I just returned from a trip to San Diego and visited the Wild Animal Park with a 400 2.8IS. Here's my obligatory cat pic since this was the first time I've shot with this lens. It's a bit to lug around all day with a couple of kids bouncing along with you, but it was definitely worth it. This shot was taken with a 2x tele converter on a monopod.
Thanks to all of you who had suggestions on where to go in the park. We ended up swinging by the lion camp in the late afternoon and had some great light on this big guy!
Will - thanks for looking. Yep - I'll have to play around with getting rid of that white pole in the background. In the meantime, here are a few more shots I got in the park. The lion was nice enough to pose in a few ways that hid the distracting things in the background.
Super shots! That 400 2.8 sounds like a dream to me. I have the 5.6 and love it, but can't help drooling over it's big brother.
I notice there are not obstructions in your view of these animals (fences, walls) were you shooting through glass in any of them and I just can't tell? I live a half hour from the park myself but haven't gone there to shoot yet. Your captures have inspired me. Thanks.
Rob, FSJ-Guy, thanks for your comments! It really is a great park for photography. There are many places where you can get totally unobstructed views -- even when you're in the middle of a large crowd of people. For instance, the cheetah shots were taken while the trainers were out playing with the cats and feeding them bone marrow. I think they do a demo similar to this every day around 2pm. I was shooting with literally about 100 people around me. You just need to know when to be where and get in front.
They also do a nice job of making the animal environments as natural as possible while maintaining excellent accessibility. While I was having a blast with a 2x tele-converter and a (rented) 400 2.8, my nephews and nieces were having a blast watching the animals and going to the petting zoo. I highly recommend a trip to the park if you're ever in San Diego.
By the way, there's a camera store right in Escondido about 15 minutes from the park that rents a fair amount of gear.
Rob - yeah, it was Calumet. Since I picked it up from them on the 24th, I had the lens until closing time on the 26th for only one day charge. It worked out nicely to finish up shooting at the park and then drop the lens off on the way back to where we were staying in San Diego. They are very hassle-free.
It's a bit to lug around all day with a couple of kids bouncing along with you, but it was definitely worth it. This shot was taken with a 2x tele converter on a monopod.
