why i want a big honking zoom lens

[piranha]

so that i might take pictures of today's red-tailed hawk and they'll be amazing instead of a smeary blob. :)

Comments

[liv]

But even without a fancy lens, this is a picture of Bright the hawk's flight on the empty sky, so it's a picture that brings more joy into the world. Thank you.

Bright the hawk's flight

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

*smile*. yes. that's why i saved it instead of tossing it as "meh, technically crap".

[dragon3.livejournal.com]

Hand holding a big honking zoom lens, even if it's not heavy, will almost always lead to blur from even the most minor tremor. And how do you track without hand holding?

I have been enjoying the dailies. They make me think I should be walking more slowly and carrying my camera with me more often.

[vanbeast.livejournal.com]

In full daylight you ought to be able to shoot fast enough to counteract the shake blur, particularly with modern stabilizing lenses.

As for tracking, monopods or ball-head tripods rock :D

zoom zoom zoom

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

what vanbeast said. i've taken pictures with a friend's big honking zoom lens and it wasn't that hard to stabilize while tracking, even by hand. especially since the birds of prey i see right above the property or the river tend to circle, so the tracking is not as unpredictable. also, i have a decent tripod (which admittedly i don't often take with me, but that might change if i had a zoom lens).

digital cameras are so great, they make it so easy to just take the camera with you everywhere and shoot away at anything that might even be remotely interesting. no film to run out of or change at inopportune moments, no expensive development, no bagging for changing lenses...

Re: zoom zoom zoom

[flarenut.livejournal.com]

But no matter how big and honking a lens you have, you're going to want more. I had one of those 35-350 zooms on my last digital camera, and it still wasn't enough.

Re: zoom zoom zoom

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

undoubtedly. but the budget tends to put a damper on many of my techie desires. *staples hand to forehead*.

[platonios.livejournal.com]

there's always

[(Anonymous)]

the Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 EX DG

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08013101sigma250500.asp

Though one might confidently expect to find it a bit difficult to handhold. :)

-- Graydon

Re: there's always

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

*laugh*. i am not even gonna drool over that, because i imagine it is just slightly out of my price range.

yeah, you'd need two hands just to carry it, i imagine. let's see -- oh, here's a proud owner with it: http://www.dphotojournal.com/images/sigma/sigma200-500-hands-on.jpg.

and amazon sells it for $24,499.99, which saves you $9,500.01 over the list price!