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Long RF lens for wildlife

Sharona
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Hello again. I'm heading out west to photograph sandhill cranes in a few weeks. I think I will be renting an R6II or an R5. You tell me! (I'm thinking R6II.) I also need a long lens that handles the occasional murky sky and corn fields. I usually use my 100-400 v2, but I'd like to try one of the new RF zooms or telephoto. The longer, the better. Would love suggestions. For all of this, actually!

Thanks!

Feb 18, 2024 at 10:06 PM

Cnyphotoguy
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Long RF lens for wildlife

R7 and 100-500 (maybe add a 1.4x), 200-800, or 800 f11

Feb 18, 2024 at 10:24 PM

Abbott Schindl
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Where “out west”? From your timing, are you thinking about the Kearney, NE, area? Or central CO? I’ve shot Sandhills in both places, as well as Red-crowned and White-naped cranes in Japan (just got back).

For all of these, my R5’s with RF 100-500 worked fine. Sometimes I used a 1.4X Extender, but I usually find the Extender to be a problem with the 100-500 because it only works ≥300mm FL on the lens, which means minimum FL becomes 420mm and that’s too long for a lot of things.

I got to try the 200-800 on an R5 for a couple of days. Pleasantly nice lens, and would probably be perfect if you could get one for your trip. Obviously it’s not a low-light lens, but its range is about perfect for cranes and you could use your 100-400 if the light’s too dim for the longer zoom.

For me, R5/6 vs R7 comes down to where you want to crop. I prefer a larger FoV and cropping the results to hone the composition. Many seem to prefer irreversibly cropping with a crop camera. Also, I find it easier to keep fast-moving subjects nicely in the frame with a FF camera, but again, it’s a matter of preference.

Enjoy your cranes!

Feb 18, 2024 at 11:07 PM

Sharona
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Abbott Schindl wrote:
Where “out west”? From your timing, are you thinking about the Kearney, NE, area? Or central CO? I’ve shot Sandhills in both places, as well as Red-crowned and White-naped cranes in Japan (just got back).

For all of these, my R5’s with RF 100-500 worked fine. Sometimes I used a 1.4X Extender, but I usually find the Extender to be a problem with the 100-500 because it only works ≥300mm FL on the lens, which means minimum FL becomes 420mm and that’s too long for a lot of things.

I got to try the 200-800 on an R5 for a couple...Show more →

Thanks, Abbott! Yes, Nebraska for the cranes. I really want FF for this as I'm testing for a new purchase down the road. I already have a Fuji crop camera I would bring, with an EF adapter. But the AF with this set up is not up to par, frankly.

Feb 19, 2024 at 09:04 AM

AmbientMike
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Long RF lens for wildlife

One of the women on a past Christmas Bird count let me handle their R5 + 800/11. Handled nicely, neither cheap nor too heavy. Dof should be similar to 200/2.8 at least, probably less

200 800 might be good or maybe add 1.4 + adapter to the 100-400

Feb 20, 2024 at 12:46 AM

Sharona
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Thanks, Mike. I just don't think f11 will cut it. We have some murky skies and very little contrast with the corn, dirt and grey cranes. I did look at this briefly, as the 800 length would be great.

Feb 20, 2024 at 08:45 AM

AmbientMike
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Sharona wrote:
Thanks, Mike. I just don't think f11 will cut it. We have some murky skies and very little contrast with the corn, dirt and grey cranes. I did look at this briefly, as the 800 length would be great.

I've used f/7.1 a lot on crop. A,good estimate for FF high iso is 1.5 stops better, so that should be ok, since 7.1 to 11 is 1.33 stops.

Plus stabilization is supposed to get you to 1/30, maybe 1/15, so that's better than 1/50 or so I get off the 55-250 STM I'm using, even though FL is a lot longer.

I'd think sandhill canes are often fairly stationary so you could use 1/30 and don't need to stop action. I've looked at it and It certainly looks like a lens that could work for me, I'm sure 600/4 + 1.4 has advantages and they're a lot lughter than they used to be but still much heavier

Feb 20, 2024 at 10:56 AM

Sharona
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Long RF lens for wildlife

AmbientMike wrote:
I've used f/7.1 a lot on crop. A,good estimate for FF high iso is 1.5 stops better, so that should be ok, since 7.1 to 11 is 1.33 stops.

Plus stabilization is supposed to get you to 1/30, maybe 1/15, so that's better than 1/50 or so I get off the 55-250 STM I'm using, even though FL is a lot longer.

I'd think sandhill canes are often fairly stationary so you could use 1/30 and don't need to stop action. I've looked at it and It certainly looks like a lens that could work for me, I'm sure 600/4 +...Show more →

'Our' cranes are constantly jumping, dancing, and engaging in courtship rituals, so I absolutely need higher shutter speeds!

Feb 20, 2024 at 11:10 AM

drobertfranz
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Love the R5 RF600mmF4 combo. Never have used an R62.. It would be a great choice

Feb 20, 2024 at 11:28 AM

Z250SA
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Sharona wrote:
'Our' cranes are constantly jumping, dancing, and engaging in courtship rituals, so I absolutely need higher shutter speeds!

Stay FF, R5 or R62! I got some distorted dancing cranes of the Grus grus kind with the R7. The slow readout speed of the R7 made me dump it for the 200-800. As the 200-800 will have the same field of view on FF (R5 in my case) as the 100-500 on the crop R7, it will be very close to perfect, at least focal length wise. With longer focal lengths, above 800mm, atmospheric shimmer starts to blur the images far too often.

If you want sharp images especially with the 1000mm and higher combos that are available at several vastly different price points today, you will find a cross over point were the resolution of the sensor and the shimmer will set the limit for the sharpness. The 45Mp sensor of the R5 will show shimmer at shorter distances than a R62. Or put an other way, it is only at shorter distances that the very long lenses can capture max detail. Longer lenses wont let you get sharp results at longer distances unless the atmospherics allow it. Insanely annoying, physics...

Feb 20, 2024 at 11:50 AM

Sharona
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Z250SA wrote:
Stay FF, R5 or R62! I got some distorted dancing cranes of the Grus grus kind with the R7. The slow readout speed of the R7 made me dump it for the 200-800. As the 200-800 will have the same field of view on FF (R5 in my case) as the 100-500 on the crop R7, it will be very close to perfect, at least focal length wise. With longer focal lengths, above 800mm, atmospheric shimmer starts to blur the images far too often.

If you want sharp images especially with the 1000mm and higher combos that are available at...Show more →

Thank you - and you are right on point - there is a lot of atmospheric distortion/shimmer where I shoot, as the cranes are often very far out in the fields. So perhaps: R6II, my 100-400, and maybe rent the 200-800?

Feb 20, 2024 at 01:12 PM

Z250SA
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Sharona wrote:
Thank you - and you are right on point - there is a lot of atmospheric distortion/shimmer where I shoot, as the cranes are often very far out in the fields. So perhaps: R6II, my 100-400, and maybe rent the 200-800?

Throwing some maths into the soup, the 45Mp of the R5 has a 1.36x "teleconverter" effect compared to the R6II (8192 linear pixels to 6000). If you add a 1.4x converter you will get an effective 1.91x magnification compared to the R62 with the bare EF 100-400v2 (a magnificent lens in itself!). But you have to get the EF 1,4x v3 as the RF 1.4x wont fit into the adapter (without some rather brutal backyard mods). The EF 100-400v2 works very well with the EF 1,4x v3. But getting more of the old EF stuff, well, only if there is a deal you simply can't resist.

The EF 100-400v2+1.4x v3 should of course do very well on the R62 too. You just miss the 1.36x that the R5 provides, theoretically, as well as the extra money for the R5.

Feb 21, 2024 at 06:35 AM

jpeter
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Long RF lens for wildlife

I have been in kearney a few times for the cranes. I used a 500f4 with and without 1.4x. The first light fly off of the birds can yield some great shots. F4 is helpfull for that early morning time. Jp

Feb 21, 2024 at 07:05 AM

Sharona
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Long RF lens for wildlife

jpeter wrote:
I have been in kearney a few times for the cranes. I used a 500f4 with and without 1.4x. The first light fly off of the birds can yield some great shots. F4 is helpful for that early morning time. Jp

I spent the night in a blind on the river once a few years ago, and rented the EF 800. It wasn't too long. I am renting regardless, so maybe I'll go the EF route and rent the 500. Not a bad thought.

I'll have to look in my camera bag to see which version my extender is. It is not V1, I know that. Fingers crossed it's v3. Having said all of this, I live in this region and have more images of cranes than I know what to do with. More and more, I just enjoy watching their antics through the binocs. But since I'm considering a Canon camera purchase again, it's a way for me to test things out.

Thanks again all!

Feb 21, 2024 at 08:17 AM

Sharona
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Long RF lens for wildlife

Well, what do you know?! My 1.4 xt is vIII! This is great. I need to rent by tomorrow, (Lensrentals sale) so here's what I'm thinking: R5 and adapter, then my 100-400 v2, and my extender. Sound good, or should I also rent an RF zoom? Is the 100-500's IQ considered on par with the 100-400? (I know people poo poo this lens, but I must have a dandy copy, as some of my favorite wildlife images came from that lens.)

Anyway, thanks again for all of the input here. Much appreciated.

Feb 22, 2024 at 08:45 PM


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