I picked up my rental 100-400mm lens this morning and promptly took it out for a test run with the girls.
My initial thoughts are that it is a good lens, but probably not one I would use a lot.
It has pretty good focusing abilities and can keep up with Coulee for the most part (I'd say the 70-200 is faster though).
I'm sure the extra reach will come in handy at the Lure Coursing (which is the reason why I'm renting the lens) but it is a bit much for a regular dog walk. I took only a handful of photos of Lacey as she is rarely far enough away to warrant a 400mm reach.
My field of view was sooo narrow, I found it hard to throw the firsbee and get the camera in the right place before the action was finished.
And sometimes it was hard to get even Coulee far enough away to NEED the lens. I mainly kept it on the 400 range as I wanted to test it's reach and whether or not I needed that kind of reach.
If I didn't already have the 70-200 and maybe took more wildlife photos, this lens would be a serious contender but the aperture has a 4-5.6 minimum range which also is a little limiting for action in low light conditions.
I'm excited to play with it this weekend though. It should be fun. I think we are going to go owl hunting tonight! :)
5 comments:
I bought a 70-200 lens over a year ago. The camera store said I would LOVE it. Well, I hate it. It's so freaking heavy and unwieldy, I never use it! It's hard to take a lens like that out when you have to keep the dogs on leashes at least some of the time. The few pictures I have taken, I liked, but overall what a major waste of money. If most of your wonderful photos are coming from a 70-200, I obviously need to get over the hassle-factor. Any suggestions on how to make it more managable?
Taryn - 99% of my photos are with the 70-200. I hate taking it off and often when I do, I regret it. LOL. I wear a wrist strap, not a neck strap so maybe that helps in terms of carrying it. Yes, it is a heavy sucker but I think it is totally worth it.
OK, I am going to force myself to use the lens for awhile. Hopefully, I'll get over the inconvenience and start seeing the virtues. I do LOVE the depth of field factor.
Your photos are my inspiration so let's see how it goes!
Great shots and sharp focus....Blue DOES go that far, so I would use it often, but I can't imagine carrying a lens that big. The 70-200 rocks but that is about all the weight I can handle (I have some neck and shoulder issues). Kinda jealous you got to try it out though!
Regarding how to carry the 70-200 - I have the BEST strap that goes over your shoulder like a sling to the other side and you can walk without even holding the camera. I had pics of it private on my stream....Taryn if you want to give me your email I can find them and send a link. It is made by blackrapid.com and makes loving the 70-200 so easy. :)
Jennifer - the lens isn't actually that much bigger or heavier - if at all. Its aperture doesn't go as wide open and they both fit in the same lens case. It is a push/pull lens too which I had never used before. I envisioned dirt and stuff getting between the two layers. I love the way the 70-200 is all enclosed and I can't gunk it up.
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