I like #2 the best in the set, the others are nice though. Be careful with that LPF; I used #22 insulated wired, wrapped around and ends twisted to help remove an 82mm LPF from my 135mm f1.8. It worked, but it wasn't fun...
Thanks Edd. I got it off shortly after - just a case of patience and getting a decent finger grip. It just has a very narrow grip for the thread that goes to the lens. Worst case scenario i put a rubber band on there and twist with that. Not had to resort to extreme measures yet.
Great shots, this thread just keeps getting better and better!
Here's a couple of shots of my new neighbor - showed up a few days ago and have been hanging out in our front yard ever since.
Completely unfazed by our dog barking at it through the front door, us heading to or from our driveway, and of course not camera shy in the least bit.
1DIIn with 500 F/4.5 - shot at f/4.5 ISO 160 1/250
roboticspro wrote:
Peter: #1 is really really nice; looks as if it was with the 50 f1.0 but with compression
Edd
Thanx, Edd.....400 DO is a decent lens, and its IQ is better than many people believe, although it is probably not as good as a few owners have suggested, unless they have a specially selected and prepped copy.
My main mission target today was a colony of Common terns which have come back to lake Ontario recently. However, they are still fooling around, flying high in mating rituals, and they do not come near enough for good photo opportunities. Now, as soon as chicks are hatched, the parents have to start fishing much more earnestly, which brings them within my photo range.
Nevertheless, I managed to get one half-decent TIF shot today in about 1.5 hr of mostly waiting for a bird to wander into the range of fire, using 1DMkIIN + 400 DO.
I often joke with my wife when she asks me if I am going to the lake shooting with 400 DO (or whatever other lens). My usual reply to her is: " No, not going shooting, I am going waiting with 400 DO by the lake." Much of the time that's what it boils down to in my area.
15Bit wrote:
Hagane - don't sell yourself short, shooting a butterfly at 28mm is an achievement in itself. I look forward to some more of the reversed macros too.
Peter: Very nice tack-sharp TIF. I like! And yes, it is all about the "wait"...
John_T: I'll go with aerial bird-fights; one looks like the exit from an Immelmann!
Jefferson: Wow, great panning action there
Geert: My pick is number 3 in that set; really nice rendering/background
Trying some HDR shots later with the FD 35mm Tilt-Shift; not really sure of what to expect, but it is worth the time.
Tenn.Jer: Cat'n Nine Tails looking good here with the Pipe!
Last shots from the east for a while...my experiment with the new DPP HDR tool, shooting one of the streams through my woodlands. I set up the 5D MkII on a tripod, with the FD 35mm T & S attached. Self-timer, mirror-lockup, and exposures bracketed: +1.5, -1.5, zero (baseline) metered with my Gossen Ultra-Pro (incident sampled).
First shot is the baseline exposure, second is the HDR rendering. The shadows do open in the HDR, but I think the highlights look too "putty grey". Let me know what you really think of the results. I know there is going to be a learning curve with this, but if it is just a minor improvement, I might just keep processing to what I think is good to my eye(s).
See you from Washington/Anchorage via remote access to CT...got to love computers and VPN's...
Edd: "Vivid" mode? Not familiar - maybe that specific setting is somehow contributing to your lack of enthusiasm? I've done some exposure blending in Photomatix, and it's got lots of variables that can be tweaked, which give dramatically different results; I don't know much about all that, but my meager experimentation thus far has at least shown me that fact. Maybe there are such variables in DPP's HDR processing that you could fool with?
But I'm not convinced that your scene has enough DR to really warrant multiple exposures to begin with...
I think you are right about the actual DR of the setting...I should have read it with a spot meter (ala the Zone System). I will give it a try another time with a more stressful scene. Thanks for the comments though; vivid is the word of the day, in case you didn't get the memo...
Here's a seasonal farewell to my ex 800L.....a very fine lens that is, just that it's not suited well enough to my photography methods and preferences: I do like long range goodness here and there, but I love agility and speed.....always. I sure hope 600 II will be better positioned in my "alley".
So do I read that you are sending the 800L off to greener pastures? If so, I hope the next owner can make it shine as you did. Good luck with you "incoming" 600 MkII; that ought to really be something.
I'm all packed and set to head out at 6:00am out of Boston, for parts west; should be very interesting...
Take care and I'll try to post some along the way.
15Bit wrote:
Jefferson - those bike shots are storming. I take it 1/125 is the sweet spot for tracking with blur?
Thanks 15Bit...I like to shoot bikes at 1/125 because of how dynamic they can be...cars from 1/125 down to 1/60 or so...they are larger and don't make the moves the bikes do, I can slow it down for the pans...
