Verdin...up close and personal.

[twebster]

Hi y'all,

Verdins (Auriparus flaviceps) are such tiny little birds that any image of a verdin should be considered a macro image


Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) Canon EOS 20D dSLR, Canon EF 300mm f 2.8L IS lens + Canon EF 2x II teleconverter + Canon EF 1.4x II teleconverter, ISO 400, 1/250 sec at f 16, natural light, tripod with IS turned on.

Actually, I posted this to show just how good the Canon EF 300mm f 2.8L IS lens performs with "stacked" teleconverters. I attached both the Canon EF 2x II tc and and the Canon EF 1.4x II tc to the lens and made this image from about 20 feet from the bird. This is a 50% crop from the full image. The resulting focal length after figuring in the 1.6x crop factor of the image sensor is 1344mm

The secret to using the stacked teleconverters is in keeping the shutter speed 1/250 sec or higher. Shutter speeds slower than 1/250 sec are just too slow to cancel out even the minor vibrations from the shutter being fired. Also, it is absolutely essential to have the IS (image stabilization) turned on. Even using my best "long lens" techniques, 30% of the images I make with stacked teleconverters will be a little off focus. Using stacked teleconverters really requires superlative optics

As much as I love the 300mm f 2.8L lens, I find I am "under-gunned" for the majority of bird photos I make. I don't think I have ever used the 300mm lens without the 2x tc attached. Next week I take delivery of a new Canon EF 500mm f 4L IS lens for my avian photography. One of the first things I will test will be the use of stacked teleconverters on the 500mm lens. Let's see... that would result in a focal length of 2240mm. Cool

Enjoy, my friends

[Ken Ramos]

Great image Tom. What's the fine feathered friend have in its mouth? Looks like a small brain with the upper portion of a spinal cord still attached. Could be mine, I always seem to leave stuff lying around when I am not using it.

[georgedingwall]

Hi Tom,

That's a wondeful image.

I note that you said that you were tripod mounted and had the IS turned on. Is that the recommended way of doing it with Canon IS lenses.

I ask because I've been looking at some of the Nikon VR lenses, and I've been told that you need to turn off the VR when on a tripod.

Bye for now.

[twebster]

Hi ya' George,

The Canon super-telephoto lenses (300mm f 2.8, 400mm f 2.8, 400mm f 4 DO, 500mm f 4, and 600mm f 4) can be used on a tripod with IS turned on. There are two IS modes. "Mode 1" for use on a tripod and handheld and "Mode 2" for use when panning with action photos. There are a couple of other Canon lenses incorporating IS that can be used on a tripod, too, but I forget which ones.

Aside from the lenses I listed, the other Canon lenses with IS incorporated cannot be used on a tripod. These lenses have to have the IS turnedd off or a bad feedback loop is created actually causing motion blurring. My 70-300mm IS zoom lens, for instance, can't be used with IS turned on and mounted to a tripod. I did this once and the images were terrible.

I have no information on the Nikon VR lenses other than the earliest VR versions were licensed from Canon. I'm sure there are some Nikon shooters "out there" who can give you the proper information.

I('m off to work, my friend

[MacroLuv]

... a focal length of 2240mm Hmmm... I'm starting to consider about buying DSLR! ... and if it could be posible to mount those lenses on Seitz 6×17 Digital 160 million pixels

[beetleman]

Very beautiful bird and picture Tom. I am glad to see you posting again. I always looK for your shots.