Buying a new L lens

table1349 · Sep 2, 2009

feRRari4756 said:
yeah its a good idea but itll cost 75 bucks! for only 3 days. and theres no rental shop near my house i already checked.

im pretty sure im good with a 400mm

"yeah i was also looking at that but at 400mm the camera is going to shake a lot, even when on a monopod wont it? thats what i didnt even consider that because instead of using 1/1000 with my 70-200 (at the 200mm end), i would need to use at least 1/1500 probably even 1/2000 would i since i dont have IS? i was thnking since the other ones had is, i could leave it at 1/1000 or up it slightly to 1/1250.

is that right or no? please corrent my thinking if im wrong lol"

Not if you learn to use a monopod right instead of just as a stick to hold the weight. I use the 400 f2.8 all the time on a monopod for college football, soccer, baseball, softball and track and field with no problems. That includes under the lights. In the world of sports, surfers are slow, you don't need that fast of shutter speeds to freeze them or the water. Depending on how bright it is outside and how wide open you are shooting you may well end up with very fast shutter speeds. but 1/500th will easily do.

feRRari4756 · Sep 2, 2009

Haha I know I'm only 16 though lol so thi is a huge investment. Okay so like what I meanis like usually the only motion that I need a very high shutter speed for at 200mm is the surfers movement. But with a 400mm it will be the surfer AND the shakin of the lens since this longer lens with show a lot more movement. So now since the movement is coming from both the surfer and my lens now, I think I would need a higher shuter around 1/1600. BUT (tight here is my point) if I had IS would that counteract my lens shake so I could still leave it at 1/1000 or 1/1600?

table1349 · Sep 2, 2009

feRRari4756 said:
Haha I know I'm only 16 though lol so thi is a huge investment. Okay so like what I meanis like usually the only motion that I need a very high shutter speed for at 200mm is the surfers movement. But with a 400mm it will be the surfer AND the shakin of the lens since this longer lens with show a lot more movement. So now since the movement is coming from both the surfer and my lens now, I think I would need a higher shuter around 1/1600. BUT (tight here is my point) if I had IS would that counteract my lens shake so I could still leave it at 1/1000 or 1/1600?

IS only helps with hand shake, if you are hand holding. A college halfback runs as fast or faster than a surfer coming to shore. 1/500th is more than enough to freeze their motion.

JIP · Sep 2, 2009

Derrel said:
$75 for a three-day rental on a 300/2.8 or a 400/2.8? That is a good deal, in my book. Somebody willing to loan you a multi-thousand-dollar item for twenty-five dollars a day? I often spend twenty five dollars on lunch out.

As for the IS/non-IS issue: at the speeds needed to freeze fast action, IS with a 400mm lens is of little benefit. At speeds like 1/1000 to 1/1250 second, IS is not doing much good,and IS never helps freeze motion. By the time IS kicks in at 400mm, your speds will be so slow that you'll be panning with the surfers. Shooting with IS or VR enabled at 400mm does not mean if you shoot as slow as 1/1000 that you will have blurred images.

IS is not an aid to getting stop-motion shots...the area where IS will prove valuable is when the lens is opened wide open and the speeds are in the 1/400 and slower range,and with a monopod or tripod with a gimbal head like a Wimberley, you should have no problem keeping the camera steady at 1/1000 without IS.

Have you checked into a gimbal tripod head system to allow you to effortlessly mount the camera and follow the surf action without getting tired?

Ya see here's the thing the reason for renting is to figure out which lens you want to buy. This is to avoid going out and buying a multi-thousand dollar lens and realizing you go thtoo short a focal length. It's not really about wether you are good with the lens or not it's about figuring out which lens you want.

feRRari4756 · Sep 3, 2009

okay guys thanks for all your responses. im gonna think about it now. im pretty sure ill be getting the 400mm.

but the 400mm can NOT be used with a 1.4x TE right? not that i need it im jw

Village Idiot · Sep 3, 2009

Derrel said:
$75 for a three-day rental on a 300/2.8 or a 400/2.8? That is a good deal, in my book. Somebody willing to loan you a multi-thousand-dollar item for twenty-five dollars a day? I often spend twenty five dollars on lunch out.

As for the IS/non-IS issue: at the speeds needed to freeze fast action, IS with a 400mm lens is of little benefit. At speeds like 1/1000 to 1/1250 second, IS is not doing much good,and IS never helps freeze motion. By the time IS kicks in at 400mm, your speds will be so slow that you'll be panning with the surfers. Shooting with IS or VR enabled at 400mm does not mean if you shoot as slow as 1/1000 that you will have blurred images.

IS is not an aid to getting stop-motion shots...the area where IS will prove valuable is when the lens is opened wide open and the speeds are in the 1/400 and slower range,and with a monopod or tripod with a gimbal head like a Wimberley, you should have no problem keeping the camera steady at 1/1000 without IS.

Have you checked into a gimbal tripod head system to allow you to effortlessly mount the camera and follow the surf action without getting tired?

This guy's a hack, I wouldn't listen to him.

IS on longer focal length lenses is usefull. With ISO 100 and an over cast day or during dusk/dawn, you may not always be shooting at 1/1000 shutter speed. With a 400mm lens and shooting with a crop camera, the rule is to keep the shutter speed above about 1/640 for a blur free shot. Guess he forgot about the crop factor, eh? Anyways, the longer the lens, the more important IS is. It won't stop action, but when you're shooting that fast, you already have that covered.

PS. Canon doesn not have any lens with a VR designation.

Montana · Sep 3, 2009

Funny thing about long glass......they sound long until you use them. It is not the same as the wide end where 10mm and 24mm are vastly different. I own the 600mm, and its never enough. I strongly suggest renting it. Renting is cheap. You'd be surprised in the marginal differences another 100mm offers on the long end. I wish I had waited for the 800mm.

feRRari4756 · Sep 3, 2009

Montana said:
Funny thing about long glass......they sound long until you use them. It is not the same as the wide end where 10mm and 24mm are vastly different. I own the 600mm, and its never enough. I strongly suggest renting it. Renting is cheap. You'd be surprised in the marginal differences another 100mm offers on the long end. I wish I had waited for the 800mm.

yeah but in my case im def not going with more than 400 becayse 2 reasons:

i cant afford anything more lol
right now im pretty happy with my 200mm so 400 ill def be happy with

Derrel · Sep 3, 2009

Village Idiot...the name says it all.I schooled him the other day pretty badly. He knows practically nothing about photography, let alone about how to shoot sports. I'm a former professional sports shooter....Village Idiot is....well, his posting handle says it all. Are you the VIllage Idiot that was banned from dPreview some years ago for fanboy trolling in favor of anon after dumping the Nikon system? Is that you Brendan?

I mention VR and IS because I happen to own BOTH Canon and Nikon lenses, Canons with IS and Nikons with VR....man, these Village Idiots are lame attackers!

I think you ought to be aware that lensrentals.com is a good webbased rental firm, and also keep in mind that, in today's economy, the sales of higher-end lenses are somewhat slow. When you rent a telephoto lens, most real pro shops will credit the cost of your rentals toward the actual purchase price of that lens when you buy the lens within 30 or even 45 days of the rental. Think of a lens rental as a try-before-you buy trial, but one that will allow you to apply the rental cost towards purchase. If you've got the money to buy the lens, speak with the store's sales manager and ask him about a rental with rental fee applied toward purchase of same item within 30 or even 60 days. It's a pretty common practice.

Montana · Sep 3, 2009

I wonder how many people have Derrel ignored on this forum. I know one more that does....

Seriously, you seem to just post to fight. Long ass posts with ZERO content. VI has been very helpful over the months I have been on here. You are the negative one as of late, Derrel. Stop wrecking every thread would you.

Brian L · Sep 5, 2009

Might take into crop factor too if your not shooting full frame. Just thought I would through that out there since no one said anything bout it. Peace.

KmH · Sep 5, 2009

Montana said:
I wonder how many people have Derrel ignored on this forum. I know one more that does....

Seriously, you seem to just post to fight. Long ass posts with ZERO content. VI has been very helpful over the months I have been on here. You are the negative one as of late, Derrel. Stop wrecking every thread would you.

:scratch:

Village Idiot · Sep 8, 2009

Derrel said:
Village Idiot...the name says it all.I schooled him the other day pretty badly. He knows practically nothing about photography, let alone about how to shoot sports. I'm a former professional sports shooter....Village Idiot is....well, his posting handle says it all. Are you the VIllage Idiot that was banned from dPreview some years ago for fanboy trolling in favor of anon after dumping the Nikon system? Is that you Brendan?

I mention VR and IS because I happen to own BOTH Canon and Nikon lenses, Canons with IS and Nikons with VR....man, these Village Idiots are lame attackers!

I think you ought to be aware that lensrentals.com is a good webbased rental firm, and also keep in mind that, in today's economy, the sales of higher-end lenses are somewhat slow. When you rent a telephoto lens, most real pro shops will credit the cost of your rentals toward the actual purchase price of that lens when you buy the lens within 30 or even 45 days of the rental. Think of a lens rental as a try-before-you buy trial, but one that will allow you to apply the rental cost towards purchase. If you've got the money to buy the lens, speak with the store's sales manager and ask him about a rental with rental fee applied toward purchase of same item within 30 or even 60 days. It's a pretty common practice.

I are so smart. S M R T.

KmH said:
Montana said:

I wonder how many people have Derrel ignored on this forum. I know one more that does....

Seriously, you seem to just post to fight. Long ass posts with ZERO content. VI has been very helpful over the months I have been on here. You are the negative one as of late, Derrel. Stop wrecking every thread would you.

Click to expand...

:scratch: