A few from today with Sigma 135-400 (imgs)

I am really struggling with this lens. I just can't get high enough shutter speeds to stop blur, even on a tripod. Good light is a definite must with this lens, and a better high ISO would be useful too.
Anyway, a couple that kinda passed the image culling, all with the E-1 ....

Probably the pick from today, owing to the sharp(ish) eye. 1/320 sec at f11, 400mm:



Almost there. 1/250 sec at f11, 400mm:



When not fully extended it does behave a little better. 1/160 sec at f7.1, 290mm



Hope you had a good day.

Best wishes

Mike
--
http://mikewoods.zenfolio.com/

Mike,

How far were you from the subjects? Were you handholding? What kind of light? Are these images cropped, or just reduced in size? This is a lens that I'm considering, but I know from experiences using the MF OM 200 f4 & 300 f4.5 lenses (& the Sigma 600mm reflex/mirror lenses) that I really cannot shoot these off tripod. And they need good light, too--as you would at apertures of f11 with the 135-400mm. At 400mm, I should think you would need bright daylight full on your subject in order to get a good AF lock. But given the inherent softness of this lens, you would need to shoot at f8 to f11, as you have done, in order to gain sharpness. But this, of course, makes it difficult to stop action. So in my roundabout musings, I should think that this is really a lens that doesn't lend itself well to less than optimal conditions.

Cheers,
HS
--
http://hestamm.smugmug.com

Hi Henry,

'...I should think that this is really a lens that doesn't lend itself well to less than optimal conditions...'

Absolutely!

To answer your questions, the swans were a good distance away, perhaps 100 yards or so. I was shooting from a hide, with no room for a tripod, so I was set up resting on my camera bag and the wooden ledge of the hide. Pretty secure but not ideal. The light was good by this stage; you certainly couldn't use this lens during the 'golden hours' lol. The first pic is not cropped at all, the second had a minor crop removing a little empty space above the swan.

I have seriously thought about the Bigma; it seems that at the long end f8 would suffice, which is simply inadequate on the 135-400.

I'm not giving up yet though, happy to concede that my technique needs improvement.

Best wishes

Mike
--
http://mikewoods.zenfolio.com/

I use a Manfrotto 679B monopod and a tilthead (model 234 RC) with my Sigma 135-400mm lens. I recommend anyone who's looking for a decent monopod to get this. It makes the lens a lot easier to use/carry around and it feels very balanced/stable. I've been able to get some great shots with the help of this monopod and the IS-function of my E-510.

My thoughts on the Sigma 135-400mm lens: It's a great lens but it need a lot of light to be useful. It's not an ideal "action-stopping" lens but it's good enough for shooting animals/birds that aren't moving. The lens is a bit soft, especially at the longer end but the images still looks good if you sharpen them in PP.

You could have used f/8 for half the shutter speed and less blur. Anyway, a bit of blur in the wings of the swan does not matter to me. It gives the pictures a dynamic touch...

You mention the IS of your 510, and I've been wondering how this might help if I decide to get the E-3. I might persist a little longer!

Mike
--
http://mikewoods.zenfolio.com/

Thanks. I've used f8 before without much success but I agree, in this instance perhaps it would have been a better option.

Mike
--
http://mikewoods.zenfolio.com/

Also, open the aperture to at least f/8. As I recall, this lens is reported to be somewhat soft wide open (that might be an overly generous description) but fairly decent when stopped down to f/8. Remember, 400mm on a 4/3 DSLR is equivalent in magnification to an 800mm lens on a full frame DSLR or 35mm film camera. If you'll be using the lens a lot at the 400mm focal length, you're going to get mostly dissappointing results if you do so without a tripod.

Steve

Mike Woods said:

I am really struggling with this lens. I just can't get high enough
shutter speeds to stop blur, even on a tripod. Good light is a
definite must with this lens, and a better high ISO would be useful
too.
Anyway, a couple that kinda passed the image culling, all with the
E-1 ....

Probably the pick from today, owing to the sharp(ish) eye. 1/320 sec
at f11, 400mm:



Almost there. 1/250 sec at f11, 400mm:



When not fully extended it does behave a little better. 1/160 sec at
f7.1, 290mm



Hope you had a good day.

Best wishes

Mike
--
http://mikewoods.zenfolio.com/

Click to expand...

SteveM7i said:

Also, open the aperture to at least f/8.

Click to expand...

Mike reported this images as f7 to f11, so he already had it stopped down to where it performs best.

SteveM7i said:

Remember, 400mm on a 4/3 DSLR is equivalent in magnification to an
800mm lens on a full frame DSLR or 35mm film camera.

Click to expand...

Having never used a film DSLR, this is not a particularly useful statement to me or even to remind Mike. We both use long lenses to get images we can't achieve otherwise. It makes no difference to me, especially, what the "equivalent" measure is. Either the lens does what it needs to do, or it doesn't.

SteveM7i said:

If you'll be
using the lens a lot at the 400mm focal length, you're going to get
mostly dissappointing results if you do so without a tripod.

Click to expand...

Mike said he did the best he could from his blind, but he and the rest of the responders have all agreed it's best with tripod.

Cheers,
HS

Mike Woods said:

You mention the IS of your 510, and I've been wondering how this
might help if I decide to get the E-3. I might persist a little
longer!

Click to expand...

The IS can be very useful when you use the 135-400 with a monopod or if you're propping the lens up on something. If you use a tripod, you won't need IS since the lens is already sufficiently stabilized.

I've tried shooting handheld with IS but when you're using a big tele-lens such as this one, the shaking becomes "magnified" so much that the IS will be much less effective than normal. I definitely recommend a monopod since it gives you stabillity and still let you be more mobile than you'd be with a tripod.

...i.e. ..............soft ... out of focuss ... and boring.

LOL
--
http://mikewoods.zenfolio.com/

I have seen a few sample shots from this lens and from what I have seen this lens is a bargain. It is not an easy lens to use and it requires plenty of light. The shots I have seen with mirror lockup and the RM-1 utilized on a tripod have been impressive.

I have this lens on order and the only downside is that it is backordered to late October to mid November. I am look forward to using this lens.
--
E-500, ZD14-45, ZD40-150, FL-36, ZD50 f2
'And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong
I'm right
Where I belong I'm right
Where I belong.'
Lennon & McCartney