Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

[CJAM427]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

I've been waiting till I had my photos up on Flickr so I can share without compression!

My thoughts on the lens haven't changed, its great and exactly what I need. Sharp at every focal length, not super heavy and a very affordable price.

I did have a much lower success rate than I normally do, but I think that's all about the venue and the user more than the lens not working right. I'm going along with what Neal said, Reno is a tough venue to shoot but not just on the pylons. I did a lot of thinking about this. Normally at your average airshow you get passes straight down the run way left to right or right to left -and everybody who flies does this so you get a lot of practice. At Reno you have motion not only from left to right but from back to front as well. Plus everybody flies a slightly different line. On top of all that if you shoot from the pits or the Grand stand or the hillside you are farther away from the action than at any other venue I've been to. That definitely makes this harder than usual.

Bottom line I just need more practice there and I'll have the 200-500 with again next year as my main lens.

Everything here is handheld

1/80th @310mm
Big Red Run-up by Connor Madison, on Flickr

1/60th @500mm
Argo B/W by Connor Madison, on Flickr

1/50th @420mm
Voodoo Test Run by Connor Madison, on Flickr

About as sharp as it gets. 1/250 @450mm
Voodoo for the win! by Connor Madison, on Flickr

[Desertdawg]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Connor,

Wow some nice shots, especially handheld at 1/80.

You got a steady hand young man.

I think with what I have scene from everyone here this lens in a solid value.

Thanks everyone, this has been and continues to be a great discussion.

One thing for sure, my photography skills have improved greatly since I joined AAFO Hangertalk.

You all rock.

[wingman]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

I too think that lens is a winner. I'm very impressed with what you guys did with it.

And Dawg -- I've loved your people stuff especially. You have a very good eye.

Neal

[Idaho_cowpony]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Everyone needs to scroll through the rest of Connor's photos on flickr page. Some outstanding stuff there!

- Joseph

[wingman]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

I just did, and there is indeed some very fine work there. Combine that camera body, that lens, and some real talent and the results are spectacular. I hope Connor can manage a Press Pass next year -- it would be a pleasure to see what he could do out there...

Neal

[CJAM427]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Dawg, Joseph and Neal, thank you so much for your comments!!

I can't decide if I should post a few of my favorites in one of the other threads?

I'll be back with a press pass next year for sure, it was just a little late notice this year.

Connor

[wingman]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Agreed, the U2 is the issue that I was fighting, the other two are pretty sharp. I use a touch of a sharpening mask, (5 or 6 at most in LR), and usually bump the detail sharpness from 25 up to 30. I try not to use it much since it makes the pic really grainy, and I have to push the luminescence noise reduction up removing detail.

Will

Will, some of your stuff seems a bit undersharpened, to my taste. Remember that a final sharpening stage should happen in the final preparation of an image for its final use (and then reset the original back where it was). Remember also that you have a lot of pixels to work with that camera. When you view a shot at 100% in Lightroom you are viewing a very small portion of the image, and the noise you are seeing on the screen will very likely be invisible even in an 8x10 print or magazine reproduction. The noise will be invisible, but the sharpening will be seen. All this is even more true in screen sized reproduction -- you can sharpen fairly aggressively without getting that "oversharpened look".

I hope I'm making sense here...

Neal

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Neal,
I hear you, but I do my shots to be printed full size, like 20x30. I can try pushing the sharpening a little more however.

This is what you can get when used as a portrait lens...




Will

[wingman]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

All three of those are really nice. I love the first. I've never seen anything quite like it, and I think it worked very well. How long an exposure was that? How many did you try to get one you liked.

With regard to sharpening, remember what I said about sharpening differently for different uses. I would guess that you'd want a bit less sharpening for a 20x30 print to avoid visible noise, if you're seeing it at 100% in Lightroom. Sharpening is always a matter of taste, experience and experimentation -- there is no "right way" to do it. If you're willing to get into the nitty gritty of post processing, look for a book called "The Digital Negative" by Jeff Schewe. It is really wonderful -- this guy's been involved with Adobe since Photoshop's early days, and is a very fine photographer and excellent writer. My big complaint with the book is that it is quite oriented to Lightroom, which I don't use, but the information applies equally to Adobe Camera Raw, which is my choice for PP. Jeff has some extended discussion of sharpening, and I go back and reread these discussions (as well as other sections of the book) every few months as I gain experience with the software. I very highly recommend this book if you're serious about using Lightroom or Photoshop.

Neal

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Neal, the first shot was shot at 210mm, ISO 400, F8, 13 seconds. I really like the shot as well. It blew me away when the mountains emerged as I played with it a little bit. I overexposed the whole pic by accident, and saw the mtns in the background, so I pulled the exposure back, and used the graduated neutral density tool to bring out the far background while keeping the foreground as it was.

I think I did figure out shooting from the pylons, I finally got into the unknown memory card, and oh boy its it filled with some good stuff.







Will

[wingman]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

These look quite good. There is still subtle stuff that can be done to give them some more "pop", if you wish to go that way. The two red nose Mustangs just look too dark on my screen, and I geneally like my backlit stuff a bit brighter and with more clarity than you are using. I fiddled with a couple of your shots, not as criticism, but as a suggestion of one direction you might consider going with some of the backlit stuff.

Neal

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

I got a rare opportunity to shoot a small forest fire last night. 6 air tankers were on the fire as well as 2 UH1s. I had a fantastic vantage point, about a mile and a half due south of the fire. I think the pics will say all that is needed about this lens.













This was the first time I've been able to get really good shots of air tankers on the job. Cal Fire and Neptune Aviation had this 40 acre blaze under control in a matter of hours.

Will

[Desertdawg]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Will,

Nice shots. The one with the tanker dropping and coming straight for you makes you glad you had a long lens. Otherwise you'd be red man :-)

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Will,

Nice shots. The one with the tanker dropping and coming straight for you makes you glad you had a long lens. Otherwise you'd be red man :-)

Thanks. The tanker coming straight at me was over a mile away. That is nearly a 100% crop. I really like the shot though.

Will

[Sky Critter]

Re: Need Expert Advise on 500mm Lense Set-up

Almost looks like you were about to have an "Always" moment!