500mm f4 IS II - First images / impressions / trip report

[FlyingSquirrel]

As you know if you read my first thread Sweaty palms, dry mouth, trembling...the Great White has arrived...., I obtained a Canon 500mm f4 IS II lens. I'd like to start this thread off with a slightly philosophical thought, which I didn't have the mind to do in that thread.

I've read, and been advised, that a person should not be of the attitude that expensive professional gear will make their pictures better, UNLESS they know what they are doing and are ready to utilize it properly. Not only that, but something that costs over $10K is not an investment to be taken lightly. Prior to purchasing the lens, I thought A LOT about whether or not I really needed it. I also tried to be truthful with myself as to whether I was erroneously thinking my photos would get better simply because this was nice equipment, versus the possibility that I was actually ready to use it as a tool, utilizing my knowledge and skill to create better photos. I decided, in my personal opinion, that I was ready for this lens, and would be able to use it to create photos that I could not otherwise create.

Fast forward to yesterday, my first time out with the lens. Disappointingly, the weather was dark and gloomy for the most part, requiring relatively high ISO and making it basically impossible to get fast enough shutter speeds for birds in flight or other fast actions. On the other hand, it was advantageous in that the light was diffused and reduced contrast complications. Since it was not supposed to rain much, I went to what I have decided is my "testing location" for new equipment. Located in Kirkland, WA, it is called Juanita Bay Park. It is also where I did my first outing with the Canon 400mm f5.6L when I obtained that lens.

I got to the park before sunrise. Wanting to scope things out first and get comfortable, I left the lens in my backpack. I went out along one of the boardwalks to scope things out. I watched the wildlife for a while, checked out the light situation, etc. Being the only person at the park at that time, it was nice and peaceful. When I felt "ready" I pulled out the 500mm and set up on the gimbal head. Light was low, and the angle to the ducks was not ideal for great photos, but I was there to just learn the lens and get used to it.

Compared to my 400mm, the 500mm was a bit more challenging to "find" the subject in the viewfinder, especially when moving. I knew right away I would need to get extremely familiar and practiced at using this lens before trying out the 1.4 extender; I did not use the extender at all yesterday. However, once the subject is spotted, the view is awesome. At f4, things are bright and clear compared to 5.6, and obviously the extra magnification is fantastic. Seems kind of silly to get so excited about something so simple, but hey, I'm new to this!!!

Next I thought I'd test the IS. Many people say to turn IS OFF when using a tripod. With this lens and the newer IS, I wanted to try it ON with a tripod. Apparently the lens can sense when it's on a tripod and adjusts how the IS works. First, mode 1 for "static" subjects. Aiming at some floating ducks, I activated my AF and the IS popped on basically instantaneously. The viewfinder image froze in place right away and was if the camera/lens/tripod were locked down. Next I flipped to mode 2 IS, for panning. Panning horizontally with a swimming duck, the IS locked on worked perfectly. Considering the horrible light, shutter speed used, and the fact that I was panning, the results were incredible. My mind was blown by the IS then, and all day. It is better than I could have dreamed. Tripod with IS was not a problem.

Moving to the other boardwalk, I came upon some Red-Winged Blackbirds which are habituated to people. I was so close to the first one that only half of it fit in the frame! Backing up, I fired a few shots, with IS, then waited around for more things to happen. A gentlemen with a 60D and 100-400 lens showed up and we chatted about my new gear. We took a few pics of blackbirds as they showed up. He was not knowledgeable about his equipment or exposure in general; he basically put random settings on his camera and just shot lots of pics, hoping something would look ok (the first shots he showed me were underexposed by several stops.) So I took some time here and there to teach him about exposure/shutter speed / histogram etc, and explained what I was doing for my shots. After a while, his shots looked much better. He has a lot to learn and practice still, but hopefully I sent him the right direction.

I did a lot more walking around, going the longer distances to get to the main path along the outer rim of the park. Let me tell you, carrying this lens, a wimberley gimbal on a beefy gitzo, the camera with battery grip, and my huge backpack with food, water, etc is NO PICNIC!!! I got pretty tired after a lot of walking; at this time it would then make sense, of course, that some opportunities would present themselves which would best be approached by hand holding the lens. It was quite doable, with rest periods. The IS was incredible and enabled hand held shots that would be impossible without it.

I also got a photo of a "run away" cat, which I'll post in a separate thread.

First impression of the RAW unedited photos at 100% in lightroom: MIND BLOWN. The sharpness is ridiculous, the colors clean and bold, contrast suprising for a RAW file. Essentially, the RAW images from this lens looked as if they had been edited to an extent. I thought, if they looked this good RAW, what could I do in Photoshop!! I was going to post some 100% crops of the RAW files, but after editing the shots here, am not in the mood right now. Here are my best shots from the first shoot with the 500. Please view full size for best sharpness and detail. Thanks for reading, viewing, and commenting.

RWBB - blurred out a few minor distractions in bg. Disappointed in this shot due to the cattail leaf in front of the bird. Can't win them all with wildlife I suppose! Thankfully the shooting conditions brightened up a tad so I was able to get a shutter speed just fast enough to freeze the bird while calling, without using a ridiculous ISO.



Heron portrait. This heron was maybe 10 feet away. I had to move around to get the best angle and proper distance. I tried a lot of crops, and maybe this is an unusual crop, but I really like it and the cutoff point doesn't bother me. I like this crop because it focuses attention on the details of the bird's head, face, beak, etc. I wanted as close of a crop as possible, while still showing it all in on shot. The "typical" heron portrait crop that I see a lot is where it shows the head and upper neck. For what I wanted my image to be, the neck added nothing to the image; in fact it detracted from it. There was a good amount of resolution left, at 100% in Lightroom, only half of what you see here fits on my monitor.



Heron feather detail.

[deetheturk]

Nice first images Matt,well done,looking forward to seeing more!

Cheers David

[Donald]

Congratulations, Matt. These look great.

In the way that you've described how you have gone and will go, about learning to use this leans, you demonstrate that you are more than ready for it. The person who wasn't ready wouldn't know what tests and challenges to set themselves in order to start understanding the lens.

[Dave Humphries]

Very nice results Matt,

I can't see me ever spending that much on a lens - or being strong enough to carry it and the rest of your "picnic kit"

I really like the Heron portrait.

Well done,

[FlyingSquirrel]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the views and comments. Very nice of you. I am still giddy with excitement and am dying to get out and use this lens again. Boooooo winter, boooo

[Otavio]

Hi, Matt. Congratulations on your acquisition. It is a fantastic toy!! Very nice images.

Keep the shots coming!

[Bobobird]

Great shots. Plenty of detail and looks like not much pp was needed.

One thing about the IS - try mode 3.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Thank you Otavio!

Bobo, thanks for the tip. I figured that would be best for BIF, which I haven't had the opp to do yet, but I guess mode 3 could work for anything. Will test on next shoot!

[NorthernFocus]

Looks like you're having a blast, Matt. The difference in clarity looking through the viewfinder with high end glass is stunning for sure. Interestingly, on my first outing with my 500mm I also shot RWBB and GBH down in Ridgefield, WA. The GBH wasn't quite as accommodating though.

[FlyingSquirrel]

Dan, thanks for your comments! There is a 2 foot tall wood fence along the main trail between the path and the water. The birds know, if you're on the other side, they are good to go. If I were to set foot on their side....well let's just say I wouldn't do that with a GBH 5 feet away, lol.

TO ALL: I just remembered there is something else on that lens that I didn't mention in my OP. There is a focus preset / recall feature. I tested it out, and it was very cool. You just focus where you want, press the 'set' button, then focus elsewhere. When you want to instantly be refocused at the set point, you just turn the focus recall ring near the front of the lens. I only tried it one time, and it worked well. I can see a number of uses for this in wildlife shooting. For example, if you have a perch set up and are calling in some birds with audio, you'd want to have your focus set on the perch. You could shoot other subjects elsewhere, and if one lands on your perch, turn the ring and boom you're focused on your subject. Similar with any other wildlife that you suspect will show up in a specific spot, e.g. birds at a nest, animals at a cave entrance, etc

AH! I just remembered there are 4 buttons near the font of the lens. I need to read the 7D manual again, because I think those buttons can be programmed to do something (will report back). Unfortunately, the buttons are covered up by the lens coat neoprene (hence I had forgot about them), so it would be challenging to use them...

[Bobobird]

Mode 3 IS = IS does not mess with focusing as we know and only activates when the shutter is pressed.

I have set mine to 3 and have forgotten that IS exists.

Those 4 buttons are for video mainly but covered by the coat. Wonder what Lenscoat was thinking? In my case they should allow zooming in and out to some presets but not tested. Will try later.

[Wavelength]

First image is the best of the three , followed by the last; even #2 is nice

[FlyingSquirrel]

Mode 3 IS = IS does not mess with focusing as we know and only activates when the shutter is pressed.

I have set mine to 3 and have forgotten that IS exists.

Those 4 buttons are for video mainly but covered by the coat. Wonder what Lenscoat was thinking? In my case they should allow zooming in and out to some presets but not tested. Will try later.

Well, I like the locked down viewfinder image in mode 1 / 2, for static subjects. Personally it helps me. For BIF or fast moving subjects, I would use mode 3 to avoid fighting the IS in the viewfinder. Will test when have a chance.

I read the 7D manual. The buttons on the end of the lens can be programmed to do various things with the 7D. I am going to try it out when I have a chance. Will probably try to modify the lenscoat to allow access to those buttons or add something on top as a reference to where the buttons are beneath.

Nandakumar, thanks for your comments!

[Bobobird]

Hmm, now I have to go read TWO manuals. grrrrrr.