From the Collaboratory

The Verdict is In

Elvis Emu by kclarkphotography

Well, a number of poe team members have been kind enough to respond to my inquiries about their favorite lenses, and between their comments and my own experimentation, I've made a decision about which lens to buy - once I save the money. Here are some of their comments.

Susie of artocard used a 55-250mm zoom lens to capture "Heart" (see From the Collaboratory September 25th). Chuck Nolder of NolderPhotography's "Leopard Cub," also posted on the 25th, was shot with a Canon 100-400mm f/4-5.6 L IS lens. "Gotta love the IS," he says, and I agree. Image Stabilizers are da bomb.

On the other hand, one common thread I've seen in reviews of telephoto zooms lenses regardless of the brand, is that most of them lose sharpness of focus at their maximum focal length. Heide of Heidesphotos, who shot "Sea Otter at State Beach," uses a Nikkor 80-400mm, but has that complaint about her lens.

The same is true for Steve Raley of PhotoGrunt, who says: Well, my "everyday" lens for my 40D is the EF 28-135mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS. The only other lens I have is the EF 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 IS. I like both lenses, and about the only bad thing I have to say about either one of them is that the 70-300mm can be a little soft focused at the top end. Having said that, it does take some tack-sharp shots in between.

Coupling by PhotoGrunt

So, after reading, and hearing from you, and renting a couple different lenses myself, there's no doubt: for me, the best combination is the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L II IS USM with a 2x extender. Though I've heard the extenders compromise image quality, I found their effect to be minimal. That combination is much faster and at least as crisp as the Canon 100 - 400mm, also of the L series, with the added benefit of more blur where and when you need it. Here are a couple of examples:

I'm sad to say that family needs will take me away from the blog for a while. Thanks so much for your support these last five months. I hope to be back soon! Fare well. Happy shooting!

Nocturnal by meganlee

Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here.

From the Collaboratory

Rainy Season

Paris when it rains by turine

My quest for glass continues; therefore, so does my experimentation with various lenses. Last weekend, I rented a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5 - 5.6 L IS lens from Glazer Camera here in Seattle. (A great benefit of having a local shop!)

Rain Curtain on Lake Garda by flywithme

It was a disappointment.

While the images came out crisp and clear, and I was able to achieve a fair degree of closeup, the lens was much more sluggish than the 70-200mm f/2.8 L II, which sells for a couple hundred dollars less. So instead of getting the lovely, wings-extended blue heron shot I wanted, I captured him gawky-looking, wings-straight-down. You'll notice that my photos are not included in this post. Ha!

Rain by flywithme

So, the lens choice for this weekend is once again the 70-200mm, but with a 2x extender to give me some range. I know the extenders compromise image quality. My goal this weekend is to learn how much.

In the Presence of Still Water by CMirandaDesigns

Stay tuned.

Droplets by kellya

Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here.

From the Collaboratory

Heart by artocard

Good Glass!

I'm dreaming of the perfect lens.

Leopard Cub by NolderPhotography

If only I knew which one it is!

It's pretty much gospel in the photography world that having high-quality lenses matters more than having a high-end body. (A good tripod is also a plus, but that's a subject for another day.) The question is: What lens is best-suited to the work I do?

Right now, my workhorse is the Canon 28-135mm IS USM zoom. Great lens for general shooting. But for wildlife photography, I need a longer focal length (except for those times when I get very, very lucky).

The high-end professional telephoto lenses, like the 600 or 800mm, are too heavy for me to lug around, and too far out of my price range even if I wanted that much exercise. I also want flexibility, so that if a white heron flies into a landscape I'm shooting, I can get good shots of both.

Grizzly Sow and Cub by MyPhotoArt

So, Canon shooters, what works for you? Is it the 70 - 200 f/2.8 L IS USM, maybe with a 1.4x or 2x converter? Or an EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM like Chuck Nolder of NolderPhotography used to capture Leopard Cub (above), maybe also with an extender? Or a second camera body with a telephoto fixed lens?

Sea Otter at State Beach by Heidesphotos

I'm not familiar with the gradations of other brands, but the principle is the same.

Please join the conversation. I'm sure other neophytes like me would love to hear from you!

Thanks.

Gomez the Iguana by Jhoeymonster

Nakedeye17 (Su) thinks of photography as a wake-up call: "Hey, everybody! Are you seeing this?" She loves to capture humor, too, and anything wondrous strange. Find Nakedeye17's shop here.