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Thread: Flight at 1200mm

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    Icon14 Flight at 1200mm

    So I had a chance to test out the Canon TCIII with the 600II. I was surprised in that the AF was able to grab kites against varied BGs. Of course handholding at 1200mm is not a trivial task but with the right technique the rig can deliver results that I did not think was possible at such focal length. Here is a frame

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    1D4 1200mm (600II + TC 2X III) f/8 1/2500sec ISO 1250. HD size here

    you can read my findings on my blog

    http://arihazeghiphotography.com/blo...-and-600-f4ii/

    Hope you like the image
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    Striking BIF image, Arash.
    It looks like the new lens and 2x TC works pretty good good for you. I
    checked the blog.
    The rest of the shots are amazing and the larger images are very impressive.
    I tried the 500 + 2.0x TC once but the focus aquisition was very slow.
    Once it locked on the bird it was OK.

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Hi Arash,
    Thanks for the review.
    This image is simply outstanding. I love the clarity and IQ and light and wing position and slight head turn.
    Your PP is amazing as well.
    Love it, love it, love it. Now I must go and remove my jealousy bone!!
    Gail

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    Superb image Arash! I really like the head angle as well as sharpness/detail in the feathers. A difficult bird, exceptional capture as always!
    Thanks for the review. I'll have to give this a try.

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    Beautiful. Love the eye contact and sweet light. The colors of the bg are awesome

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Hi Arash, excellent IQ as always, good eye contact, and your sharpness shines through time and time again. Great BG too. Well captured.

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    Lifetime Member Marina Scarr's Avatar
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    I am blown away, Arash, but this capture and how you achieved it. The light and BG on this one just make this kite pop right off of the screen...of course the sharpness of your subject had something to do with that too.

    I had a chance to check out the new 500 yesterday and was amazed at the difference 1.5 lbs makes.
    Marina Scarr
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    Your technique is pretty darn impressive. This image is a treat to view, you are to be congratulated.

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    Macro and Flora Moderator Jonathan Ashton's Avatar
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    Arash this is something else - excellent superb shot - congratulations, exposure details composition colours - wow!

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    Just fantastic, Arash. If anyone could handhold that lens with the 2x and make it a cracking shot, that would be you. Not convinced many others could replicate that (but hope to find out for myself someday!). Wondering what the thumbs up icon means next to your name, by the way? First time I have seen that on BPN and not sure what it means.

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    thanks everyone for kind words
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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    Icon14 thumbs up!

    Quote Originally Posted by Melissa Groo View Post
    Just fantastic, Arash. If anyone could handhold that lens with the 2x and make it a cracking shot, that would be you. Not convinced many others could replicate that (but hope to find out for myself someday!). Wondering what the thumbs up icon means next to your name, by the way? First time I have seen that on BPN and not sure what it means.
    Hey Melissa! You can add an emoticon to the title when you post. it's under "post icons"
    I gave a thumbs up to the 2X TC!
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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    Arash, although it is impressive for 1200mm, and a very nice photo on it's own, I do think it is
    a bit off your 600mm and /or 1.4 photos.
    A nice exercise, but I think you standard 600mm photos are better, so I am not sure at the practically
    of using this combo or why a person would want to?
    Dan Kearl

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dankearl View Post
    Arash, although it is impressive for 1200mm, and a very nice photo on it's own, I do think it is
    a bit off your 600mm and /or 1.4 photos.
    A nice exercise, but I think you standard 600mm photos are better, so I am not sure at the practically
    of using this combo or why a person would want to?
    I am not sure Dan.... I don't quite understand what you mean by "it is a bit off". what is off?
    Last edited by arash_hazeghi; 09-21-2012 at 08:02 PM.
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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    Sorry for not making myself clear, by " off", I mean I don't think is as good as your usual photo's at normal length's.
    you take terrific photo's at shorter length's that are better IMO, so why use the 2x ?
    I use a 2x because I only have a 300 lens, I cannot see the purpose of a 2x with a 600 lens.
    Dan Kearl

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    BPN Member Kerry Perkins's Avatar
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    Hi Arash, beautiful work as always and a great review of the hardware in a single shot. Masterful technique and understanding of how to use high magnification for BIF shots. You have a lot of moving mass with that rig and your panning technique really shines here. Love it!
    "It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera... they are made with the eye, heart, and head." - Henri Cartier Bresson

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    Quote Originally Posted by dankearl View Post
    Sorry for not making myself clear, by " off", I mean I don't think is as good as your usual photo's at normal length's.
    you take terrific photo's at shorter length's that are better IMO, so why use the 2x ?
    I use a 2x because I only have a 300 lens, I cannot see the purpose of a 2x with a 600 lens.
    Dan, I still don't understand your comments. What do you exactly mean by "it is not good as your usual photos"? in what way it is not as good? Please quantify. And what does that have to do with focal length?

    I have to disagree with your statements re 600 and 2X. It is very useful and can increase your field productivity by a lot in certain conditions. There are many species that are small, skittish and not approachable. Of course for some conditions a 300mm bare lens might be enough, like shooting ospreys in Florida but that is often not the case. Note that I am not claiming the performance with the 2X is as good as a bare 600, but the point is 1200mm is ready and available when you call it :) and it can make sharp flight shots at wide open aperture, something that was not possible 4 months ago.
    Last edited by arash_hazeghi; 09-21-2012 at 11:12 PM.
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    Arash. Your photography is truly outstanding. The result of the new 600 with the 2x III TC is impressive. Of course you made your fame with your BIF and hand holding techniques and your PP skills are special too. Do you think the new 2x TC would give this good result with the old 500mm lens?

    Thank you for sharing. Thumbs up goes for the photo too.

    Lóránt

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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    Arash, I think the photo is very good, better than anything I could ever do.
    I just thought that it is not as sharp and has as much fine detail as all your other recent Kite
    photos. That was all I meant.
    If you think the 2x will work in a lot of situations, it probably will.
    Dan Kearl

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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dankearl View Post
    Arash, I think the photo is very good, better than anything I could ever do.
    I just thought that it is not as sharp and has as much fine detail as all your other recent Kite
    photos. That was all I meant.
    If you think the 2x will work in a lot of situations, it probably will.
    Thanks Dan for calcification. IMHO this one is every bit as sharp as my other photos. It was not a full-frame shot so not quite as detailed as some of the other photos that were almost full frame, especially the perched frames- but the sharpness was excellent.

    If you look closely you can even see a tiny residue of blood on the beak and the tiny nasal feathers. pretty good if you ask me


    Best
    Last edited by arash_hazeghi; 09-22-2012 at 12:36 PM.
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    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lorant Voros View Post
    Arash. Your photography is truly outstanding. The result of the new 600 with the 2x III TC is impressive. Of course you made your fame with your BIF and hand holding techniques and your PP skills are special too. Do you think the new 2x TC would give this good result with the old 500mm lens?

    Thank you for sharing. Thumbs up goes for the photo too.

    Lóránt

    Thanks Lorant,
    unfortunately no IMO. I had tried the 2X TC III with my 500 and the sharpness wasn't up to my expectations. AF was spotty for flight. That's why I never used it before.
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    I must have seen it somewhere else as it looks so familiar. I enjoy seeing it all over again. Great work, Arash.

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    Stunnig image!!! Love it. From the lighting to the pose.
    Very well done.

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    Great flight shot and details.

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    This is truly stunning ,Arash.Just demonstrates emphatically what can be achieved at 1200mm and holds tremendous promise, as you have mentioned.

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    Nico Steenberg
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    A killer at 1200mm !!! Super sharp and well exposed. The light are great and the bg a killer. Well done on this !!!

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    What Sharpness at 1200mm, your technique is very good. lovely light & good exposure

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    Great image, Arash! Initial acquisition can be slow with the 2x, but if you pre-focus and then avoid focusing on the bg, it isn't much different than shooting without the tc. If you miss and focus on the BG, it is likely the kiss of death. That is where the difficulty lies. This is true even when working with stacked TCs. Too bad the new TCs aren't stackable.
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