I tested out the new 70-200 f/2.8 L IS during a photoshoot today with these two lovely ladies. The background blur coupled with the clarity are astounding.
Purdy, purdy models. I love the one with the short-haired blonde sitting on the the stome wall. The absence of shoes gives it a nice touch. That black and white one with the shallow DOF is very good. Comments left on some images.
Great shots Kevin! I knew once you tried the 70-200/2.8L IS you wouldn't be able to resist! That lens simply rocks! Looks like you are making terrific progress in advancing your photography career; I'd be happy to call any of those shots my own!
I agree on several shots I got but often its the composition rather than the cropping. I still have a tendancy to get the exposure good on one shot but miss the composition by cutting off the elbow or clipping the subject's hair and then on the ones where I get the composition right I might end up missing the exposure or the flash didn't go off. I'm getting closer as some of these shots show and I'm pretty happy with the progression given that I've only been back at it for about 9 months.
I would like to say that I've always been a glass snob. If it says "L" then I just assumed it was better. Well, after owning the 17-40 for a few months and shooting the 70-200 for a week I can comfortably say that L glass won't make a picture good but conversely it absolutely won't make a photo bad which is more than I can say for my old Quantaray. It's L for me from here on out. Eddy, you're right. Love this lens.
I always shoot manual and either large/fine or RAW depending on whether I've shot with the model before, whether I think we'll produce something I'll like and/or how important it is to get the greatest control (like if I'm photographing for pay instead of as a learning experience). I've stopped using anything but manual since I want to know that I truly understand how to duplicate a particular shot. I want to either totally blow the shot or totally capture the composition as I intended it. I figure that way I'll end up knowing more about how it works.
For sports I shoot AI Servo for some shots and I almost always shoot the camera on multiple exposures for each time I depress the shutter release button. If I know that a model has a particular look I want and we're working to get it I may switch into RAW mode, single-frame and one-shot AF. I use manual focus with the old Quantaray but with the 70-200 I used AF and cannot say enough about how well this lens works. Only 5 or 6 OOF out of 800+ frames. Incredible piece of equipment.
Kev
the auto focus on my 75-300 sucks - never use it.
so the AI servo mode has yet to be explored...
manual mode is definately a good way to learn, and know the settings.
i almost always use full manual settings, and in burst mode.
the burst, i think, helps cut down on shake since your not pushing the button repeatedly.
the focus on my 75-300 is pretty darn good. prolly nowhere near as good as an L, but good enough to get these shots:
Originally posted by soup:
that lense sounds alright ;}
the auto focus on my 75-300 sucks - never use it.
so the AI servo mode has yet to be explored...
manual mode is definately a good way to learn, and know the settings.
i almost always use full manual settings, and in burst mode.
the burst, i think, helps cut down on shake since your not pushing the button repeatedly.
Kollin,
Great shots. I love the yellow you captured in that heron's eye.
I don't know about the AF on your lens, I just know that mine got hosed a couple of months ago and it hunts like a blue tick hound now so I have to shoot manual most of the time.
One thing I would say about the 70-200 f/2.8 is that I have a couple of pushpin boards in my cubicle (cell) with 5x7's and 8x10's all around the walls and people who have no interest in the tech specs on photo equipment can tell just by looking at any two or three photos which were taken with the Canon and which were taken with the Quantaray. I'm sure a top-of-the-line Sigma or some other brand probably wouldn't show that kind of differentiation but the sharpness and the depth of colors is evident even though all the photos went through my normal workflow.
