For anyone who thinks they can't get good photos because there camera is not good enough have a look at the video under whats new at wwwkenrockwell.com
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Good viewing and he is not as annoying as I had thought he would be. LOL! But the reverse is true that just because someone has a top of the line camera, does not mean they will be able to take nice images. :)
Exactly my point,I've said on this site before,don't get hung up on NEEDING a better camera or lens or both just go out and take photos,my favorite lens is an rattly old sigma 300f4 that has it's best years behind it,and i cop a bit of flack over it.
I know guys with kits worth 10s of thousands and they still cant take a descent photo!
my wife has been banned for showing them up with her pentaxk100
Learning how to use what you have is much more important, that's why i like ken rockwell he tells people that,and then explains how to do it in a way thats easy to understand
Sparrow I do agree with you, and particularly agree with Windhover on his comment about better gear not meaning good photos. I have seen some woeful stuff from buffoons with top range gear who couldn't snap their way out of a paper bag.
But I have to say that there does come a time when, speaking personally anyway, I know for sure that with a faster lens and better optics some of my better pictures would have been stunners.
I was working in the camera department the other day and was amazed though at the amount of pixels now being offered in small compact cameras.Another point that many people get hung up on. Also had a frustrating conversation with a woman who wanted a Nikon because her Canon shots were too "noisy" when she shot black material in a no flash situation!!! A "photographer friend" had told her to go and buy a Nikon and "that will fix it". There was no way she was going to listen to the fact that any CCD would give that result if pushed to the extreme. Sometimes a little knowledge is definitely dangerous :)
Sunshine Coast Queensland
Just had a good read of ken Rockwell. Yes he is right about so much of it. I still say if you are photographing a bird (or anything else with detail) and you want the utmost clear detail possible, then sharpness does matter. I was happy to realise that I am already doing lots of what he recommends ... such as making the most of the bright conditions to get some nice photos shot at a sharp aperture and therefore getting the best out of my equipment. My problem still remains that much of what I see is in low light conditions :(
Sunshine Coast Queensland
The only problem is that you can only do so well with mediocre lenses that many people buy with their entry into the field of digital photography. I have used a 75-300mm EF zoom for about 10 months and it made me want to cry at the best of times. Then I bought a 300mm f/4L IS lens and it turned it upside down. Suddenly I was getting good images straight out of the camera with sharp details, nice contrast and wonderful colors. Since then, I still use the same old crappy 30D, but it's amazing what it can do whan I put a 500/4L or an 800/5.6L on it. Of course cameras also help with better features but having a solid understanding of the basics and applying in the field are what matter most. :)
hi birdie,i totally agree birds like to test our gear and patience to the limit,the trouble with long or fast lenses is that they are heavy and awkward to use and if they are both long and fast you need a tripod to get the most out of them.
windhover brought up flash X-tenders in a post the other day, you might want to have a look before you drop 2or3k on a lens there only about $40 on ebay.
I think we are all on the same page here, about most of it anyway. Sparrow...there is no danger at all of me dropping 2-3K on a lens LOL If I had it to spare there would be no hesitation though! I have used 300 2.8L, 600 4.0L and seen many results from the very ungainly 800L, but these are not the lenses I am wishing for. As you correctly say Sparrow, they are heavy and cumbersome. I have trouble hand holding the 75-300!! The results from any L lens are superb in terms of clarity and contrast etc and that is what I would like ultimately. Probably the 300f.0L with IS would be very nice. For the moment, I have no choice but to drool over other people's beautiful results and make sure that my composition etc and experience at chasing and pinning down the shot is at its best.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
This is a great discussion by the way guys. :)
I guess heavy or awkward are very subjective. I have no problem hand holding a 500/4 or 800/5.6 lens for quite a while ( the 500 a bit longer). A 600/4 is a beast and I can manage, but Canon should fix that with the 600/4 MkII about to be released in 2011. For around 14-15k it should be around the 3.5-4.0 kg mark, which is very hand holdable for me anyway. Of course in low light a tripod (carbon fiber is best) is necessary anyway, but in good light I like the freedom of hand holding. The best thing is that you get what you pay for in the end. :) For awkwardness, I am not sure, are you saying the weight, the size? I love long lenses, they are simply the best for birds and am drooling till the day I get a real one. The longer focal length the better and with a bit of practice quickly framing a subject becomes quite manageable. The long lens also gives you space so you reduce disturbance and gives you the nice bokeh as long as you keep the background far enough away. :) But giving space does not mean 100 meters! Even with a 600mm you'd want to be well within 15m to get a half decent shot of any smallish bird. :)
For now, until my wife okays the expense, the 300/4L IS is an awesome compromise for what I like to do. Takes a 1.4x converter very nicely, the 2x not bad and stacked converters still give me useable images. See one here:
http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?74800-Australian-Kestrel-%28male%29
Brilliant Akos! With 2 X teleconverters on board too! Once again the importance of high quality optics shows through when you get results like that! And of course when you take optimum lighting conditions you have plenty of room to allow for the loss of light that using the two converters will give. I am afraid that I am totally unable to hand hold a heavier lens. but I remember back in the days when EOS 1 first came out, one of our Pro photographers was hand holding the 800 to shoot the Americas Cup ...... from a yacht :) Results were cool too.
I just went out to find the PHRs and I caught a glimpse of them flying away from me!!!
Now it is just on dusk and the bush is very dark, I can hear the catbird etc .....very frustrating as my neighbours have better access to the nesting area than me and with no fence to obscure the view. Might have to talk to them about that :)
Sunshine Coast Queensland