Patent: Canon EF 300-600 f/5.6 w/1.4x TC

[mackguyver]

I just had a 1D X delivered yesterday and haven't tried it out yet, but I'm excited, especially after looking at the 1D X photo thread and Neuro's shots above

I hope you do not mind me saying, but try to make the first shot something special, as the camera will blow you away.

I will never forget my first real shots with the 1D X as all I thought was "oh s**t"!

Enjoy, and congrats!!

I don't mind at all, and thanks! I tried the burst mode last night and so I've already had one "oh s**t" moment! It seems 20x faster than the 5DIII, not twice as fast

 

[Northstar]

I just had a 1D X delivered yesterday and haven't tried it out yet, but I'm excited, especially after looking at the 1D X photo thread and Neuro's shots above

I hope you do not mind me saying, but try to make the first shot something special, as the camera will blow you away.

I will never forget my first real shots with the 1D X as all I thought was "oh s**t"!

Enjoy, and congrats!!

I don't mind at all, and thanks! I tried the burst mode last night and so I've already had one "oh s**t" moment! It seems 20x faster than the 5DIII, not twice as fast

it sure is fun holding that button down isn't it!!

 

[expatinasia]

I just had a 1D X delivered yesterday and haven't tried it out yet, but I'm excited, especially after looking at the 1D X photo thread and Neuro's shots above

I hope you do not mind me saying, but try to make the first shot something special, as the camera will blow you away.

I will never forget my first real shots with the 1D X as all I thought was "oh s**t"!

Enjoy, and congrats!!

I don't mind at all, and thanks! I tried the burst mode last night and so I've already had one "oh s**t" moment! It seems 20x faster than the 5DIII, not twice as fast

Not quite what I meant, as I was referring more to the IQ and FPS, but is all good. Enjoy.

 

[mackguyver]

it sure is fun holding that button down isn't it!!

Oh yeah! Now I know why the shutter rating is so much higher, too!

Not quite what I meant, as I was referring more to the IQ and FPS, but is all good. Enjoy.

I know what you meant, I was just saying that my first impression was holy crap! I can't wait to actually use it, but alas my consulting gig has me stuck behind the desk today, but I'm off to the beach tomorrow...

 

[expatinasia]

it sure is fun holding that button down isn't it!!

Oh yeah! Now I know why the shutter rating is so much higher, too!

Not quite what I meant, as I was referring more to the IQ and FPS, but is all good. Enjoy.

I know what you meant, I was just saying that my first impression was holy crap! I can't wait to actually use it, but alas my consulting gig has me stuck behind the desk today, but I'm off to the beach tomorrow...

Haha, great times, wow. Can't wait to see your pics! Enjoy.

 

[Loswr]

Neuro, those are great shots, particularly that first one where the shape of the trees and the negative space really frames the bird. Were these hand held, or (I assume, at least at 1200mm) from a gimbal?

Thanks!

The red tail was from a monopod, the snowy was from a tripod+gimbal. The choice depends a lot more on what/where I'm shooting than the focal length (600 vs. 840 vs. 1200). For snowys and eagles, there's a lot of waiting around, so the tripod is a better choice. The rest of the time, I'm usually using the monopod or handholding.

 

[mackguyver]

Neuro, those are great shots, particularly that first one where the shape of the trees and the negative space really frames the bird. Were these hand held, or (I assume, at least at 1200mm) from a gimbal?

Thanks!

The red tail was from a monopod, the snowy was from a tripod+gimbal. The choice depends a lot more on what/where I'm shooting than the focal length (600 vs. 840 vs. 1200). For snowys and eagles, there's a lot of waiting around, so the tripod is a better choice. The rest of the time, I'm usually using the monopod or handholding.

That makes sense and when I "evaluated" the 800L I found that the monopod worked best in most situations, other than ones where you have to hang around or can hand hold, as you say. Not that I handheld much with the 800, though...

 

[drjlo]

the 5DIII is definitely yet another big step up from the 7D, particularly with subject tracking. Being able to lock an AF point on a bird and have it track it over 2/3 of the frame is amazing.

I am still experimenting with 5D III for BIF, which is a bit difficult due to AF point not lighting up in Al servo and 6 fps. Which Al servo "mode" do you prefer for BIF, and which AF point distribution (all AF pts on, double cross only, center only, center expanded, etc)?

 

[mackguyver]

the 5DIII is definitely yet another big step up from the 7D, particularly with subject tracking. Being able to lock an AF point on a bird and have it track it over 2/3 of the frame is amazing.

I am still experimenting with 5D III for BIF, which is a bit difficult due to AF point not lighting up in Al servo and 6 fps. Which Al servo "mode" do you prefer for BIF, and which AF point distribution (all AF pts on, double cross only, center only, center expanded, etc)?

The two modes I've been using are Zone AF (if the bird is further away or I expect to track it in the center of the frame) which was my go to mode in the 7D or 61-pt auto with a pre-selected point if I'm set up and waiting for a bird to alight or land. I realize the points don't light up, so you just have to trust it, and most of the time it works extremely well.

The 61-pt auto selected point only picks up the closest object so it's not always good - I prefer to pre-select a point. I hold one finger over the shutter while my thumb hovers over the AF back button, and when the bird appears (or takes flight), I put the pre-selected point on the bird, lock it on, and then fire away with the shutter. Personally I prefer to select a cross point on the side I expect to lock onto the bird in and let the camera track it into the middle and/or through the frame.

 

[CarlTN]

the 5DIII is definitely yet another big step up from the 7D, particularly with subject tracking. Being able to lock an AF point on a bird and have it track it over 2/3 of the frame is amazing.

I am still experimenting with 5D III for BIF, which is a bit difficult due to AF point not lighting up in Al servo and 6 fps. Which Al servo "mode" do you prefer for BIF, and which AF point distribution (all AF pts on, double cross only, center only, center expanded, etc)?

The two modes I've been using are Zone AF (if the bird is further away or I expect to track it in the center of the frame) which was my go to mode in the 7D or 61-pt auto with a pre-selected point if I'm set up and waiting for a bird to alight or land. I realize the points don't light up, so you just have to trust it, and most of the time it works extremely well.

The 61-pt auto selected point only picks up the closest object so it's not always good - I prefer to pre-select a point. I hold one finger over the shutter while my thumb hovers over the AF back button, and when the bird appears (or takes flight), I put the pre-selected point on the bird, lock it on, and then fire away with the shutter. Personally I prefer to select a cross point on the side I expect to lock onto the bird in and let the camera track it into the middle and/or through the frame.

Makes sense, good explanation!

 

[scyrene]

I've been meaning to ask for a while about birds in flight actually - as in, which AF scenario to use. I must admit, the 5D3's autofocus options have always rather baffled me - even though it gives examples, I've never known which is most appropriate for birds. I don't do much BIF work, as I'm mostly shooting small songbirds, and not the big owls/eagles that you guys have access to in North America (and other such places). But when I see, say, a duck, crow, or cormorant (i.e. a medium-sized bird) flying, and I try and focus on it, the camera almost never chooses the bird, choosing the sky instead (that being the much larger target). I'm hand holding, and so keeping the AF point on the bird is very hard, but using multiple points or a zone doesn't seem to help. Sorry if all this has been covered before, but I thought I'd ask here anyway

 

[mackguyver]

I've been meaning to ask for a while about birds in flight actually - as in, which AF scenario to use. I must admit, the 5D3's autofocus options have always rather baffled me - even though it gives examples, I've never known which is most appropriate for birds. I don't do much BIF work, as I'm mostly shooting small songbirds, and not the big owls/eagles that you guys have access to in North America (and other such places). But when I see, say, a duck, crow, or cormorant (i.e. a medium-sized bird) flying, and I try and focus on it, the camera almost never chooses the bird, choosing the sky instead (that being the much larger target). I'm hand holding, and so keeping the AF point on the bird is very hard, but using multiple points or a zone doesn't seem to help. Sorry if all this has been covered before, but I thought I'd ask here anyway

First of all, a caveat: shooting birds in flight is tough. Even the best gear and technique won't guarantee a good shot, but there are ways to increase your success. The best way to do this is to set up in a stationary location and wait for birds to fly over. It also helps to pre-focus at the distance you expert to acquire the target (BIF). In terms of AF settings, the 7D works best with Zone AF, and the 5DIII and 1D X works best with the the 61-pt auto-select, but it often picks the sky (as you say) if you don't get the BIF with the right initial AF point. The most reliable thing you can do is set it to 61-pt, AI Servo and use the AF Point selection to pick the center AF point. Case 1 seems to work well for me most BIFs, but I'll use Case 2 when there are trees in the way and Case 5 when shooting small birds like swifts. The key is getting the initial AF point on target, holding it until you can verify that it locked, following the target for a moment, and then pressing the shutter. With small distant birds and/or with birds in a gray sky, that can be really tough, but the sooner you are able to lock onto the BIF and start tracking it, the better. If it doesn't lock on, release the AF button and push it again. Sometimes I'll do that 2-3x before it will lock if the BIF is small/distant.

So to recap, set up in a place you expect to see BIFs, lock onto them as soon as you can, confirm focus lock/tracking, wait for key moment, then fire away.

The final key to BIF photos - practice, practice, practice.

 

[scyrene]

I've been meaning to ask for a while about birds in flight actually - as in, which AF scenario to use. I must admit, the 5D3's autofocus options have always rather baffled me - even though it gives examples, I've never known which is most appropriate for birds. I don't do much BIF work, as I'm mostly shooting small songbirds, and not the big owls/eagles that you guys have access to in North America (and other such places). But when I see, say, a duck, crow, or cormorant (i.e. a medium-sized bird) flying, and I try and focus on it, the camera almost never chooses the bird, choosing the sky instead (that being the much larger target). I'm hand holding, and so keeping the AF point on the bird is very hard, but using multiple points or a zone doesn't seem to help. Sorry if all this has been covered before, but I thought I'd ask here anyway

First of all, a caveat: shooting birds in flight is tough. Even the best gear and technique won't guarantee a good shot, but there are ways to increase your success. The best way to do this is to set up in a stationary location and wait for birds to fly over. It also helps to pre-focus at the distance you expert to acquire the target (BIF). In terms of AF settings, the 7D works best with Zone AF, and the 5DIII and 1D X works best with the the 61-pt auto-select, but it often picks the sky (as you say) if you don't get the BIF with the right initial AF point. The most reliable thing you can do is set it to 61-pt, AI Servo and use the AF Point selection to pick the center AF point. Case 1 seems to work well for me most BIFs, but I'll use Case 2 when there are trees in the way and Case 5 when shooting small birds like swifts. The key is getting the initial AF point on target, holding it until you can verify that it locked, following the target for a moment, and then pressing the shutter. With small distant birds and/or with birds in a gray sky, that can be really tough, but the sooner you are able to lock onto the BIF and start tracking it, the better. If it doesn't lock on, release the AF button and push it again. Sometimes I'll do that 2-3x before it will lock if the BIF is small/distant.

So to recap, set up in a place you expect to see BIFs, lock onto them as soon as you can, confirm focus lock/tracking, wait for key moment, then fire away.

The final key to BIF photos - practice, practice, practice.

Thanks very much for this. Generally it's not possible to know (in my experience) where birds will be flying, although it's now swallow season (the first sand martins have arrived for the summer), so I will seek out where they congregate. I'll let you know!

 

[mackguyver]

Thanks very much for this. Generally it's not possible to know (in my experience) where birds will be flying, although it's now swallow season (the first sand martins have arrived for the summer), so I will seek out where they congregate. I'll let you know!

I understand and unless they're bats coming out a cave, you never know the exact direction, so maybe I should have said to point your lens in the general direction where most birds seem to be flying in or out from . The key is staying stationary - moving around will usually leave you unprepared for BIFs. Good luck with the swallows - they're about as tough as they come!

 

[scyrene]

Thanks very much for this. Generally it's not possible to know (in my experience) where birds will be flying, although it's now swallow season (the first sand martins have arrived for the summer), so I will seek out where they congregate. I'll let you know!

I understand and unless they're bats coming out a cave, you never know the exact direction, so maybe I should have said to point your lens in the general direction where most birds seem to be flying in or out from . The key is staying stationary - moving around will usually leave you unprepared for BIFs. Good luck with the swallows - they're about as tough as they come!

Thanks again Swallows are super tough - but they are so numerous in the summer, and they often fly quite low, back and forth over the same spots, that with enough patience even I've been able to get a few shots. I've never spent enough time on it, but you're right - if I stay in one place it should be easier