Tokina vs Osprey... aka Osprey-gasm...

[coastalconn]

Well most of you know I have a new lens. Today I finally got into the Osprey... These are all shot with the Tamron 1.4x TC. Some are really heavy crops. I left all the original sizes on flickr with no re-sizing. I think the Tokina is holding up pretty damn well. I won't bore you with all the pictures, but there is a set here if you like Ospreys... Osprey-gasm - a set on Flickr .. Comments always welcome...

1 - sharp enough for me...


Osprey close up by krisinct, on Flickr

2

Osprey Heads up by krisinct, on Flickr

3

Osprey with fish 7 by krisinct, on Flickr

4

Osprey dive 1 by krisinct, on Flickr

5

Osprey stare down with fish by krisinct, on Flickr

 

[MSnowy]

Very nice

 

[runnah]

I really like the color on number one. The bg color really makes the eyes pop. Reminds me of old illustrations from field and stream.

 

[jedirunner]

In the match of Tokina vs Osprey, the final results are in:

Tokina: 1
Osprey: 1
CoastalConn: 1
Fish: -3

Everyone wins!

Kevin

 

[dxqcanada]

So what do you thing of the Tokina + TC in comparison to the Tamron ?

 

[PropilotBW]

Which Tokina? 100mm?

 

[dxqcanada]

300mm + TC vs 200-500mm

 

[baturn]

Spectacular as always - the whole set!

 

[coastalconn]

So what do you thing of the Tokina + TC in comparison to the Tamron ?

It's still a little too early to tell. What I know so far. The tamron is half the weight (2.75 pounds vs 6!!!) Obviously the Tamron is more versatile for some, I only shot it at 500mm. I like the colors and bokeh from the Tokina better, overall I think the images look better. The Tamron may actually be a hair sharper then the Tokina with TC. The Tokina has a very thin DOF so I found myself shooting it at 5.6 plus TC so I'm not actually gaining the stop I was hoping for. The Tokina also has front focus which I adjusted to +20 and wish I could go a touch more. The one thing the Tokina holds up better on is 100% crops. (#2,3 and 4 above). They both focus relatively quick for non af-s lenses. They track birds fine, but if you miss focus it takes awhile to come back to minimum and back out to infinity. The both have the same MFD. Chicks dig the Tokina "damn what a big lens you have " So, like everything in life there are compromises. I'm also gonna be jacked in a few months from holding the chunk of glass up in the air waiting for the Ospreys to dive...

Which Tokina? 100mm?

It's a little bigger than the 100mm Don't worry the hood is tight now.

Tokina 300 f2.8 AT-X II by krisinct, on Flickr

 

[sleist]

meh ....


Just kidding. Nice images.

 

[John1964]

Fantastic pics.

I think Osprey Dive 6 is stunning...........

 

[sm4him]

You know, Kris, I think with that new lens, if you keep really working at it, you might just manage a decent picture or two.



These are stellar, of course! #4 is a 100% crop??!! DANG! That's very nice...

 

[greybeard]

I really like the diving one.

 

[shefjr]

Kris, as usual, great shots! I agree with everyone else, number four for the win. Out of curiosity, how many shots do you take before you get a salvageable photo like that? I'm guessing since you have become so familiar with the osprey (cc=the osprey whisperer) that you probably know their cues and have very few misses with your shots at this point. I also like the look of number 2. The way the bird is looking at you and the action (for lack of a better description) of the wings.

 

[coastalconn]

Kris, as usual, great shots! I agree with everyone else, number four for the win. Out of curiosity, how many shots do you take before you get a salvageable photo like that? I'm guessing since you have become so familiar with the osprey (cc=the osprey whisperer) that you probably know their cues and have very few misses with your shots at this point. I also like the look of number 2. The way the bird is looking at you and the action (for lack of a better description) of the wings.

I do take a lot of shots, probably about 500 on my Osprey outing. I think I uploaded 31 to flickr which is a pretty high keeper rate. I had more but weened out so many. The biggest clue is when they first drop their talons they might go. The worst is when they abort their dive about 10 feet above the water and you end up with 5 empty water shots... Nat Audubon Society pulled this one of my FB page and it went viral with 55K views, thousands of likes and 600 something shares from my page...

Osprey Dive up close by krisinct, on Flickr