Had to try out the new Canon 800mm 5.6 l lens I just got

[Glenn Jennings]

Hi Guys
Just got an 800mm 5.6 canon lens so just had to try it out. Feel free to use pics if you want.

[woodburner807]

Great pics, Glenn, and I do oil painting..all great subjects.

[Randy]

Great pictures Glenn. I am not the photographer you are. I just got into a year ago. But then the pandemic hit and Have just done a little. These are taken in a park not far from my house.
001.jpg Langdon Park_0264.jpg 55-200day one 010.jpg

[joepaulbutler]

Much better than my Dick Tracy Special

[Glenn Jennings]

Hi Bill
feel free to use them Bill not a problem.

Hi Randy
Photography is like carving once the bug bites that's it your hooked hehehe.I decided years ago to specialise in birdswhich means BIG lenses for nice up close shots. 30 years ago we would set up hides to get close enough the big lenses make a huge difference.

Hi Joe
Don't knock old stuff buddy Geoff Moon a great nz bird photographer got some of the best morepork owl shots from a silver nitrated glass plate camera that I have ever seen. The camera body was made of wood I think from memory. He could only carry about 12 glass plates around because of the weight. These days the lens is the weight. My 800mm weighs in at 10 pounds the tripod weighs another 4 so by the time you add other bits and pieces you are carting around about 20 lbs of gear.

[Brian T]

I was souping B&W roll film when I was 12. Through a succession of cameras, I wound up in love with a couple of 4x5 on surveyor's big wooden tripods. The modern replacement costs for all my stuff make my eyes water.

800 x 5.6? That really is a big piece of glass. What's the body, Glenn?

[JasonIdz]

800 x 5.6? That really is a big piece of glass. What's the body, Glenn?

Wondering the same - That is an impressive piece of gear!

[Glenn Jennings]

Hi Brian, Jason
She is aluminium body manual focus. These you can pick up on Ebay for around US $1,800.00 I was lucky in that the one I got is as new. Not a mark on it optics perfect. Model 800mm F5.6 L NEW. The NEW ones have an upgraded camera attachment. The L models have the low dispersion glass which is WAY better than the older SSC models. Heaps less chromatic aberration. Considering this model started I think in 1986 the optics really are very good. Art Morris one of the best bird photographers on the planet used one of these for years apparently. Having got one I can see why. They are GOOD! I They are a touch soft with a 2X converter on but with a 1.4 they are still pretty sharp from the research I have done. I have one coming. Got some extension tubes coming as well so I can reduce the focusing distance down from 14m to around 7-10m which will be useful for some applications.

Given a second hand Canon 800mm lens with auto focus and image stabilisation on ebay can cost US $12,500. These are real good value.

I use a Sony A7R III 42 meg digital camera body which has 5 stop built in image stabilisation which enables me to use a manual lense with relative ease. I prefer manual to autofocus as a lot of cameras hunt quite badly and slow right down when you use lense extenders on them.

I'm Kind of used to it as I used to shoot 50 and 100 ISO slide film a ways back and the auto focus back then was not flash. Got better shots in manual.

Have a canon 400mm L 5.6 lens with a canon 550D 20meg camera on it for the real close stuff.

Used to sell a bit of stuff might try to do so again now I'm retired and can put some time into it. It Paid for a 600mm Nikkor a few years ago.

[Just Carving]

Glenn, those are some beautiful shots. Enjoy the lens.

Lately, I've been thinking about getting into photography again. I started with 2 Canon AE-1 programs which I still have. I have several lenses--80-200mm, 35-70mm, and a 50mm. I was doing fire and EMS photography as I was an instructor and wanted more relevant and beneficial information in the form of slides for my training programs. The cameras have been sitting for years. I miss the joy of 35mm film but that's gone the wayside. Besides, being able to download the pics without having to do anything other than connecting a cable is nicer. Bluetooth is nicer though. I wish my Canon Cybershot had that ability. I've been using that mostly along with the phone for taking day to day shots--mostly related to making patterns for woodcarving and to help during the woodcarving process. I have a backyard that Mother Nature keeps pretty active. So I take a photo here and there too.

I've been on the fence with just liquidating all the photo stuff I have and going to one simple lightweight all in one camera. That's what I did when I got the Cybershot. It served it's purpose but it is a heavy and cumbersome camera. And it has a lot of features which I use once in a blue moon but I'm happy with a point and shoot anymore. I'm more interested in the shot not the technology.

Just some thoughts and rambling of my own.

BobL

[Eddy-Smiles]

The extent of my photography skills is comprised of an old Sony Cyber Shot and a flip phone.

[Randy]

My set up is a Nikon 5100 and a Tamron 18 -270 mm lens. I am going to take a continuing education class photography at the local collage this summer. The camra is so much smarter than I am at this time. I need to catch up. Its not a old Browny.

[Glenn Jennings]

Hi Bob,
My film cameras were way older than the AE-1 model. Solid as can be. Used to enjoy slide film. Was a bit of an art form in its own right getting crystal clear bird shots out of a 600mm nikor with a 2x extender stacked on it at shutter speeds as low as a 60th of a second at times. Not easy but doable. Used a solid tripod with huge ball head on it and cable release.

There was always the excitement of waiting for the developed film to come back from processing. There was always the did I get the exposure compensation right, was the camera steady enough, Did I get the right shutter speed to freeze the wings in flight stuff going on in the mind.

Some of the all inone cameras are pretty good these days what with built in zooms and stuff going on. Best to make a list of what you want the camera to be capable of then go find one that matches your criteria.


Hi Eddy
I was judging a photo shoot for a club one day and a shot of a basket fungas came real close to winning the competition. Taken with a phone. The almost perfect shot.


Hi Randy,
I hear what you say about the camera being smarter than I am. I stick to the basics. The sony camera I have has sooooo many functions it would take half of forever to figure it all out so I stick with what I know and just add little bits I pick up out of the manual from time to time.

For birding I set the exposure compensation first. I manual focus everything as I use 1.4x and 2x extenders which slows down auto focus. I shoot everything in aperature priority. By selecting the aperature to set depth of field the shutter speed sorts itself out. If the bird looks like it is about to take off it takes a second to change the aperature to open the lens right up to push the shutter speeds up around 1200th of a sec. Find it works well that way.

Once you get used to doing that the older manual lenses can be picked up for less than beer money and will give you some really nice shots. Ok so they wont have fluorite coating but so what. We were getting crystal clear shots out of lenses way before that came out. It is often not what you have got but how you use it that counts for a good photograph.

See attached link https://photoforumnewzealand.wordpre...obe-1915-2009/ I think this is one of the shots Geoff got on nitrated glass plate. He told me that to get some shots he built a scaffold 40 ft up the side of a tree to get to the right spot to take the shot. He used to say I should do something with my photography . I said to like what you have done it all hehehe. He was one really nice guy. We used to meet up at camera club quite often.

[Just Carving]

Good advice Glenn!

Thanks
BobL

[Glenn Jennings]

Hi Bob
No worries buddy I'm happy to chat photography anytime you're of a mind to. Went down to western springs today. These are 5 of the best shots of the day.

[Mark N. Akers]

Very nice pictures Glenn,excellent job.