Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

Re: Canon 100-400 mm 4.5 - 5.6, May 5th Moon

Forceflow said:
westr70 said:
@ K-amps: You did that handheld? Geeze...... You don't need a tripod. I took another one yesterday and got it sharper but I shot it at 1/1000th and with mirror lock. It was sharper but not as sharp as Forceflow's. I think Forceflow used a high ladder to take his with.

Uhm... no ladder was involved, but it was taken from my balcony on the 2nd floor with my MANFRETTO 550XPROB tripod with the 804RC2 head.

For the best possible quality you need a tripod and I would always use the lowest ISO possible. Even at 1/15th with 800mm the moon does not move so fast as to get a blurry image. Also I highly suggest using LiveView with maximum magnification to get the absolute best possible focus. Normally I hate LV, but for this I find it's an absolute must.

I concur with the Flow dude all the way. I want minimal ISO..minimal NR and maximal res. I also agree with Keith, I needed to Crank it to f/8 or so... (or f/16 with 2x). But guys this was taken after 11pm, with a wife tucked in bed who jumps at the slightest noise (or light).. since I had fiddled enough with the blinds making a racket... I did not do it any justice.

Tried to rescue it with PP using only the small/med jpeg with Topaz detail2. So next time I need to us ethe RAW...

Did not use mirror lock-up either.

So I have some headroom to get this right next time, plus Forceflow's ladder might help too..
 
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Re: Canon 100-400 mm 4.5 - 5.6, May 5th Moon

RC said:
Very nice shots everybody and thanks for posting. I've been out shooting the last three nights myself but haven't had a chance to even pull them from card. Out of town right now so it probably won't be until Friday night until I can view them.

Anyway I was impressed with how sharp those images are with slow shutter speeds (1/15 I believe in one case) and some hand held. I'm still trying to learn what are the best settings and methods for shooting the moon.

I'm using a 7D with 70-200 f/4 IS lens and some are shot with a 1.4 II. I'm shooting in M at ISO 400, trying to keep the shutter above 250, AV between f/4 ~ f/8, and exposure bracketing. I did a series focusing using LV, AF single point, and then just setting the lens to the infinity mark (vertical line of the "L"). I am surprised how hard it is to get a pin point focus, it almost seems that AF is easier and more reliable than manual focus--of course I'm just going off my LCD since I haven't viewed them yet in LR. You would think you could set your lens to infinity and be good but that doesn't seem to be the case. Oh and yes, I'm using a sturdy tripod and the Canon ($$) tripod ring for my 70-200, and IS turned off.

Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated. BTW, my skies have been a little hazy so I'm not expecting any stars like Westr70's excellent shot.

I agree AF was so much easier, trying MF on the 100-400mm with 2x extender was next to impossible handheld... I believe of all of our shots, serendipity got the sharpest shot followed by forcey.
 
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Re: Canon 100-400 mm 4.5 - 5.6, May 5th Moon

I agree that you want the lowest possible ISO.

But, you have a 5D3, so you can get to at least ISO 400 without any noticeable difference.

One thing that I realized early on with the 100-400 is that sharpness is the most important part of getting a good image, and the ways to do that are fast shots and smaller f-stops. That means ISO is the only thing that can really be changed.

If you're on a tripod then yeah, keep the ISO low. If you're holding it I promise that ISO is the thing that matters the least (to an extent)

Remember, photography is all about balancing diffent aspects to get the best image. Of course you'd want to shoot at 1/2000, f/11, ISO 100, but that's usually not possible. So the best quality image will come from the best balancing act, and I find that the 100-400 doesn't allow for skimping on shutter speed and aperture.
 
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Re: Canon 100-400 mm 4.5 - 5.6, May 5th Moon

keithfullermusic said:
I agree that you want the lowest possible ISO.

But, you have a 5D3, so you can get to at least ISO 400 without any noticeable difference.

One thing that I realized early on with the 100-400 is that sharpness is the most important part of getting a good image, and the ways to do that are fast shots and smaller f-stops. That means ISO is the only thing that can really be changed.

If you're on a tripod then yeah, keep the ISO low. If you're holding it I promise that ISO is the thing that matters the least (to an extent)

Remember, photography is all about balancing diffent aspects to get the best image. Of course you'd want to shoot at 1/2000, f/11, ISO 100, but that's usually not possible. So the best quality image will come from the best balancing act, and I find that the 100-400 doesn't allow for skimping on shutter speed and aperture.

Agreed... if handheld then one can play with ISO... I'd go up to 3200 on the 5d3 if need be ...
 
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Re: Canon 100-400 mm 4.5 - 5.6, May 5th Moon

Some cool moon shots here guys!

Here's mine from June 3rd:


Full Moon, June 2010 by Christopher Brian's Photography, on Flickr

Taken with the Sigma Bigmos at 1/125s f/11.0 ISO 100 500 mm on a 7D. I think that's about as clear as I'm gonna get it while shooting in Toronto. I was in the field in front of the Richard Harris Water treatment plant for that shot for reference in case that means anything to anyone. For those that don't know it means at least a little haze and light pollution from Toronto.
 
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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Nice shot. I really like the trees silhouetted against it. From a composition stand point I would like to see a little more breathing room to the right, but overall a nice capture.

i took one the other night as well. We had nice clear skies the night after the blue moon. it was fiercely orange for a little while as it climbed above the horizon.

5DIII + 600mm Non IS
 

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Archangel72

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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM

This one was taken without tripod, with Canon EOS 1Dx + 70-200 f2.8 II + Extender EF III, and cropped heavily in PS.
I like SCI-FI very much so I played a little adding explosion to the darker side of the Moon ;D

Archangel72
 

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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Here is a picure of mine taken with a Canon EF 100-400/4,5-5,6 L USM IS and a Canon EF 1,4x III on a Canon 5D Mark II.

It was taken during the supermoon phase on the 6th of may this year and in retrospect I should have used my old 50D for the 1.6 crop effect.

However i did get some nice colors that Im happy with.
 

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DJL329

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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Archangel72 said:
This one was taken without tripod, with Canon EOS 1Dx + 70-200 f2.8 II + Extender EF III, and cropped heavily in PS.
I like SCI-FI very much so I played a little adding explosion to the darker side of the Moon ;D

Archangel72

Where's Commander Koenig when you need him? ::)

(Yes, I know I'm dating myself with that reference...)
 
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Archangel72

Amateur on horizon!!! Brace yourselves for impact!
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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM



Where's Commander Koenig when you need him? ::)

(Yes, I know I'm dating myself with that reference...)
[/quote]

"Commander John Koenig reporting... what are your orders, sir? 8)
We don't have much time, the Moon is collapsing... please advise!!!
Sir... can you hear me... SIR?!?
kssssshhhshhh... evac... imediat.... kssshhshhh......
S I R ??? You are breaking, please repeat...
kshhhshhhh ---------....
SIR? :eek:
... he's gone... they are all gone... and we are next..." :-\

Thanks for reading my short SCI-FI novella.
With more SCI FI picture posted on Canon Rumours, more stories to read ;D

Archangel72 out ! 8)
 
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Sporgon

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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM

No one has posted anything by the venerable 100-400mm L for nearly a year ! :eek:

All the pics are of birds and sport. How about it as a landscape lens ?

( Enjoying reading the comments from November 2011 about the lens being replaced 'immanently' !
 

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RGF

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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Sporgon said:
No one has posted anything by the venerable 100-400mm L for nearly a year ! :eek:

All the pics are of birds and sport. How about it as a landscape lens ?

( Enjoying reading the comments from November 2011 about the lens being replaced 'immanently' !

nice image
 
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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM

CR Backup Admin said:
Just for the heck of it, I set up my 1D MK III on my back porch when we had a clear day last weekend and tried the 100-400mm L on Mt Spokane which is about 8 miles distant. I knew the photos would not be picture perfect, there is 8 miles of air to distort the image. I was suprised that those with TC's came out as good as they did.

I think the results show that you need to be close, but also that TC's work better than I expected as long as there is time to manually focus.

I used aperture priority, f/11, ISO 800, shutter speeds varied from 1/2000 to 1/3200. Even in good light, there is noise at ISO 800. The camera could not reflect the aperture value properly with two TC's, but t did reduce shutter speed to compensate so the exposures were ok.

I focused on a television tower, the same one my wireless internet provider uses. I used live view on the the shots and a wireless remote to help keep vibration down. I also used as fast a shutter speed as I could. I tried turning IS off, but results were better with it on, so all the 100-400mm images have IS turned on, even though it might not have worked with the stacked extenders.

Great demonstration, thanks! How much sharpness did you loose with both the TC on the 100-400mm? Thanks!
 
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Re: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Sporgon said:
No one has posted anything by the venerable 100-400mm L for nearly a year ! :eek:

All the pics are of birds and sport. How about it as a landscape lens ?

I use it sometimes for landscapes and its good to see others do so as well - here is my shot - a moonrise shot recently after I returned from work early :)
 

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