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Shutter speed is not all that counts in wildlife and bird photography. The reason that the 300 f2.8 and 600 f4 lenses have always been popular for wildlife/bird photography is the shallower DOF for subject isolation from the BG. That is one of the most important things to get an image that stands out. f11 just won’t cut it for shallow DOF. BIF is a different subject. More DOF may help there to get the subject in focus, even though the focus may not be exactly spot on, but then again, the BG must be either sky or else, far away.jeff Parker wrote:Compact, lightweight I get that. The issue will be shutter speed for bird/wildlife photography. IS doesn't do anything to combat motion blur of a fidgety bird.
Agreed.SantaFeJoe wrote:Shutter speed is not all that counts in wildlife and bird photography. The reason that the 300 f2.8 and 600 f4 lenses have always been popular for wildlife/bird photography is the shallower DOF for subject isolation from the BG. That is one of the most important things to get an image that stands out. f11 just won’t cut it for shallow DOF. BIF is a different subject. More DOF may help there to get the subject in focus, even though the focus may not be exactly spot on, but then again, the BG must be either sky or else, far away.jeff Parker wrote:Compact, lightweight I get that. The issue will be shutter speed for bird/wildlife photography. IS doesn't do anything to combat motion blur of a fidgety bird.
Joe
SantaFeJoe wrote:Shutter speed is not all that counts in wildlife and bird photography. The reason that the 300 f2.8 and 600 f4 lenses have always been popular for wildlife/bird photography is the shallower DOF for subject isolation from the BG. That is one of the most important things to get an image that stands out. f11 just won’t cut it for shallow DOF. BIF is a different subject. More DOF may help there to get the subject in focus, even though the focus may not be exactly spot on, but then again, the BG must be either sky or else, far away.jeff Parker wrote:Compact, lightweight I get that. The issue will be shutter speed for bird/wildlife photography. IS doesn't do anything to combat motion blur of a fidgety bird.
Joe
DOF also depends on how far away you're from the subject. Sometimes even F11 doesn't give you enough depth of field. The distance between your target and its background also matter in the final look of your images. If there's a 600 f8 available, I think it would be popular, too.SantaFeJoe wrote:[snip] The reason that the 300 f2.8 and 600 f4 lenses have always been popular for wildlife/bird photography is the shallower DOF for subject isolation from the BG. That is one of the most important things to get an image that stands out. f11 just won’t cut it for shallow DOF.[snip]
Joe
If you’re that close, you probably don’t need a 600mm or 800mm lens.DChan wrote:DOF also depends on how far away you're from the subject. Sometimes even F11 doesn't give you enough depth of field.
I guess, for the price, it’s hard to expect more. They do have IS and coordinate with the IBIS on select bodies. The old mirror lenses are still going for a few hundred. I sold an old Nikon 500 reflex for $200 a couple of years ago.E.J. Peiker wrote:As I understand it, these are fixed aperture lenses...??? Mirror lenses are going to stage a zombie apocalipse...
What if you only have a 600 or 800 with you at that time, photographing a small bird the size of a sparrow, a chickadee, or a bushtit??SantaFeJoe wrote:If you’re that close, you probably don’t need a 600mm or 800mm lens.DChan wrote:DOF also depends on how far away you're from the subject. Sometimes even F11 doesn't give you enough depth of field.
Joe
And that was f/8!!!SantaFeJoe wrote:I guess, for the price, it’s hard to expect more. They do have IS and coordinate with the IBIS on select bodies. The old mirror lenses are still going for a few hundred. I sold an old Nikon 500 reflex for $200 a couple of years ago.E.J. Peiker wrote:As I understand it, these are fixed aperture lenses...??? Mirror lenses are going to stage a zombie apocalipse...
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/canon-rf-800mm-and-600mm-are-less-than-dollar1000-but-have-a-fixed-f11-aperture
Joe
E.J. Peiker wrote:And that was f/8!!!SantaFeJoe wrote:I guess, for the price, it’s hard to expect more. They do have IS and coordinate with the IBIS on select bodies. The old mirror lenses are still going for a few hundred. I sold an old Nikon 500 reflex for $200 a couple of years ago.E.J. Peiker wrote:As I understand it, these are fixed aperture lenses...??? Mirror lenses are going to stage a zombie apocalipse...
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/news/canon-rf-800mm-and-600mm-are-less-than-dollar1000-but-have-a-fixed-f11-aperture
Joe
At least with a variable aperture you have DOF options, unlike these lenses. If these are the only lenses a person has with them, they are probably not a serious photographer or else a beginner.DChan wrote:What if you only have a 600 or 800 with you at that time, photographing a small bird the size of a sparrow, a chickadee, or a bushtit??SantaFeJoe wrote:If you’re that close, you probably don’t need a 600mm or 800mm lens.DChan wrote:DOF also depends on how far away you're from the subject. Sometimes even F11 doesn't give you enough depth of field.
Joe
If the subject is 20 ft away, a 600mm on a Nikon full frame with f11 gives you a depth of field of 2.52 inches, 6 inches if 30 feet away, and 1.38 ft if 50 feet away. If f4 is used, it's 0.84 inches, 2.04 inches, and 5.88 inches respectively.