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Thread: Broad-Tailed Hummingbird: new 70-300 L

  1. #1
    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Default Broad-Tailed Hummingbird: new 70-300 L

    I'm headed off to Costa Rica in a couple of weeks with my wife, so I thought I'd break out the multiple flash setup and get rid of some of the cobwebs in my brain before we go. This is going to be my first trip to Costa Rica not involving a workshop. I'm really impressed with the new 70-300 L; excellent sharpness and a nice form factor, along with super build quality. I only wish they'd start selling the tripod collar for it. Here's a Broad-Tailed Hummingbird taken at a friends house in Santa Fe yesterday. You've got to get the lighting just right or the gorget won't look good.

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    Canon 1D Mark IV, 70-300mm L @ 300mm, f/16, 1/200, ISO 250, manual exposure, 4 flashes, hand held
    Last edited by Doug Brown; 08-14-2011 at 11:34 AM.
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    Wow! Thanks for sharing.

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    Lifetime Member Stu Bowie's Avatar
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    Doug, Ive seen a lot of HB images on this site, and as I opened this, this has to be one of the best images posted on BPN. The IQ is incredible, and the multiple flash has brought out the colours and sharpness superbly. The flight pose is great too. Looks like the lens will produce the goods.

    Simply congrats on a fine, fine image.

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    Very nice one with the new lens, Doug. Thank you for sharing the result and your opinion with us. As Stuart said it the photo is as expected from you :-) Looking forward to see your images when you get back from Costa Rica.

    Lorant

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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Cracking sharp and a nice wing position. Gorget looks a bit bright from here. What did you mean by form factor?

    When I used the lens with my Mark IV for flight the lens was torquing in my hands as the camera seemed much too big/heavy for the lens..... I did get some great images however but it was almost as if I had developed carpal tunnel after just 20 minutes of so....
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    Simply stunning, Doug. This one is just perfect. Can't think of anything that would improve this. Congrats!

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    BPN Member Bill Dix's Avatar
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    Looks like you nailed the flash setup. And the head and wing angles. And the detail. Fine shot, and the gorget is stunning. Waiting for your CR images.

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Doug:

    Spectacular in every way, except a sliver bright on my monitor, giving it more of a flashed look than perhaps necessary.

    I ran a quick multiply layer on the highlights, to try and tone it down just a bit. Just an option.

    Have a great time in Costa Rica.

    Cheers

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    Great lens for the money. Image looks spectacular on iMac 27.

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    wow..fantastic capture superb IA, HA BG perfect..grt..what is the cost of 70-300 L?

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by yogesh_puranik View Post
    wow..fantastic capture superb IA, HA BG perfect..grt..what is the cost of 70-300 L?


    Thanks Yogesh! The lens runs about $1,500 USD.
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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    What did you mean by form factor?

    When I used the lens with my Mark IV for flight the lens was torquing in my hands as the camera seemed much too big/heavy for the lens..... I did get some great images however but it was almost as if I had developed carpal tunnel after just 20 minutes of so....


    What I meant was that with the lens fully retracted, it's a relatively compact package. The lens is heavy, but not as heavy as a 70-200 f/2.8. In my hands the lens balances nicely with the weight of the Mark IV, but of course that's a very individualized thing.
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    Stupendous capture, Doug, truly perfection in every way. A standard for the rest of us to shoot for!

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    What a fantastic image Doug! So sharp, so crisp and so vibrant. Randy's repost is a slight improvement IMHO but I have never seen these birds with my eyes
    The 70-300 sounds like a neat package, certainly a great option for those wanting something with a bit more reach than the 70-200
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    Publisher Arthur Morris's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Morkel Erasmus View Post
    The 70-300 sounds like a neat package, certainly a great option for those wanting something with a bit more reach than the 70-200
    Not really Morkman; the 70-300 does not accept TCs (at least Canon TCs.) The 70-200 f/4 is fine with the 1.4X TC and I use my 70-200 f/2.8L IS II all the time with either TC.... The lead image here was created with the new 70-300; the lens is exceedingly sharp and the AF is superb.
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    Super image, Doug. Great use of the multiple flash setup. That's something I would like to learn how to use one day.
    I am curious though, did you do any cropping? and is the background natural?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Arthur Morris View Post
    Not really Morkman; the 70-300 does not accept TCs (at least Canon TCs.) The 70-200 f/4 is fine with the 1.4X TC and I use my 70-200 f/2.8L IS II all the time with either TC.... The lead image here was created with the new 70-300; the lens is exceedingly sharp and the AF is superb.
    Silly me, Artie , I forgot you and others use the new 70-200 2.8 IS with even the 2x TC successfully. I know that Doug meant the NEW 70-300 (the old one is non-L, right? )
    Being a proponent of the "dark side" now seems to have clouded my Canon lingo and knowhow haha
    Maybe it's time for bed...
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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luis Villablanca View Post
    Super image, Doug. Great use of the multiple flash setup. That's something I would like to learn how to use one day.
    I am curious though, did you do any cropping? and is the background natural?


    Thanks Luis! I did crop the feeder out of the frame. The BG is artificial, helpful if you want a non-black BG when doing multiple flash hummingbirds. Remember that to do multiple flash properly you need your camera to be underexposed by a good 2-3 stops. The frame should look pretty black prior to adding in your flashes.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Luis Villablanca View Post
    Super image, Doug. Great use of the multiple flash setup. That's something I would like to learn how to use one day. I am curious though, did you do any cropping? and is the background natural?
    If you would like to learn this technique from the ground up, check out Linda Robbins' great guide--The Hummingbird Guide--How to Photograph Hummingbirds Using High Speed Multiple Flash here.
    BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.

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    Great job Doug, I like all the detail and colors. The flash setup seems too be right on. Good luck in CR.

  21. #21
    DanWalters
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    Very sharp and great color! Like the darker version.

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    Doug, this looks great. I like the placement of the catchlight. The only improvement I can see is inclusion of a flower , but this is a great portrait of this species. Glad you're enjoying the new lens. I'm loving mine. It'll be fun to put our lenses to use here in Costa Rica in a few weeks!

    Cheers,
    Greg Basco

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    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Basco View Post
    Doug, this looks great. I like the placement of the catchlight. The only improvement I can see is inclusion of a flower , but this is a great portrait of this species. Glad you're enjoying the new lens. I'm loving mine. It'll be fun to put our lenses to use here in Costa Rica in a few weeks!


    Looking forward to seeing you soon Greg!
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  24. #24
    Susan Candelario
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    Fantastic image of one of my favorite birds, Doug! Like everything about it.

    Sent from my iPad using Forum Runner

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    Doug this is surely a winner in all aspects...Stunningly sharp and the light and BG is just fabulous...One of the best I have seen on any forum...TFS

  26. #26
    Lifetime Member Doug Brown's Avatar
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    Thank you all for the comments and suggestions!
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