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Success
Sorry for the hiatus; it’s been the month of disasters. I’m getting back on my feet after a hard drive crash and flooded basement. Fortunately I only lost about two weeks of photos…
This shot comes from this years’ Penn Relays. I rented a Canon 100-400 f4.5-5.6L to see if I could get used to the push-pull zoom. Verdict: possible, but it would be work to get used to it. The weight of the lens makes it difficult to use the push-pull on demand without losing balance. Which is a shame, because with a 1.4x teleextender I was shooting at 560mm from the top of the stadium for a while! Quite nice…
Jorj-I have the lens and have mixed opinions about it.
The push-pull zoom, has not been an issue w/ me. when I use that lens, I don’t tend to move focal lengths much. I simply lock it into the focal length and leave it there until I need to change, which isnt often. I usually use it on a tripod anyway, so there is a certain amount of fussing with adjusting the pod.
My biggest issue witht the lens is that I have ben unable to get many really sharp shots. It might just be me, but I am use to the tack sharp images produced by the 70-200 f/2.8. I don’t know of a cheaper, better alternative 400mm (or 520mm as you point out with an tele-extender).
I shouldn’t be too tough on the lens however; I did manage to take some nice shots with it in Alaska, and from the back row of Arther Ash Stadium, at the US Open.
Great action shot! Very dynamic–reminds me of illustrations in a comic book.
Jorj, maybe the push-pull is awkward for you because you hold your lens funny?
Most people hold lenses with their left hand under the lens and left elbow tight against their side, to support the weight. You hold it with your hand on the side, thumb on the bottom, so you can’t support the weight with your left hand. I’ve always wondered how you manage to be steady that way. I’m not surprised it was tough at 560mm…
Mark, I actually support the weight straight down into the crotch of my thumb, elbow into my ribcage. I’ve always found it to be a more comfortable position than using my wrist to help carry the weight.
But in this case I don’t think that’s the culprit. I was torn between holding my hand on the focus ring, which is part of the sliding push-pull mechanism, and keeping it back by the body where the autofocus switch lives. I had a hard time keeping my object in focus using autofocus at 560mm. As a result the weight was often completely unbalanced.