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Hummingbird with Canon FD 300mm f/4 on G2

CPWarner

Member
Was trying out my new supertelephoto :D on the G2 out on the deck and managed to get one reasonable shot. This is a whole new challenge with manual focus, but by prefocusing, one can do pretty well. I do like the results with the Canon FD 300mm f/4. It is best on a tripod of course, but is certainly light enough to hand hold if you have enough light and fast enough shutter speed. It has a tripod mount on the lens so that it works quite well on the tripod.

Cliff

 

woodmancy

Subscriber Member
Was trying out my new supertelephoto :D on the G2 out on the deck and managed to get one reasonable shot. This is a whole new challenge with manual focus, but by prefocusing, one can do pretty well. I do like the results with the Canon FD 300mm f/4. It is best on a tripod of course, but is certainly light enough to hand hold if you have enough light and fast enough shutter speed. It has a tripod mount on the lens so that it works quite well on the tripod.

Cliff
Fascinating and beautiful image - well done :thumbs:

Keith
 

CPWarner

Member
Thanks guys! I am off to your neck of the woods tomorrow, seakayaker. Taking the family to Olympic National park and Mount Rainier for a week. We will hit the Hoh River rain forest and beaches in Olympic and hikes in the Paradise are at Rainier (obviously hitting the well know reflection lakes, etc. If time allows we will go to Sol Duc falls tomorrow on our way to Forks. If time is tight, we will stop at Crescent lake and Marymere Falls. We will see.
 

seakayaker

Active member
Thanks guys! I am off to your neck of the woods tomorrow, seakayaker. Taking the family to Olympic National park and Mount Rainier for a week. We will hit the Hoh River rain forest and beaches in Olympic and hikes in the Paradise are at Rainier (obviously hitting the well know reflection lakes, etc. If time allows we will go to Sol Duc falls tomorrow on our way to Forks. If time is tight, we will stop at Crescent lake and Marymere Falls. We will see.

It looks like you picked the right time, lots of sunshine and beautiful weather is the forecast.

. . . . . the weathermen up here have been known to be completely off the mark as well . . . . . but there is a lot of beauty in the areas you are heading no matter what the weather presents . . . . .

Love the Olympic Peninsula area, lots of undeveloped areas to hike and miles of beaches to explore!

Enjoy your vacation!

Life is Grand!

Dan
~ ;)
 

pellicle

New member
great stuff. The FD 300 is a great lens. Excellent construction, great lens collar smooth focus and very competitively priced too.

I'm glad to see others using this one for the G cameras (I use mine on a G1), where it makes (to me) more sence than on the rangefinder / back of the screen focus format cameras.

I know that manual focus may be a little challenge to get used to, but if you focus on learning which way to twist the ring for nearer and further (and have you lenses all work the same way) then it becomes quite intuitive after a while (after all, we focus our eyes with the coordination of muscles)

this little fella hopped into our campsite last weekend (happened to be sitting around with the 300mm f4 on the camera, so took this


its known locally as a willie wagtail, and they just don't sit still for a second. So while it looks like an easy grab, they're quite hard to nail.

While AF may seem a blessing it can often as not seize upon the grass or some other feature within the focal point location. For instance, I could not have taken this image without manual focus.



again a fast moving bird, combined with shooting through foilage

this was with the FD200 f4 but both shots are uncropped reproproductoins of the original image

hope you enjoy the FD300 ... and to others I suggest get them while they're still cheap. I've seen the prices on the OM 300 f4.5 double over the last year
 

CPWarner

Member
Well, I started over 30 years ago photographing sports with an Olympus OM series with manual focus lenses. One does get rusty with the autofocus, but it does come back. I am also still getting used to the manual focus with the EVF, in terms of picking up when I nailed it. It will come.

The Canon FD lenses are a great option. The 135 f/2.8 is also a great little lens with built in hood and smooth focus. I looked at a few OM 300 f/4.5's but they got bid up too high. The FD 300 I picked up was in remarkably good condition, not a scratch on it. I was holding out for a 300 f/4 L but was not able to find one. I like this one though.
 

pellicle

New member
Hi

The Canon FD lenses are a great option.
definately. I think the one thing which keeps them lower in price is that with the exception of the micro4/3 there was nothing else out there that could make easy use of them. Even the 4/3 cameras need an adaptor which replaces the lens coupling.

The lovely OM lenses however are also in demand for cameras like EOS and Nikon as the owners of them are realising how good the optics are. I have the 21mm f3.5 + 100 f2.8 and they are great on my EOS camera. Beautiful lenses.


I was holding out for a 300 f/4 L but was not able to find one. I like this one though.
hes, I've been keen to see how that goes on the G camera too ... you see them now n then on KEH for reasonable prices, but I just am not $500 curious (when there are other lenses I'd like to get).

:)
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Very nice capture on the little hummer, and truly impressive performance from that older chunk of glass!
 
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