300mm plus Lens Club: discuss your long lenses

borno · 01-03-2011, 08:39 PM

Originally posted by mmphilip

While visiting my parents on Christmas, I borrowed my mother's K-x for its high ISO capabilities (my camera is a GX-10). This gave me a chance to try my "new" Adaptall-2 400/4 with the Pentax 1.7x TC at a reasonable shutter speed despite continually overcast skies. Junco and goldfinch at 680mm, F/8, and ISO 1600. Thanks for looking.

- Mike

Those look very nice Mike
I was looking to try that lens for a while, but every time one came up on ebay a poster on DPR would announce it to the world and the price would shoot up.

**dadipentak** · 01-03-2011, 08:41 PM

Those are really great, Mike--nice delicate touch on that Goldfinch!

Jewelltrail · 01-03-2011, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Siva ss. kumar: Here are a couple of shots from my recently acquired Tokina SD 400/5.6. These are male and female Indian Robin respectively.

Those are nice shots with the Tokina SD 400 f 5.6. I sold my copy of that Tokina here, in our forum, over a year ago. I really regret it now because the lens got nice sharp shots and all I got for it was $200. So silly to have sold it, there is no way I can replace it for that money and it was mint. Oh well, at least I have your pics to look at.

Quote:

mmphilip: While visiting my parents on Christmas, I borrowed my mother's K-x for its high ISO capabilities (my camera is a GX-10). This gave me a chance to try my "new" Adaptall-2 400/4 with the Pentax 1.7x TC at a reasonable shutter speed despite continually overcast skies. Junco and goldfinch at 680mm, F/8, and ISO 1600. Thanks for looking.

Love the Junco shot--I guess this means you'll be buying a Kx, or K5, soon.

d.bradley · 01-04-2011, 08:26 AM

Another shot from yesterday's quick birding test shoot:

I am positive the 500/4.5 can do better...I just don't know what the bottle neck is in terms of IQ at the moment (subject distance, temperature, support, etc). For comparison, this shot was hand-held in a wetland in Grand Cayman and cropped about 50% from my k10d:

**dadipentak** · 01-04-2011, 08:57 AM

Originally posted by d.bradley

I am positive the 500/4.5 can do better...I just don't know what the bottle neck is in terms of IQ at the moment (subject distance, temperature, support, etc).

I think you're right. I've found that it takes a lot of practice to get good results from these old long lenses.

Take my signature disclaimer to heart but I'd say there are two problems with that hawk in flight: the bird is over-exposed and the shutter speed is too slow. With regard to the first issue, I typically use spot metering. As far as shutter speed is concerned, my rule of thumb is that shutter speed should be at least 1/FL (I cheat all the time with perched birds, though.)

Squier · 01-04-2011, 08:59 AM - **1 Like**

Nice to see we're still getting some fabulous shots in this thread

Some more from me - the Cormorant on the bouys was the 150-500 Sig

A big Grey Heron shot with the 600mm Astro scope

A Lapwing, also shot with the 600mm scope

A Mute Swan, with 150-500 Sig

A Moorhen, with 600mm scope

siva.ss.kumar · 01-04-2011, 09:24 AM

Originally posted by Jewelltrail

Those are nice shots with the Tokina SD 400 f 5.6. I sold my copy of that Tokina here, in our forum, over a year ago. I really regret it now because the lens got nice sharp shots and all I got for it was $200. So silly to have sold it, there is no way I can replace it for that money and it was mint. Oh well, at least I have your pics to look at.

Tokina 400 is a good sharp lens indeed. What I like is the compactness. You can hand hold it with some practice. I just had to look out for the purple fringing which creeps in even at f8.

traderdrew · 01-04-2011, 12:01 PM

So far so good with the Bigma prime lens 500mm F/4.5. I could have cropped this photo and you would see fine details in the wings.

Boat-tailed Grackel | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I took it with my K-7. It is hard to resist the K-5 right now but the K-7 is still holding its own.

Spyder · 01-04-2011, 02:32 PM

Originally posted by d.bradley

Another shot from yesterday's quick birding test shoot:

I am positive the 500/4.5 can do better...I just don't know what the bottle neck is in terms of IQ at the moment (subject distance, temperature, support, etc).

I've found the 500 doesn't do so well at long distances, it exacerbates the CA to the point where in in-focus area of red light doesn't overlap the in-focus area of green and blue light at all and you end up with a red smeary mess. At shorter distances you have a little bit of leeway to work with and the lens pays you back for it.

d.bradley · 01-04-2011, 02:47 PM

Originally posted by Spyder

I've found the 500 doesn't do so well at long distances, it exacerbates the CA to the point where in in-focus area of red light doesn't overlap the in-focus area of green and blue light at all and you end up with a red smeary mess. At shorter distances you have a little bit of leeway to work with and the lens pays you back for it.

Thanks for the note, I'm glad to hear that, since it seems to coincide with my experience. Figuring out what the limitations of the lens will help me refine my technique...I know that, for example, stopping down will be less helpfull than improving my stalking techniques.

I am huming and hawing about going to an AF supertelephoto, but I think I'll stick with the 500/4.5 smc tak for now with the hope that if I can get good wildlife shots with this lens, I'll be able to get good shots with just about anything

**dadipentak** · 01-04-2011, 05:34 PM

Originally posted by Spyder

I've found the 500 doesn't do so well at long distances, it exacerbates the CA to the point where in in-focus area of red light doesn't overlap the in-focus area of green and blue light at all and you end up with a red smeary mess. At shorter distances you have a little bit of leeway to work with and the lens pays you back for it.

That is a very interesting observation! I wish I still had mine so I could test how that plays out in practice but I imagine the same might apply to my 1000mm f8.

Jewelltrail · 01-04-2011, 10:22 PM

Quote:

siva ss kumar: Tokina 400 is a good sharp lens indeed. What I like is the compactness. You can hand hold it with some practice. I just had to look out for the purple fringing which creeps in even at f8.

Yes, nice & compact, with a great built in hood, and hand holdable for sure. I thought the SD version of this lens was decent in its control of ca/pf. unless you wandered inot those high contrast scenes.

garyk · 01-05-2011, 08:02 AM - **2 Likes**

Shot these guys today. I have been toying with the idea of getting a k-5. What do you guys think of it as a wildlife camera?

iFoto · 01-05-2011, 08:39 AM

definitely yes

the K5 is the best camera for wildlife made by pentax at the moment
compare to the K20 the K5 everything is much better, especially for speed

next, one step down, is the Kx/Kr, i think so

**dadipentak** · 01-05-2011, 10:35 AM

Originally posted by garyk

Shot these guys today. I have been toying with the idea of getting a k-5. What do you guys think of it as a wildlife camera?

Well, first of all, I think those (especially the first) are great photos!

As to your question, as far as I'm concerned, the high-iso performance and improved AF made the K-5 a "must-have" for my wildlife photography.

01-05-2011, 08:02 AM - 2 Likes	#1273
garyk Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 488	Shot these guys today. I have been toying with the idea of getting a k-5. What do you guys think of it as a wildlife camera? Attached Images

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01-03-2011, 08:39 PM	#1261
borno Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: md-usa Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,580	Originally posted by mmphilip While visiting my parents on Christmas, I borrowed my mother's K-x for its high ISO capabilities (my camera is a GX-10). This gave me a chance to try my "new" Adaptall-2 400/4 with the Pentax 1.7x TC at a reasonable shutter speed despite continually overcast skies. Junco and goldfinch at 680mm, F/8, and ISO 1600. Thanks for looking. - Mike Those look very nice Mike I was looking to try that lens for a while, but every time one came up on ebay a poster on DPR would announce it to the world and the price would shoot up.

01-03-2011, 08:41 PM	#1262
dadipentak Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,590	Those are really great, Mike--nice delicate touch on that Goldfinch!

01-03-2011, 09:31 PM	#1263
Jewelltrail Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Albums Posts: 4,180	Quote: Siva ss. kumar: Here are a couple of shots from my recently acquired Tokina SD 400/5.6. These are male and female Indian Robin respectively. Those are nice shots with the Tokina SD 400 f 5.6. I sold my copy of that Tokina here, in our forum, over a year ago. I really regret it now because the lens got nice sharp shots and all I got for it was $200. So silly to have sold it, there is no way I can replace it for that money and it was mint. Oh well, at least I have your pics to look at. Quote: mmphilip: While visiting my parents on Christmas, I borrowed my mother's K-x for its high ISO capabilities (my camera is a GX-10). This gave me a chance to try my "new" Adaptall-2 400/4 with the Pentax 1.7x TC at a reasonable shutter speed despite continually overcast skies. Junco and goldfinch at 680mm, F/8, and ISO 1600. Thanks for looking. Love the Junco shot--I guess this means you'll be buying a Kx, or K5, soon.

01-04-2011, 08:26 AM	#1264
d.bradley Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 631	Another shot from yesterday's quick birding test shoot: I am positive the 500/4.5 can do better...I just don't know what the bottle neck is in terms of IQ at the moment (subject distance, temperature, support, etc). For comparison, this shot was hand-held in a wetland in Grand Cayman and cropped about 50% from my k10d:

01-04-2011, 08:57 AM	#1265
dadipentak Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,590	Originally posted by d.bradley I am positive the 500/4.5 can do better...I just don't know what the bottle neck is in terms of IQ at the moment (subject distance, temperature, support, etc). I think you're right. I've found that it takes a lot of practice to get good results from these old long lenses. Take my signature disclaimer to heart but I'd say there are two problems with that hawk in flight: the bird is over-exposed and the shutter speed is too slow. With regard to the first issue, I typically use spot metering. As far as shutter speed is concerned, my rule of thumb is that shutter speed should be at least 1/FL (I cheat all the time with perched birds, though.)

01-04-2011, 08:59 AM - 1 Like	#1266
Squier Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Oxfordshire UK Photos: Albums Posts: 706	Nice to see we're still getting some fabulous shots in this thread Some more from me - the Cormorant on the bouys was the 150-500 Sig A big Grey Heron shot with the 600mm Astro scope A Lapwing, also shot with the 600mm scope A Mute Swan, with 150-500 Sig A Moorhen, with 600mm scope

01-04-2011, 09:24 AM	#1267
siva.ss.kumar Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Chennai, India Photos: Albums Posts: 534	Originally posted by Jewelltrail Those are nice shots with the Tokina SD 400 f 5.6. I sold my copy of that Tokina here, in our forum, over a year ago. I really regret it now because the lens got nice sharp shots and all I got for it was $200. So silly to have sold it, there is no way I can replace it for that money and it was mint. Oh well, at least I have your pics to look at. Tokina 400 is a good sharp lens indeed. What I like is the compactness. You can hand hold it with some practice. I just had to look out for the purple fringing which creeps in even at f8.

01-04-2011, 12:01 PM	#1268
traderdrew Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 640	So far so good with the Bigma prime lens 500mm F/4.5. I could have cropped this photo and you would see fine details in the wings. Boat-tailed Grackel \| Flickr - Photo Sharing! I took it with my K-7. It is hard to resist the K-5 right now but the K-7 is still holding its own.

01-04-2011, 02:32 PM	#1269
Spyder Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: West Sussex, UK Posts: 62	Originally posted by d.bradley Another shot from yesterday's quick birding test shoot: I am positive the 500/4.5 can do better...I just don't know what the bottle neck is in terms of IQ at the moment (subject distance, temperature, support, etc). I've found the 500 doesn't do so well at long distances, it exacerbates the CA to the point where in in-focus area of red light doesn't overlap the in-focus area of green and blue light at all and you end up with a red smeary mess. At shorter distances you have a little bit of leeway to work with and the lens pays you back for it.

01-04-2011, 02:47 PM	#1270
d.bradley Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 631	Originally posted by Spyder I've found the 500 doesn't do so well at long distances, it exacerbates the CA to the point where in in-focus area of red light doesn't overlap the in-focus area of green and blue light at all and you end up with a red smeary mess. At shorter distances you have a little bit of leeway to work with and the lens pays you back for it. Thanks for the note, I'm glad to hear that, since it seems to coincide with my experience. Figuring out what the limitations of the lens will help me refine my technique...I know that, for example, stopping down will be less helpfull than improving my stalking techniques. I am huming and hawing about going to an AF supertelephoto, but I think I'll stick with the 500/4.5 smc tak for now with the hope that if I can get good wildlife shots with this lens, I'll be able to get good shots with just about anything

01-04-2011, 05:34 PM	#1271
dadipentak Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,590	Originally posted by Spyder I've found the 500 doesn't do so well at long distances, it exacerbates the CA to the point where in in-focus area of red light doesn't overlap the in-focus area of green and blue light at all and you end up with a red smeary mess. At shorter distances you have a little bit of leeway to work with and the lens pays you back for it. That is a very interesting observation! I wish I still had mine so I could test how that plays out in practice but I imagine the same might apply to my 1000mm f8.

01-04-2011, 10:22 PM	#1272
Jewelltrail Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Albums Posts: 4,180	Quote: siva ss kumar: Tokina 400 is a good sharp lens indeed. What I like is the compactness. You can hand hold it with some practice. I just had to look out for the purple fringing which creeps in even at f8. Yes, nice & compact, with a great built in hood, and hand holdable for sure. I thought the SD version of this lens was decent in its control of ca/pf. unless you wandered inot those high contrast scenes.

01-05-2011, 08:39 AM	#1274
iFoto Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 177	definitely yes the K5 is the best camera for wildlife made by pentax at the moment compare to the K20 the K5 everything is much better, especially for speed next, one step down, is the Kx/Kr, i think so

01-05-2011, 10:35 AM	#1275
dadipentak Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,590	Originally posted by garyk Shot these guys today. I have been toying with the idea of getting a k-5. What do you guys think of it as a wildlife camera? Well, first of all, I think those (especially the first) are great photos! As to your question, as far as I'm concerned, the high-iso performance and improved AF made the K-5 a "must-have" for my wildlife photography.