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  Reviews by: mrcolin2u  
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Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM

5004II
Review Date: Jan 3, 2015 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Easy to handhold, quality images.
Cons:
Expensive

I have previously owned the mark I version and this one is much easier to carry around. I just sold a 300mm f2.8 IS mark I and I honestly cannot tell any difference carrying it around.
A great lens for birding.
Samples here http://mrcolin2u.zenfolio.com/p533357366
 
Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR Camera

canon7dII
Review Date: Jan 1, 2015 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Weight savings over the 1D series, , auto focus, relatively quiet shutter noise, lots of custom features, excellent image quality good in low light.
Cons:
Takes a while to learn AF system

I've previously owned two 1DM3's and a 1DM4, and I am getting just as good results with the 7D2.
I have read the manual on this came a more than any other, only to try and get the most out of it.
I still get some shots OOF but I think it may be operator error.

I waited a long time for this camera to be released and I'm more than pleased with it's performance.
I've been shooting mainly birds with the 7D2, you can see samples here : http://mrcolin2u.zenfolio.com/p478278686

UPDATE: Been using this camera over a year and still enjoying the fast focusing, excellent image quality and light weight compared to 1D series.
 
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

ef300mmf_28_1_
Review Date: Mar 23, 2013 Recommend? | Price paid: Not Indicated

 
Pros: Very sharp, works well with TC's
Cons:
 
Canon EOS 1D Mark III

1DmkIII
Review Date: Oct 25, 2012 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Fast accurate focusing. Superb picture quality. Its big and heavy, but I think this is a positive,I handhold most of the time and it feels solid !! Excellent battery life.
Cons:
It's only 10mp , but I can live with that.

I've owned two Mark III's I regrettably sold the first for a MarkIV which I ended up selling and I bought another used mark III.

Here's a gallery of pictures taken with the markIII

http://mrcolin2u.zenfolio.com/p759804000

Colin
 
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

ef300mmf_28_1_
Review Date: Oct 24, 2012 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Well built, very sharp images, fast focusing
Cons:
None for me.

I've had this lens for over a year it has fast accurate focus and the results are tack sharp.
I don't envision ever selling this lens.
I use this for birds with a 1.4 TC. I haven't tried a 2xTC but a friend of mine does and has good results.

Here are some samples
http://mrcolin2u.zenfolio.com/p421212136/e2423413c
http://mrcolin2u.zenfolio.com/p421212136/e3b2a898
http://mrcolin2u.zenfolio.com/p421212136/e36f5a417
 
Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

1dsmk3
Review Date: Apr 5, 2012 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Fantastic image quality, solid build, fast 10fps.
Cons:
It's heavy, but I like the solid feel. The shutter noise will sometime scare birds when I'm close up.

This is my second 1D Mark III. This is replacing a Mark III I regrettably sold last year.
I hope to keep this camera for a long time.
Here are some pics from my old 1D Mark III
http://mrcolin2u.zenfolio.com/p759804000
 
Sigma 150mm f2.8 APO Macro DG EX HSM

Sigma_150_macro
Review Date: Mar 29, 2012 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Very sharp, well built lens. Price.
Cons:
No IS. Focusing as to be expected is slow.

I've had this lens for a couple of years, I bought it slightly used although it looked brand new. The lens is extremely sharp and I've had some good results as a macro and a telephoto. It is definitely a keeper.

Here are some pictures I took last year on July 4th of the fireworks display. I was about 1 -2 miles away I'm guessing.
I had the Canon 1D M4 on a tripod and using a piece of card as a shutter for multiple exposures with MLU.

http://mrcolin2u.zenfolio.com/p578312575
 
Sigma 300-800mm f5.6 EX IF APO HSM

300_800_1_
Review Date: Feb 24, 2008 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: The zoom range. Picture quality. Price.
Cons:
None.

Unlike the previous post. I have owned and used this lens for about 12 months. I heard there was a learning curve with using this lens ,but with a good quality tripod ,it works wonders.
I bought a gitzo carbon fibre tripod and wimberley head and with my canon 40D, is an amazing set up for bird or wild life photography. This lens is exremely sharp and I am more than happy with my purchase.

It is heavy, but that is the nature of the beast.
Being able to zoom in and out to compose a bird in a frame is a big advantage. Did I mention it was sharp.
 
Sigma 18-125mm F3.5-5.6 DC

4882618_125dc_1_
Review Date: Jun 29, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Good focal range,price, image quality.
Cons:
AF often hunts in low light.

I bought this lens instead of a kit lens and have do not regret my decision.
It produces very sharp images but does tend to hunt in AF in low light. I bought a Canon 35mm f/2 for indoors.
I will definitely be keeping this one.