My pooch with 70-200mm f/2.8L

[cdifoto]

I've hit a dry spell with newspaper shoots and the racing season ended in the middle of the month...so I'm bored as heck. Here's my pooch outside sunbathing. My Sigma EF-500 DG Super had the Lightsphere II with dome attached as a diffuser for direct fill flash.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/nftn/70200L/20051030-007.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/nftn/70200L/20051030-018.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/nftn/70200L/20051030-023.jpg

No flash on this one:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b100/nftn/70200L/20051030.jpg

What do you think?

[TheObiJuan]

What a model!

[24Peter]

Nice portraits CDI! Great technique with the fill flash and nice blurred background - though I must say, from his look in the second shot I think your dog wishes you were shooting the auto races or girls volley ball instead :D (actually come to think of it, I wish you were shooting girls volley ball instead too! :) Just kidding - really nice shots.) Maybe start a "people and their pets" photography business?

[hef]

Awesome PICS. you have me sold on A 70-200 F. 28

[cdifoto]

What a model!

LOL thanks. He's a ham. Makes it easy.

Nice portraits CDI! Great technique with the fill flash and nice blurred background - though I must say, from his look in the second shot I think your dog wishes you were shooting the auto races or girls volley ball instead (actually come to think of it, I wish you were shooting girls volley ball instead too! Just kidding - really nice shots.) Maybe start a "people and their pets" photography business?

Hey I wish I was shootin the chickies too! Their season ended Saturday with the Mid-Penn Conference about an hour away. The paper wanted me to shoot it but I ignored their messages. They've been ripping me off when it comes to shoots that require travel. I'm looking to hook onto another paper that pays a little better and hopefully cover my entire area for them...so not only be paid more per event but have more events. I did have a small business called "PetVids" where I would take old video and combine it into one shorter one on VHS or DVD but nobody wanted to pay the rates I asked for all that tedious editing work. They thought they should only pay $19.95 like its a mass-produced DVD. It seems around here it's difficult to get people to see the value of a service...they see a final product and don't consider the effort put into it.

ANYWHO...the photography angle might be promising. Video needs compiled and edited but images only need edited (and if yer good, not much!). I have a friend with 2 ailing dogs that he wants to have large prints of. So I'll do a session for him inexpensively and hopefully he'll help spread the word.

Awesome PICS. you have me sold on A 70-200 F. 28

Thanks! I love this lens too. Haven't used it much yet though. Spent more time with the 24-70 trying to make sure that focus problem wasn't in fact me. I'm about 98% certain it's the lens. I'll know for sure Tuesday when the replacement copy arrives.

[Jeff Keller]

Those are great!

[Rex914]

Awesome PICS. you have me sold on A 70-200 F. 28

He already sold me on it too last week. :p

If you don't need the IS, this is the 70-200 lens to get. The Sigma is very good, but somehow this model is magical.

[cdifoto]

Those are great!

Thanks Jeff! I had some shots of him running towards me but I missed focus on every single one. The little booger is so friggin small (7lbs) it's hard to keep the focus point on him. Maybe with a little more practice I'll get some....or stop down to like f/16 and ISO800 in the middle of the day! :eek: :D

He already sold me on it too last week.

If you don't need the IS, this is the 70-200 lens to get. The Sigma is very good, but somehow this model is magical.

Yeah with all that Bigma handholding (no IS/OS) at 500mm, 200mm is cake. It's a gorgeous lens through and through. I just wish it had another 300mm! lol. I was debating on the purchase of a teleconverter but by time I got the 2x for 400mm, I'd lose the two stops and be pretty much as slow as Bigma again, except with poorer quality output. It'd be a lighter bag but even so...I don't think I could live with that. I might as well lug Bigma around and use it when I need to.

[aparmley]

You're just bragging now - Unsportsman-like-conduct ! You'll have to hand over the 70-200 2.8.

Nice photos.

[cdifoto]

You're just bragging now - Unsportsman-like-conduct ! You'll have to hand over the 70-200 2.8.

Nice photos.

Ok maybe a little! :p You can rent it for a weekend...low rates...only $50 for the weekend with an $1150 deposit! :eek: :D

Thanks.

[Balrog]

Awesome shots! #2 fave :) love the bokeh on that one.

[hef]

LOL thanks. He's a ham. Makes it easy.



Hey I wish I was shootin the chickies too! Their season ended Saturday with the Mid-Penn Conference about an hour away. The paper wanted me to shoot it but I ignored their messages. They've been ripping me off when it comes to shoots that require travel. I'm looking to hook onto another paper that pays a little better and hopefully cover my entire area for them...so not only be paid more per event but have more events. I did have a small business called "PetVids" where I would take old video and combine it into one shorter one on VHS or DVD but nobody wanted to pay the rates I asked for all that tedious editing work. They thought they should only pay $19.95 like its a mass-produced DVD. It seems around here it's difficult to get people to see the value of a service...they see a final product and don't consider the effort put into it.

ANYWHO...the photography angle might be promising. Video needs compiled and edited but images only need edited (and if yer good, not much!). I have a friend with 2 ailing dogs that he wants to have large prints of. So I'll do a session for him inexpensively and hopefully he'll help spread the word.



Thanks! I love this lens too. Haven't used it much yet though. Spent more time with the 24-70 trying to make sure that focus problem wasn't in fact me. I'm about 98% certain it's the lens. I'll know for sure Tuesday when the replacement copy arrives.

OK.. I got the 70-200 f/2.8 IS USM L today! So far, so good. However, I think I am suffering from the same problem you have with your 24-70 f/2.8 L... It seems very soft and OOF most of the time. Not that razor sharp tact it should have... Did you send yours back? And if so, did the new copy correct the problem? Thanks in advance for your replies..... Rgds, hef

[cdifoto]

OK.. I got the 70-200 f/2.8 IS USM L today! So far, so good. However, I think I am suffering from the same problem you have with your 24-70 f/2.8 L... It seems very soft and OOF most of the time. Not that razor sharp tact it should have... Did you send yours back? And if so, did the new copy correct the problem? Thanks in advance for your replies..... Rgds, hef

I actually sent the replacement back. It was doing the same thing, except it was softer (still sharp for a zoom...just not L sharp) at 2.8 even when it would focus. The original was at least sharp all the time when it focused. The more I use it the more I like it, and the more success I have with it. When it does miss I attribute it to either user error or my XT's AF system. I shot a wedding with it on Saturday with few problems. I didn't do too hot - but that was my fault...not the equipment. I even saved some of the shots where my flash didn't fire - the lens locked focus even in the poorly lit banquet hall.

Never had problems with the 70-200 at all though.

[hef]

I actually sent the replacement back. It was doing the same thing, except it was softer (still sharp for a zoom...just not L sharp) at 2.8 even when it would focus. The original was at least sharp all the time when it focused. The more I use it the more I like it, and the more success I have with it. When it does miss I attribute it to either user error or my XT's AF system. I shot a wedding with it on Saturday with few problems. I didn't do too hot - but that was my fault...not the equipment. I even saved some of the shots where my flash didn't fire - the lens locked focus even in the poorly lit banquet hall.

Never had problems with the 70-200 at all though.

Thanks for your reply cd-buy, i probably should give it more time. The 70-200 seems to be the sharpest lens I have outside of the 50mm f1.4. The sharpest lens i had with my old NIKON gear was the 28-70 f/2.8. Never had these issues. So i wonder...! As you can see in my SIG, i have a 5d & 20d, but really have not put the lens to the test (real test) yet. I will report back with progress.... tks, hef

[cdifoto]

Thanks for your reply cd-buy, i probably should give it more time. The 70-200 seems to be the sharpest lens I have outside of the 50mm f1.4. The sharpest lens i had with my old NIKON gear was the 28-70 f/2.8. Never had these issues. So i wonder...! As you can see in my SIG, i have a 5d & 20d, but really have not put the lens to the test (real test) yet. I will report back with progress.... tks, hef

If I were you I'd just play around with it for awhile. You have a 1 year warranty. If I have problems I'll just send it in for calibration...