Well guys these images are very impressive. This lens looks like a fantastic addition to the Sony native glass ecosystem. You guys are putting it to good use. I would not shoot it enough to justify buying, but I will definitely rent one when appropriate.
Amazing and truly impressive images you gentlemen are posting !!! Wishing I wasn't an older lady with limited pocketbook Still looking forward to getting the 200-600 later today.
Thanks you all for posting. An impressive lens as expected. Hoping I'm happy with my 200-600. Nasty hot weather here is limiting my time in the field. I'll try hard to resist the temptation of the 600.
ke3vg wrote:
Joshua, that is the reason I switched it to Sony, lot more lenses are hand holdable now, compare to my other 600 lenses.
thanks,
Mukesh
You got that right, Mukesh!
LBJ2 wrote:
You did comment that you would be testing two new lenses this weekend Nicely done with the "new" 600/4
Yes, and thank you, Lawrence!
daniel.in.la wrote:
Josh sorry I missed you ouT there this morning! When I’m back from car week I’d love to come out and join you guys!
Daniel, we are going back out there next Sunday at the same time. Send me a PM if you need more info, please.
fuzzykeys wrote:
Wow! Just stunning! We need some 600mm human portraits though! 👊🍻
Thank you, Matt! Believe it or not, my first images I took with this lens, although it was a copy Sony provided, were portraits .
dallvr wrote:
Thanks, Joshua, I'd love to do that but I am in northern CA, Marin County to be exact. I am always envious of your burrowing owl photos and it would be fun to photograph them.
If you decide to come down here for the owl, you may want to do it fairly soon. I heard that a big courier company bought that big vacant lot and they will develop that before too long . That’s sad... . No idea when they will start the development. I hope they will, at least, relocate the owls though....
1bwana1 wrote:
Well guys these images are very impressive. This lens looks like a fantastic addition to the Sony native glass ecosystem. You guys are putting it to good use. I would not shoot it enough to justify buying, but I will definitely rent one when appropriate.
Joshua, what is your daily rental rate?
, I will let you try it out if or actually when we get together, Steve! Do you feel like coming up for some falcons this Sunday?
birdied wrote:
Amazing and truly impressive images you gentlemen are posting !!! Wishing I wasn't an older lady with limited pocketbook Still looking forward to getting the 200-600 later today.
Birdie
psharvic wrote:
Thanks you all for posting. An impressive lens as expected. Hoping I'm happy with my 200-600. Nasty hot weather here is limiting my time in the field. I'll try hard to resist the temptation of the 600.
Birdie and Vic, trust me you guys will like and enjoy the 200-600mm. That lens gives you a lot of bang for your buck, for sure!
If you decide to come down here for the owl, you may want to do it fairly soon. I heard that a big courier company bought that big vacant lot and they will develop that before too long . That’s sad... . No idea when they will start the development. I hope they will, at least, relocate the owls though....
Oh no, that's really sad. I'm sorry to hear that the owls will lose their home. I have a family trip to Philadelphia coming up next week, but I'll see how things shake out for the future.
Oh no, that's really sad. I'm sorry to hear that the owls will lose their home. I have a family trip to Philadelphia coming up next week, but I'll see how things shake out for the future.
Yes, that sure is and somehow, I hope that they delay the construction as long as they can. At any rate, the idea that the opportunity won't last long motivates me to go out there again today and well, I was always looking for a chance to try out the new lens, of course .
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Here are 2 frames from different bursts; I selected them for the best bokeh. I was never able to get a smooth background like in the first image previously. Both of them were cropped however and although in critical focus, I wish I would have taken a few steps closer for less for less cropping. The second image was the 3rd from a burst and the owl flew at full speed on the hunt for a bug and I couldn't follow it fast enough.
I stayed there for about 2 hours and it got hot. Towards the end, I saw one owl perch on a higher elevation to be able to see flying June bugs better. I was aiming at the owl for some 10 minutes and he didn't make any move, just turning the head constantly to spot bugs. My position was a tad low and I moved 5 feet further up to be on the top of the slope. Of course, in the few seconds I did that, the owl took off, caught a bug some 10 feet away and landed back on the perch. Another photographer told me what happened... . While the owl was devouring the bug, I was caught empty handed. I couldn't help but uttering a few @&%%# words. I packed my bag and left....
Please, post your images taken with the GM 600mm in this thread. Thank you!
Beautiful photos Joshua.
I usually have difficulty getting enough DOF with the 100-400 w TC at F8 and sometimes I try going to a smaller aperture. How are you able to get the owls sharp from tip of beak to end of tail at F4?
Still learning here Your pictures are worth a 1000 lessons!
kimknapp wrote:
Beautiful photos Joshua.
I usually have difficulty getting enough DOF with the 100-400 w TC at F8 and sometimes I try going to a smaller aperture. How are you able to get the owls sharp from tip of beak to end of tail at F4?
Still learning here Your pictures are worth a 1000 lessons!
Thank you very much, Kim! If you are referring to the last image above, the seemingly extended depth-of-field has to do with the magnification of the image. What I meant was the image was cropped and the cropping effect rendered a seemingly increase depth-of-field. The effect is similar to that of an APS-C format or even in a more pronounced way, of a M 4/3. Had the image not been cropped but still the size of the owl had been approximately the same as that of the image above, then only the head would have been in focus. And, I am estimating here. Personally, I would prefer my image to be that way rather than the entire body being in focus. And, the bokeh would have appeared softer, too that way.
I hope this helps and please feel free to ask any additional questions. When are you getting your GM 600mm? I saw that you put your C lens up for sale.
These are beautiful photos, Joshua, owls in flight with meal in beak! Why aren't you Sony's primo imaging ambassador yet? You probably do more to interest people in Sony's offerings here on FM than all of the talking heads on the internet.
Have a lot going on the next couple of months, so I'll wait until I know I'll have time to enjoy it. Also, would like to sell the 600L first.
We are planning a road trip from here to lower California in November, for birding and photography. I'll be PM'ing you for advice, later.
AGeoJO wrote:
Thank you very much, Kim! If you are referring to the last image above, the seemingly extended depth-of-field has to do with the magnification of the image. What I meant was the image was cropped and the cropping effect rendered a seemingly increase depth-of-field. The effect is similar to that of an APS-C format or even in a more pronounced way, of a M 4/3. Had the image not been cropped but still the size of the owl had been approximately the same as that of the image above, then only the head would have been in focus. And, I am estimating here. Personally, I would prefer my image to be that way rather than the entire body being in focus. And, the bokeh would have appeared softer, too that way.
I hope this helps and please feel free to ask any additional questions. When are you getting your GM 600mm? I saw that you put your C lens up for sale.
yes, I used a 16mm Kenko extention tube. I lose infinity focus, but I found with 600mm lens, the maximum focus distance is longer than 400mm, I estimated it to be more than 200ft. So for me, the stacked TC setup is more useful now with 600GM. I hope Kenko will make the stackable teleconverters for e-mount, like they did for Canon and A-mount, since e-mount has the long lenses now.
dallvr wrote:
These are beautiful photos, Joshua, owls in flight with meal in beak! Why aren't you Sony's primo imaging ambassador yet? You probably do more to interest people in Sony's offerings here on FM than all of the talking heads on the internet.
I am flattered and humbled at the same time, Shirley...
shalu wrote:
yes, I used a 16mm Kenko extention tube. I lose infinity focus, but I found with 600mm lens, the maximum focus distance is longer than 400mm, I estimated it to be more than 200ft. So for me, the stacked TC setup is more useful now with 600GM. I hope Kenko will make the stackable teleconverters for e-mount, like they did for Canon and A-mount, since e-mount has the long lenses now.
Thank you, Shalu! The baffle of my extension tube is in the way for being able to mount it between the TCs. During the Canon days back then and using particular TCs, we mounted the 2X right after the lens and the 1.4X at the body. Is that still the same or does the position of the TCs play a role in operation and/or optical performance? Thanks!
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Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for posting your images taken with this lens. Please post some more as you see fit.
Up to this point, I don't have any different images to show other than burrowing owls and peregrine falcons.... Here are a few from yesterday.
The first image was taken with the A9 in anticipation of some flying action. The other two were taken with the A7r III for more details and better noise rendition. It was still early in the morning and the lighting was fairly low. I used a 1.4X TC for the last image, my first try with that actually.
FYI, peregrine falcons prey of other, smaller birds and they typically attack them in flight. These falcons are fast and very agile flyers. Here the parents brought the prey since the chicks still have to learn to hunt. They should master that before too long, I would say.
Still looking forward to getting the 200-600 later today.
Nicely done with the "new" 600/4 
. 
. No idea when they will start the development. I hope they will, at least, relocate the owls though.... 
. While the owl was devouring the bug, I was caught empty handed. I couldn't help but uttering a few @&%%# words. I packed my bag and left.... 
