Polo Shoot This Weekend

[rpcrowe]

I am attending another polo match at the Del Mar, California Polo Club this coming Sunday. My photo club arranged for us to get free tickets and a reserved section from which to shoot. The tickets would normally cost $20 USD with another $2 USD online fee. So that is a pretty good deal.

The last time that I shot the matches, I was using a Canon 7D camera with a 300mm f/4L IS lens and I think that I did quite well.



Since that shoot, I upgraded to a 7D MkII and a 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS MkII lens.

I think that I might miss the f/4 aperture because I did a lot of shooting wide open in order to blur the background. However, the additional focal lengths available with the zoom might very well make up for the smaller aperture on the new lens.

I will be shooting in manual exposure at 1/2,000 second @ f/5.6 using auto ISO, high speed burst and Zone AF using the zone at the top of my viewfinder. That way I will usually get the player's or horse's heads in focus. I have the camera set up so that the selected zone shifts to keep it at the top when I change from horizontal to vertical shooting.

As before, I will be using a monopod both to shoot and to rest the camera/lens between shooting...

[Cantab]

...

As before, I will be using a monopod both to shoot and to rest the camera/lens between shooting...

Richard, as I read your post I began wondering whether there is a weight difference between your 300mm lens and the 100-400 mkii. I recently did some photos with the mark 1 version of the 100-400 plus the 1.4x teleconverter and realized I'm not as steady handholding it as I used to be.

What kind of head do you use on the monopod?

[rpcrowe]

The 100-400 Mk2 is bit heavier than either the Mk1 version of that lens or the 300mm f/4L IS lens. The 300mm f/4L IS lens weighs 2.16 pounds while the 100-400 Mk2 weighs 3.5 pounds.

To put this is perspective, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens weighs 3.28 pounds.

However, the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS Mk1 weighs 3.04 pounds while a Canon 1.4x TC weighs .75 pounds or a combined weight of 3.75 pounds.

I have a 1.4x TC (mine is the original Mk-1 version) which I might bring along just to see if the combination is up to the fast moving sport of Polo. I don't expect that I will be purchasing a Mk2 or Mk3 1.4x TC...

Of course, using the 7D2, I could only use center point focus.

As far as my monopod, I use a Calumet 8x Carbon Fiber pod with a Kirk Mk2 swivel head.

I also have a Manfrotto gimbal which works great on a monopod. But, I may or may not use the gimbal, depending on how far I will need to walk from my car to the shooting location...

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.

[Merlin52]

Nice shot. It is not just a question of weight though, if your kit is properly balanced (Centre of gravity) it is still possible to hand hold which I do for fast action sport where the monopod sometimes impedes eg M/Cycling where I use a 300mmf2.8 with a 2x converter on a 1Dx body and for panning you can (with practice) get some low shutter speed panning shots.



TonfanauApr17-1DX_2117
by John Hallard

[rpcrowe]

I also frequently hand hold my 7D Mk-2 and 100-400mm f/45-5.6L IS II lens as evidenced in these pictures...

[Merlin52]

Way to go Richard, nice panning, I did try th.e 2x converter with a 70-200 zoom but the IQ was not as good as with a prime. Maybe a 1.4 would be ok. I'm currently transitioning to Olympus M4/3 and only have the 300mm left, still reluctant to part with it as with the full frame sensor I can easily "blow up" centre portions and get good IQ which you can't do with 4/3. . .just have to 'get nearer" in camera with the Oly. The weight difference is also a factor for hand holding.