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Archive 2009 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

BlueReptile
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Today was first day of the football season and kind of an experiment day for me. Decided to take the newly acquired 200-400 for a spin. Set 1 were shot with 200-400 + 1.4TC, set 2 with 200-400 and set 3 with the 400/2.8. I must admit the flexibility of 200-400mm was awesome under good light. Never really shot football before at f5.6 (with the 1.4TC) but the results were better than I expected. Shooting with the 400/2.8 made me realize how little I had to move with the 200-400...

Sep 13, 2009 at 06:28 PM

Kelly Phillips
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Love the cheerleader shot. It doesn't get any better than that 400 f/2.8.

Sep 13, 2009 at 06:33 PM

P Alesse
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

I'll still maintain that in a side by side comparison between an in focus Nikon shot and an in focus Canon shot, the Canon wins. Canon is silkier and smoother, while the Nikon shot is more edgy. Problem is that there just aint enough in focus shots coming out of the Canon. Just hope that the next generation of the 1D series can match what Nikon can do with focus consistency.

John... what is your overall opinion, now having done all three comparisons. I stack it up as good, better, best. Did you have the D Lighting on for the Nikon shots?

Sep 13, 2009 at 07:05 PM

chuborama
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Great, work, the green uniforms on green grass on green trees is interesting, a different color might have been a nice touch but what can you do right?

I'm personally a big fan of 2.8. I don't care much for the bokeh and look of 5.6, I personally think it's very distracting in pictures 3 4 and 5 (the trees). The f4 is better, and the 2.8 absolutely amazing. I just fell in love with the smooth rendering of the OOF areas when I saw my friends work with the old 400 2.8/D3 combo! Now I shoot my 70-200 on 200 2.8 as much as I can for field sports, though I wish I could have the reach (and compression) of a 400!

Sep 13, 2009 at 07:14 PM

Shane Psaltis
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

John,

great photos, truthfully we all notice the distractions at 5.6 the parents do not care and we need to start thinking that way, Great stuff, we all love the 400 2.8 of course but the 200-400 is more practical. Like you said you moved around alot less with the 200-400I think the Nikon stuff looks amazing and the key is the photos are in focus, I know Paul keeps saying the images look more edgy than the canon stuff, I am not seeing it, I have gone back and looked at my canon stuff and oh it was all out of focus,

, the stuff rocks.

Great stuff John

SHANE

Sep 13, 2009 at 07:21 PM

PShizzy
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Have you tried the 200-400 on a D300 in daylight?? I love that combo and would prefer it to using a TC

Sep 13, 2009 at 07:37 PM

Joe Winn
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

I am glad Paul said it because I have always thought that about the Nikons as well. I always have people help me do tournaments so I can get more coverage and upload into our trailer. Some of them shoot Nikon and I swear the Nikon stuff doesn't look as smooth or "real". I can't put a word to it but seeing the shots side by side there is always something unrealistic about the Nikon stuff. Of course I don't always know what their settings are, so take it with a grain of salt.

It would be kinda nice if Canon had something similar to the 200-400. I know my 300 2.8 is sharper but there are situations where I'd love to be able pan out to 200

Sep 13, 2009 at 08:04 PM

BlueReptile
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Thanks all for your comments.

Paul and Joe, I think I know what you mean. Perhaps if I dig up some of my MKIII files from the past it will be more clear to me. But the edgy look you're talking about doesn't exist for indoor gymnastics shots, does it? The Active-D lighting was on normal. I would rank the sets good, better and best as well. But in terms of practicality, Best, best and dragging a$$!

Shane, very true on the parents don't care what the bokeh looks like, but we do!

Max, I replaced the D300 with the D700 last year so no more cropped bodies for me. I may have to pick up a D300s or even a D3x (for portrait work and croppabilty when needed) in the near future...

-John

Sep 13, 2009 at 08:27 PM

BlueReptile
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Ok, so I went back and dug up a MKIII file. Let see if we can see the smooth vs edgy that Paul and Joe were referring to...

#14 MKIII + 400/2.8 from 2 years ago
http://pics.john-cheng.com/pw2009/x/02jc7119.jpg

#15 D3 + 400/2.8 from today
http://pics.john-cheng.com/pw2009/x/1JC_7007.jpg

Post processing are the same for both, usm and websized...

-John

Sep 13, 2009 at 08:44 PM

Joe Winn
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

I don't know if it's noise-based or not. But the MkIII file background looks smoother? Colors appear more real...or the Nikon file is more saturated. It's almost like the Nikon file was scanned in...shit I don't know

But the Canon one looks better to me. For some reason.

Sep 13, 2009 at 08:55 PM

BlueReptile
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

MKIII was shot at ISO640 and D3 was at ISO2000...

Sep 13, 2009 at 09:17 PM

Joe Winn
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Well that makes a big diff on my comment about noise

The saturation coming from the Nikon is more as well.

Other than that...a super-sized file shot at the same settings would give a better comparison

Sep 13, 2009 at 09:22 PM

dj dunzie
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

This is an absolutely killer series John, all three sets. Hell even your cheerleader shot rocks. Highly impressive stuff.

Sep 13, 2009 at 10:10 PM

phatphoto
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

John I use the 200-400+1.4TC combo to shoot motorsport, it's given me a level of flexibility I previously didn't have when shooting Canon. I can't say I've noticed the strange bokeh but I don't often have the luxury of shooting wide open. Although it does look just a little bit strange, I guess it's true what they say... there's no such thing as a free lunch!

Sep 15, 2009 at 08:40 AM

luketrot
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Man, I feel like I don't fit in anymore because I shoot Canon.. All the cool kids shoot Nikon...

Anyhow, maybe if I read a little more about how the MK3 can't focus I will start believing mine doesn't either and switch too.

Sep 15, 2009 at 11:26 AM

Joe Winn
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Hey I'm still shooting the ancient MkII...imagine how I feel

Sep 15, 2009 at 11:35 AM

P Alesse
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

Joe Winn wrote:
Hey I'm still shooting the ancient MkII...imagine how I feel

Like a King in the presence of the 1D and 10D shooters. It's all relative!

I think I'm going to shoot the rest of my career with a Speed Graphic.

Sep 15, 2009 at 03:14 PM

BlueReptile
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Football with 200-400+1.4TC

P Alesse wrote:
Like a King in the presence of the 1D and 10D shooters. It's all relative!

Hey, some of my best gymnastics shots were from the 10D back in 2004!!!!

Sep 15, 2009 at 10:00 PM


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