Quote:
Originally Posted by ving
thanks for sharing denis. I am thinking of getting a sigma 120-400 f5.6 myself.
love the raptors, they look really good. just a question tho, the honey eater (?) looks really noisy on my screen, did you shoot it too dark and have to brighten it or is your camera just really noisy at iso400?
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Hi Dave
The 40D provides for x3 user custom settings so you can (after pre-setting them) choose one at the click of a dial rather than have to navigate through several menus to make various individual settings. I was using my standard C2 setting (1/1600 sec, F7.1, 400ASA for birds in flight) when the honeyeater zipped by and landed on the barbed wire fence, a little more in the shade. I quickly swung around and squeezed of a couple of shots and then he was gone, so didn’t get a chance to set the correct exposure.
C2 is set for white egrets against a bright sky, so I suspect the honeyeater was some 2 or 3 stops under exposed? I’ll probably have a go at re-processing this fella, as I’m certain I can do a better job as the post is more or less as cropped straight from the camera.
In terms of a zoom lens, I ummed and aaaahhd for several weeks between the Canon 100-400mm zoom and 400m prime before finally selecting the 400mm. Various user tests revealed that whilst both were very sharp, the prime had the edge over the zoom although the zoom does have IS whereas the prime doesn’t.
If you are looking for a pure birding lens, then I’d consider a prime rather than zoom as the critters are always too far away, no matter what lens you have. I also like the relatively compact design of the prime compared to the zoom. After a few hours in the field the weight begins to become noticeable.
Also, I have missed several shots when attempting to shoot at 100 ASA in an effort to improve image quality, so I now stick at 400 ASA to favour the faster shutter speeds, accepting more noise in the image. Waders and static birds are great for allowing time to think about settings and get the best IQ but when the critters are flying, all hell lets loose as I try to follow them.
Cheers
Dennis