Caspian Tern- 50D

[Doug Brown]

I'm finally getting a chance to go through my photos from California on a proper computer monitor. Here's another flight shot. After looking at my images and reflecting on my week of photography, I still believe what I said earlier about the AF performance of the 50D. As an example, I was able to lock focus on a Willet in flight against a dark BG after the sun had just gone down (wide open, ISO 1600, 1/160); the Mark III could not have done that.



Canon 50D, 400mm, f/7.1, 1/5000, ISO 640, no flash, hand held

[David Billingsley]

Doug,

Again - great shot - I'm impressed with the results you getting with the new 50D. Of course your BIF expertise is already a matter of record.

I am still curious if you have found the 50D AF on static subjects an improvement over the 40D. I get some unexpected surprises after downloading to the computer. Shots I would have bet my life on are just not sharp as the appeared in the VF, and as you know there is no way to review the shot on the 40D. I am aware of good long lens techniques and that is why some OOF shots are such a suprise.

Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing you 50D experiences.

Have a blessed day - dave b.

[Manos Papadomanolakis]

Very nice light,wing position and eye contact!
Agree Doug,the AF of 50D is much better and from my previous 40D!!!

[Doug Brown]

I had very good luck with static shots on the 50D last week. I would say that I had a very small number OOF shots that I thought were going to be in focus on static subjects. The same cannot be said for flight subjects, but that's to be expected. However, the keeper percentage (in terms of sharp focus) for flight subjects was much higher than for my Mark III. The Mark III does an excellent job with static subjects though.

[Doug Brown]

David, here's an idea of what I could predictably get on static subjects. This was shot hand held at 400mm (no IS), f/9, 1/1600, and ISO 400.

[Maxis Gamez]

Doug,

Again - great shot - I'm impressed with the results you getting with the new 50D. Of course your BIF expertise is already a matter of record.

I am still curious if you have found the 50D AF on static subjects an improvement over the 40D. I get some unexpected surprises after downloading to the computer. Shots I would have bet my life on are just not sharp as the appeared in the VF, and as you know there is no way to review the shot on the 40D. I am aware of good long lens techniques and that is why some OOF shots are such a suprise.

Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing you 50D experiences.

Have a blessed day - dave b.

Dave,

you can program your 40D not to shot if is not locked. I delete a lot of images but I also get a lot of keepers too and BTW, None of my lenses have IS. Straight old school!

[James Salywoda]

Excellent shot Doug of this Juvie in transition plumage a nice view of the dark under primaries typical marking of this species as a juvenile.
A cool cloudy morning here in SoCal....

[bill kominsky]

I can only hope for things like this doug with the new 50-D.Bill

[Axel Hildebrandt]

The noise looks great for ISO 1600. Was in-camera NR enabled or did you apply any in postprocessing?

[Linda Robbins]

Nice light and beautiful flight pose. You are getting some wonderful images with yoru new camera.

[Doug Brown]

Axel, none of the posted images in this thread are ISO 1600. I was talking about another photo that I've not yet posted.