I need fresh eyes... thanks

I need fresh eyes... thanks · 01:33 PM

I tend to seldom use the Tamron 70-300 because of the PF issues, But this morning I was going to shoot a sparrow in the backyard and I put on the 70-300, by the time I switched lenses, the sparrow was way up in the tree... but this butterfly landed so I snapped a few before it flew off.

Does it work? And if so does one work better than the other?

Attachment 12811

Attachment 12812

I appreciate any comments...

**Ash** · 05-25-2008, 02:04 PM

Gus,

These are spectacular captures taken with a relatively ordinary zoom. Then again, you composed them, so credit goes to you, not the lens...

Did you take them at 300mm? If so, is the 100% crop acceptably sharp? I wonder how these shots would have worked out if you'd used a DA* 300 or the 55-300...

**Mallee Boy** · 05-25-2008, 03:05 PM

Hi Gus,
I think they are great shots worthy of a wall somewhere.
The Tammy aint so bad and these shots just add to its reputation.

Have you printed them off? They would look good on canvas.

Cheers
Grant

Igilligan · 05-25-2008, 04:26 PM

Originally posted by Ash

Gus,

These are spectacular captures taken with a relatively ordinary zoom. Then again, you composed them, so credit goes to you, not the lens...

Did you take them at 300mm? If so, is the 100% crop acceptably sharp? I wonder how these shots would have worked out if you'd used a DA* 300 or the 55-300...

Thanks Ash, They were shot at 300mm handheld and it was a bit windy so I am not sure they would hold up to 100% crops... but probably no fault of the lens. I also have been exclusively shooting my Vivitar 105 and Tamron 28-75 lately and they are so sharp that I am not a good judge on sharpness of late. Every other lens I have sort of pales in sharpness when compared to those two.
I forget that under the right conditions the tamron can really have a nice look to it.

I would love to have shot them with the DA* 300, anyone want to loan me one? haha

Originally posted by Mallee Boy

Hi Gus,
I think they are great shots worthy of a wall somewhere.
The Tammy aint so bad and these shots just add to its reputation.

Have you printed them off? They would look good on canvas.

Cheers
Grant

Thanks Grant... you are right it is a good little lens. I just had a tough day on the slough a couple of months back on some egret shots with bad PF... so I have not used it much lately. And as I said the vivitar and tamron 28-75 have been on the camera so much lately.

I have not printed them but the canvas type print might look cool with these.

Thanks again to both of you for you comments

**Eaglerapids** · 05-25-2008, 05:57 PM

They work very nicely, I favor the second shot because you can see the full profile, great color.

Damn Brit · 05-25-2008, 06:57 PM

Same as the other guys say Gus.
Definitely the second one is far better full size because of the profile and I think the first one might work if you cropped it down to a portrait because you can see the proboscis delving into the flower, which isn't so apparent in the second shot. Done that way I think they would enhance each other displayed together.
Gary

cardinal43 · 05-25-2008, 07:08 PM

Gus:

Great shots!!! I have the same lens, and I gotta tell you, I have never, ever gotten a shot this sharp. It is even more amazing (at least it is to me), that these were handheld @ 300mm on a windy day. I'm having a wee bit of trouble getting sharp shots with mine @ 300mm, but I definitely keep practicing.

Igilligan · 05-25-2008, 09:29 PM

Originally posted by Eaglerapids

They work very nicely, I favor the second shot because you can see the full profile, great color.

Thanks for the feedback...
I think I agree with you, at first I thought I liked the first better,but the second does have a better profile to it.

Originally posted by Damn Brit

Same as the other guys say Gus.
Definitely the second one is far better full size because of the profile and I think the first one might work if you cropped it down to a portrait because you can see the proboscis delving into the flower, which isn't so apparent in the second shot. Done that way I think they would enhance each other displayed together.
Gary

Gary I will try some portrait crops when I get home tonight. I never thought about a tighter crop... you want to give it a shot to send me in the right direction? It would be much appreciated.

Originally posted by cardinal43

Gus:

Great shots!!! I have the same lens, and I gotta tell you, I have never, ever gotten a shot this sharp. It is even more amazing (at least it is to me), that these were handheld @ 300mm on a windy day. I'm having a wee bit of trouble getting sharp shots with mine @ 300mm, but I definitely keep practicing.

Tom,
Ha ha, I have a bunch of blurry windy shots too. I only posted a couple keepers. I do find my copy of the tamron to be pretty sharp, even at 300mm... I was only about 7 or 8 feet away so that may help a bit.
Do you have a link to any 300mm shots of yours?

d.bradley · 05-25-2008, 09:48 PM

I'm going to go against the grain and say the first shot is better...at least in your examples posted. The second seems to have more sharpening, or doesn't stand up to the sharpening as well as the first.

I also like seeing both wings on the first...so composition wise I'd give that the nod as well.

Cheers!
D

Bramela · 05-25-2008, 09:54 PM

Ijust sold one this lens. Seeing these shots, I might live to regret it.
Beautiful shots, very well done! Personally, I would take either shot. both do it for me actually!

Igilligan · 05-25-2008, 10:07 PM

Originally posted by d.bradley

I'm going to go against the grain and say the first shot is better...at least in your examples posted. The second seems to have more sharpening, or doesn't stand up to the sharpening as well as the first.

I also like seeing both wings on the first...so composition wise I'd give that the nod as well.

Cheers!
D

Great catch on the sharpening on the second shot. I gave it an extra bump just before resizing, I was rushing off to work and did not have time to fix it. I thought I might get away with it on the resize but..... you got me.

I will try a second version when I get home from the the prom...

Originally posted by Bramela

Ijust sold one this lens. Seeing these shots, I might live to regret it.
Beautiful shots, very well done! Personally, I would take either shot. both do it for me actually!

Thanks for the kind words.
You wont live to regret it, we pass on the lenses that dont quite work for us. I have been tempted to sell mine too. For the money though it is a fun lens, but with my copy the PF is just so random with it.

Damn Brit · 05-25-2008, 11:08 PM

Here's a couple of crops Gus, see what you think.
Gary

**SCGushue** · 05-26-2008, 01:18 AM

Gus,

They are both excellent captures. The lighting on the flowers is a bit harsh, but you'll get that sometimes if the sun is out

As another said... a touch over worked though.

Butterfly shots are tough to capture well, but these are both good captures. I think the hardest thing to control about these pictures is that the color yellow is harder to deal with in Pentax's rendering than any other color.

Stephen

AML · 05-26-2008, 01:29 AM

Those are excellent catures Gus, so sharp. My favourite is the second one.

roentarre · 05-26-2008, 04:04 AM

2nd shot is the best one. Love the angle and shiny smooth eyes!

05-25-2008, 04:26 PM	#4
Igilligan Guest	Thanks Ash and Grant Originally posted by Ash Gus, These are spectacular captures taken with a relatively ordinary zoom. Then again, you composed them, so credit goes to you, not the lens... Did you take them at 300mm? If so, is the 100% crop acceptably sharp? I wonder how these shots would have worked out if you'd used a DA* 300 or the 55-300... Thanks Ash, They were shot at 300mm handheld and it was a bit windy so I am not sure they would hold up to 100% crops... but probably no fault of the lens. I also have been exclusively shooting my Vivitar 105 and Tamron 28-75 lately and they are so sharp that I am not a good judge on sharpness of late. Every other lens I have sort of pales in sharpness when compared to those two. I forget that under the right conditions the tamron can really have a nice look to it. I would love to have shot them with the DA* 300, anyone want to loan me one? haha Originally posted by Mallee Boy Hi Gus, I think they are great shots worthy of a wall somewhere. The Tammy aint so bad and these shots just add to its reputation. Have you printed them off? They would look good on canvas. Cheers Grant Thanks Grant... you are right it is a good little lens. I just had a tough day on the slough a couple of months back on some egret shots with bad PF... so I have not used it much lately. And as I said the vivitar and tamron 28-75 have been on the camera so much lately. I have not printed them but the canvas type print might look cool with these. Thanks again to both of you for you comments

05-25-2008, 09:29 PM	#8
Igilligan Guest	Thanks all Originally posted by Eaglerapids They work very nicely, I favor the second shot because you can see the full profile, great color. Thanks for the feedback... I think I agree with you, at first I thought I liked the first better,but the second does have a better profile to it. Originally posted by Damn Brit Same as the other guys say Gus. Definitely the second one is far better full size because of the profile and I think the first one might work if you cropped it down to a portrait because you can see the proboscis delving into the flower, which isn't so apparent in the second shot. Done that way I think they would enhance each other displayed together. Gary Gary I will try some portrait crops when I get home tonight. I never thought about a tighter crop... you want to give it a shot to send me in the right direction? It would be much appreciated. Originally posted by cardinal43 Gus: Great shots!!! I have the same lens, and I gotta tell you, I have never, ever gotten a shot this sharp. It is even more amazing (at least it is to me), that these were handheld @ 300mm on a windy day. I'm having a wee bit of trouble getting sharp shots with mine @ 300mm, but I definitely keep practicing. Tom, Ha ha, I have a bunch of blurry windy shots too. I only posted a couple keepers. I do find my copy of the tamron to be pretty sharp, even at 300mm... I was only about 7 or 8 feet away so that may help a bit. Do you have a link to any 300mm shots of yours?

05-25-2008, 11:08 PM	#12
Damn Brit Guest	Here's a couple of crops Gus, see what you think. Gary Last edited by Damn Brit; 07-28-2008 at 01:32 AM.

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05-25-2008, 02:04 PM	#2
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Gus, These are spectacular captures taken with a relatively ordinary zoom. Then again, you composed them, so credit goes to you, not the lens... Did you take them at 300mm? If so, is the 100% crop acceptably sharp? I wonder how these shots would have worked out if you'd used a DA* 300 or the 55-300...

05-25-2008, 03:05 PM	#3
Mallee Boy Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: South Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,904	Hi Gus, I think they are great shots worthy of a wall somewhere. The Tammy aint so bad and these shots just add to its reputation. Have you printed them off? They would look good on canvas. Cheers Grant

05-25-2008, 05:57 PM	#5
Eaglerapids Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Idaho,USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,619	They work very nicely, I favor the second shot because you can see the full profile, great color.

05-25-2008, 06:57 PM	#6
Damn Brit Guest	Same as the other guys say Gus. Definitely the second one is far better full size because of the profile and I think the first one might work if you cropped it down to a portrait because you can see the proboscis delving into the flower, which isn't so apparent in the second shot. Done that way I think they would enhance each other displayed together. Gary

05-25-2008, 07:08 PM	#7
cardinal43 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,412	Gus: Great shots!!! I have the same lens, and I gotta tell you, I have never, ever gotten a shot this sharp. It is even more amazing (at least it is to me), that these were handheld @ 300mm on a windy day. I'm having a wee bit of trouble getting sharp shots with mine @ 300mm, but I definitely keep practicing.

05-25-2008, 09:48 PM	#9
d.bradley Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 631	I'm going to go against the grain and say the first shot is better...at least in your examples posted. The second seems to have more sharpening, or doesn't stand up to the sharpening as well as the first. I also like seeing both wings on the first...so composition wise I'd give that the nod as well. Cheers! D

05-25-2008, 09:54 PM	#10
Bramela Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Newcastle Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,284	Ijust sold one this lens. Seeing these shots, I might live to regret it. Beautiful shots, very well done! Personally, I would take either shot. both do it for me actually!

05-25-2008, 10:07 PM	#11
Igilligan Guest	Originally posted by d.bradley I'm going to go against the grain and say the first shot is better...at least in your examples posted. The second seems to have more sharpening, or doesn't stand up to the sharpening as well as the first. I also like seeing both wings on the first...so composition wise I'd give that the nod as well. Cheers! D Great catch on the sharpening on the second shot. I gave it an extra bump just before resizing, I was rushing off to work and did not have time to fix it. I thought I might get away with it on the resize but..... you got me. I will try a second version when I get home from the the prom... Originally posted by Bramela Ijust sold one this lens. Seeing these shots, I might live to regret it. Beautiful shots, very well done! Personally, I would take either shot. both do it for me actually! Thanks for the kind words. You wont live to regret it, we pass on the lenses that dont quite work for us. I have been tempted to sell mine too. For the money though it is a fun lens, but with my copy the PF is just so random with it.

05-26-2008, 01:18 AM	#13
SCGushue Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,449	Gus, They are both excellent captures. The lighting on the flowers is a bit harsh, but you'll get that sometimes if the sun is out As another said... a touch over worked though. Butterfly shots are tough to capture well, but these are both good captures. I think the hardest thing to control about these pictures is that the color yellow is harder to deal with in Pentax's rendering than any other color. Stephen

05-26-2008, 01:29 AM	#14
AML Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 212	Those are excellent catures Gus, so sharp. My favourite is the second one.

05-26-2008, 04:04 AM	#15
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	2nd shot is the best one. Love the angle and shiny smooth eyes!