p.2 #1 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
Looks like you're getting it sorted out already. That first set did look a little soft. I was going to ask if you had microadjusted your 100-400, but it looks like the IS with the tripod was the issue.
p.2 #3 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
Thanks everyone for your input! It looks like I was using the lens incorrectly. I assumed this can be an everyday walk around lens but that seems to be only true if you have a lot of light out so you can shoot 1/1000 or high iso doing the same. Otherwise it is a tripod lens or a monopod lens it seems.
How does everyone else use their 100-400L lens?
I do agree I need to tone down the sharpening a lot!
Newer lenses can function down to zero vibration, but you'll have to decide for yourself when to use it. I use IS on the 300/2.8 and up, but I turn it off on the 70-200/2.8 and 4, although that should not be necessary.
p.2 #8 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
On your first shot, you cropped like 1 percent of the total view finder. Overall the image looks fine, but when you crop out almost 100% of the image...
p.2 #9 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
RobertLynn wrote:
On your first shot, you cropped like 1 percent of the total view finder. Overall the image looks fine, but when you crop out almost 100% of the image...
I couldn't believe nobody else brought this up first. For that second wading bird shot, the bird was several times larger in the frame! No wonder the detail was better..... And 400mm, 1/250 sec, no IS?? I would not expect great sharpness/detail when viewing at 100%, though it looks OK from "farther away."
OP, at least you have things straightened out now that you have used it on a tripod. I handhold mine almost all the time with great results, but yes it needs a lot of light to get great results at f/5.6 (or higher ISO, etc), or you have to work out how to get closer to your subjects (that comes with the territory when 400mm is your longest lens).
p.2 #10 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
caringserv wrote:
Thanks everyone for your input! It looks like I was using the lens incorrectly. I assumed this can be an everyday walk around lens but that seems to be only true if you have a lot of light out so you can shoot 1/1000 or high iso doing the same. Otherwise it is a tripod lens or a monopod lens it seems.
How does everyone else use their 100-400L lens?
I do agree I need to tone down the sharpening a lot!
A long zoom will show any flaws in your technique. They are not lenses you can just pickup and use perfectly. Practice with it and experiment with with your holding technique. Give it some time and pretty soon you will be wondering why you had issues.
p.2 #12 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
kenbennedy mentioned this a couple posts back and I fully agree with his observation.
The why may be attributed to AF point shape in reality, which are vertical or horizontal bars, or a combination of the two in + format (some AF systems also have diagonal slash points for assisting with faster lenses). Often these bars extend beyond the viewfinder's focus screen point reference box and in the case of the first Heron shot the AF likely fell off your intended target since the subject did not entirely fill up your focus point box -- and then some. To me, the bird's reflection seems a little sharper and in that scenario the slower 100-400 lens is likely forcing the camera AF to use only a vertical bar focus point. This bar may have picked up just a touch of the closer bird reflection in the water rather than the bird itself. In general though, that particular composition was extremely challenging for the 100-400 and AF given the subject size and distance. Ultimately, I would second kenbennedy's recommendation to get closer to your subject so that it really fills that focus point up.
In the case of the white Great Egret photo everything worked right; you succeeded in getting closer to your subject, picked a broad part of the body to establish focus on which likely over-filled the focus point and in that shot focus looks great.
I often test fall off with the various focus points to learn their shape and limits using servo AF mode. Pan around various subjects at different distances and note when focus drops from your primary subject and focuses on another. In the case of my 1DIII and 400 combo I notice that my actual center AF point droops a little lower than the viewfinder focus screen reference box (top of the AF bar is almost even with the top of the reference box line, but the bottom of the bar extends a little below the bottom of the reference box line) and I have to be mindful of what that extended part might be picking up to avoid unwanted fall off.
The rest of your shots look great and I'd say you are already ironing out the kinks, it's a great lens!
p.2 #14 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
Hi Willamette
Thanks for the in depth response. That bird was very far away. I will check for reflection on focus, that is a good idea that I would never have thought of. I was not using Servo mode for focus, just one fixed focus point in the center. I will try and have it fill up the entire focus point. It is possible that it didn't actually do that.
I am also going to make sure I am somewhere around F8 even if I need to bump up ISO to get there.
p.2 #18 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
I did notice on my 100-400 lens that vignetting is terrible on this lens. I took a picture of a tile roof and the entire roof tiles all of them had purple lines going across them.
I mean WOW, it was the worst I had ever seen. I forgot about it since I was working on the sharpness issue.
It seems like this 100-400 lens has serious limits and is a very demanding lens.
Putting a 1.4 converter on it and the vignetting is even worse.
p.2 #19 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
I only use 100-400 lenses on FF DSLR bodies (6 bodies and 3 copies of lenses). I don't know what your issue is with vignetting. Light falloff is typical, nothing unusual.
p.2 #20 · Question: Are these pics sharp on 100-400 lens 5d MKII?
caringserv wrote:
I did notice on my 100-400 lens that vignetting is terrible on this lens. I took a picture of a tile roof and the entire roof tiles all of them had purple lines going across them.
What does vignetting have to do with purple lines
Post an example.
I used the 100-400 on a 5D1 and never had vignetting problems nor purple lines.
