can get quicker focus, and it does have a magical image quality. However, I try to anticipate the play so I can usually get the 100-400 focused. There is the baseball situation where a base runner makes a goofy mistake and everything changes and that fast focus is needed. I have had several of the other pros ask me about using the 100-400 and I tell them the focus is slower, but the resolution and versatility are great. (I wonder if they feel peer pressure to use those 400's.)
Hey, our high temperature tomorrow is forecast for 85°! How cool is that? The only problem? It is corn harvest season here in Central Texas and we are scheduled to have rain along with the cooler temps...not good for the harvest.
I have my first football assignment tomorrow morning at 7:30 am for some random shots. Good to get in the groove again. Since they are daytime shots I am considering the 5DSR and the 100-400 with the 70-200 in the bag.
You are right Ray, there are a lot of time where you need the flexibility of the 100-400, especially in sports. The 100-500 RF is kind of my go to lens on the R5 now, it's worth it's weight in gold. My strategy at AFW is to have a body dedicated to the 100-400, 100-500, 200-400, and the 800, although the 800 is next to worthless once the sun comes up and the heat and wind start mixing the air up.
The 70-200 III is my go to air to air lens, this was f/3.5 at an 80th. Looking forward to shooting air to air with the R5, it's IBIS might lessen the need for a gyro.
Came within an inch of buying this in Ocala Florida two weeks ago. I'm feeling the urge to flip the CDC the bird and go see what's left of our country. I'm going to take a look locally before I go back down there. I would really like to find one that doesn't have that "trailer" feel. I'm sure that I can, probably north of a million bucks.................... Shoot, it's a write off, the rolling office/studio!
My son just did an evaluation fight for his company on the the Praetor 600. Compared with their present stable of Gulfstreams and Challengers, he said it just blew him away. Side stick controller, I asked? Intuitive, he answered. Flew that puppy an hour and half and pronounced it “good to go.” BTW, I like the “land-ride” your lookin’ at, Brother. You’ve earned it!!! Also, hoping Sheila is on the mend. Take care,
Embraer is sure shaking the biz jet market up. They are selling everything that they can produce. Sheila is doing ok, couple of rough days. She stopped taking the pain medicine two days ago because it was making her so nauseated, and the anti nausea medicine's biggest side effect is..........nausea.............so that wasn't much help. Getting her off the pain meds, after just four days was a bit scary. That stuff really gets it's hooks into you I guess. She's a rule follower and a fighter so she's on all the physical therapy routines, but she's tired, and hurting so this isn't all that fun.
I'm just catering to whatever she needs and posting pictures here in the interim.
Embraer is sure shaking the biz jet market up. They are selling everything that they can produce. Sheila is doing ok, couple of rough days. She stopped taking the pain medicine two days ago because it was making her so nauseated, and the anti nausea medicine's biggest side effect is..........nausea.............so that wasn't much help. Getting her off the pain meds, after just four days was a bit scary. That stuff really gets it's hooks into you I guess. She's a rule follower and a fighter so she's on all the physical therapy routines, but she's tired, and hurting so this isn't all that fun.
I'm just catering to whatever she needs and posting pictures here in the interim. ...Show more →
That is miserable about Sheila.. The doctors, nurses and PT ladies all emphasized how important the pain medication is to the "getting back to normal" state. They changed my wife's pain meds 3 or 4 times until they got it right...and that was week one. After the pain meds were on track the PT and rest was OK, but nothing takes the misery away, it is tough. Have you seen videos of them replacing the knee joint, unbelievable they do that to people. I know Sheila will make it through these tough times with you there helping. I just hope the misery is kept to a minimum. Prayers guys!
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Came within an inch of buying this in Ocala Florida two weeks ago. I'm feeling the urge to flip the CDC the bird and go see what's left of our country. I'm going to take a look locally before I go back down there. I would really like to find one that doesn't have that "trailer" feel. I'm sure that I can, probably north of a million bucks.................... Shoot, it's a write off, the rolling office/studio!
Are you going after the RV marketing segment? I can see JW hiring the local VFD to hose down a half acre parking space then driving that rig up at sunset for your golden hour shots! You make that interior look like a $2 million rig!
Jim, I echo Ray’s comments. You and Sheila may want to consult with her Docs about the Univ of Mich non-opioid post surgical pain amelioration protocol. Here’s the link:
I did not watch that video, I'm glad that there are people who can perform those procedures, but all this stuff is like law and sausage, I don't wanna see how it's done.............
I did not watch that video, I'm glad that there are people who can perform those procedures, but all this stuff is like law and sausage, I don't wanna see how it's done.............
I didn't watch it until after my wife had her's done...I would have said "Heck No!"
One day I overheard one of the young boarders ask his buddy, "who is that old guy with the big camera....?" His friend laughed and said, "You want 'that old guy' pointing that big lens at you, man the shots he gets are sic!" I think that's good..........................
. The doctors, nurses and PT ladies all emphasized how important the pain medication is to the "getting back to normal" state. They changed my wife's pain meds 3 or 4 times until they got it right...and that was week one. After the pain meds were on track the PT and rest was OK, but nothing takes the misery away, it is tough. Have you seen videos of them replacing the knee joint, unbelievable they do that to people. I know Sheila will make it through these tough times with you there helping. I just hope the misery is kept to a minimum. Prayers guys!