Making Due with a Lens that was Cheap in 1995

[Steve Eisenberg]

These were taken with my 75-300mm f4-5.6. It sometimes won't focus, and when it does it squeeeeeeks LOUDLY!


Canon XTi, 300mm, Aperture Priority f5.6, 1/1000-1/1600, ISO 1600


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[Jon Ruyle]

Nice, Steve. I especially like the last. Did you prefocus and wait, or just hope the lens would focus when it needed to?


How cropped are these? I would have cropped more, but I might have been wrong to do so... I like the way there is a sense of context here.


I sometimes shoot hummingbirds (take pictures of them, that is) and get my best pics, not when I'm really quick on the draw and using a really fast lens, but when they just stay *still* for a little while (which they sometimes do). You can see a few of them at


http://picasaweb.google.com/jonruyle/Hummingbirds#


I used more expensive equipment, so I guess I've proved that more expensive equipment doesn't always lead to better results


I find that I never have enough light, because I want a really high shutter speed to freeze the wings, and I want low iso to because I'll probably want to crop. I also want to stop down to get the whole thing in focus (dof is tiny with closeups...), but I usually can't have all of that. So I get noisy blurry pics


Did you try getting very close to them? That is one aspect that, for me, was actually easier than expected. At first I put a 2x converter on my 70-200, but found I didn't need the reach. So I ditched the 2x converter in favor of extension tubes... they don't seem to mind if I'm really close by.


Once again- nice work.


Jon.

[Steve Eisenberg]

Jon,


Thanks for the positive feedback! I'm reallywanting the 400mm f5.6, but will have to wait a while for that.


I used AI Servo, with my butt planted on the ground, elbows on my knees, and 8-15 away. I should have used Partial Metering (especially for the third one), but forgot and used Center Weighted . I do prefer to have the context, so I crop big, which also minimizes how much noise shows up. In this case 2200x2200 to 2600x2600. And I'm into square crops at the moment (no particular reason).


I sat for about60 minutes, and the hummingbirds showed up for about 2 minutes every 5-10 minutes.


Nice photos BTW. I really like the red-head!

[TheRoff]

Nice photos. Certainly nothing wrong with that old lens. Nice and sharp.


Larry

[40Doodle]

I like that last photo the best. I like the depth it presents with the blurred plant matter in the foreground and focus on the bird behind that portion of the image.


Rick

[Steve Eisenberg]

Thanks Larry. It's slow and noisy, but I'm happy to have it! As long as I don't have sky in the background, the chromatic aberration isn't too bad either.


Thanks Rick. I like it when it can look like we're peeking in on the animals.

[Dann Thombs]

I like the last one for color and composition.

[Benjamin]

That sucks it doesn't focus sometime... But you made great pictures! My lens does focus properly always but I haven't made anything like this... Good job here!

[Steve Eisenberg]

Thanks!

[HiFiGuy1]

Steve and Jon,


Great pictures! I love hummingbirds, and it gives me something to look forward to this Spring, since I just got a camera. I am excited about the prospect offinding and photographing some soon. I am encouraged by the thought that I may not need more than my lowly 28-135 that I have now!