First 300/4 AFS Pics

The Clam · Jun 3, 2007

I decided to try out the (new to me) 300/4 yesterday. Most were handheld, a few were on my tripod being used as a make shift monopod (note to self: make sure the replacement is in stock before seliing the one you have:redface

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And with TC14e:

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So far, the lens looks like a winner. Sharp, fast to focus and easy to walk around with.

GeoKost · Jun 3, 2007

Nice Larry. I've been out trying to catch some hummers with mine today. Nice lens to shoot with.

George.

Snipps · Jun 3, 2007

coukd just be me, but these don't seem very sharp

Shooter · Jun 3, 2007

Nice shots still trying to decide between a new 300 f-4 and a used 2.8 ?

dmwphoto · Jun 3, 2007

Very nice Larry. that is a great lens for many things. I love mine.

Blair · Jun 3, 2007

Snipps said:
coukd just be me, but these don't seem very sharp

i agree. the shutter speed should have been faster to freeze the action better.

hkgharry · Jun 3, 2007

Hello Larry,

Thanks for sharing these photos.

Your camera/lens combination to me seems to focus very accurately (judging from the "grass" on the 1st photo for example) and to me looks sharp. A faster shutter speed would of course help freeze the action more.

Some unusual and interesting compositions there with great timing. I especially like the second one in that way.

I recently got an AFS 300 f4 and used it at a few soccer (football?) games so far. I really like it.

The lighter weight of the f4 is the main reason I went for it rather than the f 2.8 or Sigma 120-300. Relatively easy to walk around with.

Thanks again for sharing.

Tosh · Jun 4, 2007

I think the images are fine, but perhaps could benefit from a very small bit of tweaking to bring out their sharpness.
Fast shutter speed is always preferable with sports action shots, but SS has to be balanced with high iso/noise concerns.

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I recently picked up the Canon 300mm variant (with IS/VR) and am looking forward to using it next week at my 7 year old daughter’ soccer game. Since they play on a short field, I can probably set up camp behind a goal. Hmm, maybe I’ll even bring a chair. :smile:

The Clam · Jun 4, 2007

Thanks for the constructive criticism everyone. I am the first to admit I have lots to learn and my post processing skills are rudimentary at best. This is also only about the second or third time I have ever tried to shoot a soccer game. Yes, I probably should have upped the ISO a notch to keep the shutter speeds up, but was concerned about noise. Not everything was razor sharp (my fault) but I thought the action was more interesting in these shots than some of the others. I was very impressed by the lens however, particlualry by the fact that it appears just as sharp when used with the TC.