American golden plover, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Canon 5D Mark II, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS w/1.4x, 1/250 xec @ f/8, ISO 400
Crop of original frame. Canon 5D Mark II, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS w/1.4x, 1/250 xec @ f/8, ISO 400
During a raft trip down the Marsh Fork of the Canning river, a long day hike up into the mountains led me to some vociferous plovers that nest in the region. While I have a number of Plover photos that I consider better than this one, I did photograph the bird because of the specific location in the ANWR. But what is surprising to me and the reason I’m including it here, is that I did a little experiment and shot the picture with a lens configuration that I don’t normally use. Generally, I would have my trusty 500mm lens but I hiked 4000 vertical feet, so I packed light and chose the 100-400mm lens for versatility. 400mm is not really powerful enough to pull in many birds, and just for grins I thought I’d try it with a 1.4x for a little more reach. The 5D Mark II camera will not autofocus with this lens configuration because the aperture is f/8 at the widest, introducing a challenge of its own. However, I was very, very surprised at the sharpness of this image, all things considered. The camera and lens were mounted on my tiny gitzo tripod, and shot in less than ideal conditions. There are obvious limitations to this configuration, but some obvious benefits also, and based on this real-time-field-test, I’ll be doing some more experimenting with that set up in the future. I’ve included a crop of the original capture to show the sharpness of the image.
American golden plover, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Canon 5D Mar II, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS w/1.4x, 1/320 @ f/8, ISO 400
Crop from original frame. Canon 5D Mar II, 100-400mm f/5.6L IS w/1.4x, 1/320 @ f/8, ISO 400
You are not the first I’ve heard of doing this. I can think of (at least) one other person who uses this combo and likes it very much. You could use it on a 1D/1Ds body, but if you have room for a 1Ds, you’d have room for a 500mm. 🙂
You are so correct Eli, having autofocus on the 5DII would be nice, and to take the 1Ds adds a lot of weight.
Patrick,
Nice captures! Stopped by the Bamboo Panda one day two weeks ago ’cause I had the urge to eat Chinese for lunch. Of course, while they made my food I went next door to Fairbanks Fast Foto. My lunch cost me a bunch because a 100-400 called out to me. I shoot it on one of my 7Ds and it has amazing reach and is quite sharp. Been playing with it most days on my dogs or beaver or sea gulls and such, and I’m quite pleased with the lens. I can’t believe I’ve yet to put it on a tripod! I no longer miss my film or my manual focus lenses. I’m totally committed to digital. Now if only you would offer a local class in LR3!
Jim
The 5D Mark II will autofocus with the 100-400L and 1.4x if you switch to Live View mode. It’s not always practical to do so, but if your subject isn’t moving too fast, it can be a workable solution.
Jim,
That lens is so versatile and what a perfect fit with your 7D. And a perfect desert to tag on to a lunch meal 🙂 As for LR3, just keep on poking around in there and you will become one with your digital files.
Cliff,
Thanks for that suggestion, I’ll give it a try when the conditions are right.
My 100-400mm is my favorite lens, it is always in my bag. I don’t put the 1.4 on it very often.
I have been doing some live view focusing on my 5D Mark II and found it works well. I zoom in to 10x and hit the AF button. Focus is usually dead on.
Great photos Patrick,
I have a love hate relationship with my 100-400. I love the convenient range, and the IS while shooting from boats, but I hate the lack of sharpness – in short, the lens is a piece of junk.
I have been looking at alternatives such at the 70-200 with converter, or possibly ordering a new one hoping it would be better. Your photo gives me hope, as it is sharper then my 1-4 without converter – I would never add a converter to mine. Thanks for posting.
Ron
Ron,
I’m on version #2 and have cursed my former 100-400. I’ve heard of lens variation and always treated that with a bit of skepticism since there are so many factors that few people consider when truly testing a lens. However, I missed the range so much that I decided to buy another one. And I must say, this lens is sharp. At least in the middle region of the lens which is generally the critical part when shooting at a 400mm range. I’ve got the 400 f/5.6L Non IS, which is super sharp and I use that occasionally, but mostly when I have my vehicle. I’ll send you a few full rez shots as .jpgs and you can evaluate what at least the potential is for this lens. Up until this time, I would have never considered a teleconverter on this lens, but I will in certain cases now.