A7r, A7r2 - and why I'm keeping both ...

[Knorp]

I think the other interesting thing about the announcement was that they were working to make eye AF to work on animals. That can be quite helpful for shooting wildlife.

Ha! You see; they cleverly picked up on my suggestion ...

 

[Knorp]

1st Sony FE400mm f/2.8GM OSS lens delivered in the USA. :thumbup:
By Sony Artisan Patrick Murphy-Racey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=uW0Vd9sNZF8

That's all fine, but when will we read this ...

Xth Sony FE400mm f/2.8GM OSS lens delivered in the USA. :thumbs:
By Sony practitioner Karl-Heinz "keeping-them-all" A. Winkler

 

[k-hawinkler]

Ha! You see; they cleverly picked up on my suggestion ...

Thamks Bart. I am glad Sony is implementing your idea. :clap:

 

[Pradeep]

I missed the recent posts on this thread.


Mine (400 2.8) has been on order since it was announced. Hope to get it within the next two weeks or so.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with long lenses of this kind. Having owned the Canon 300 2.8, 500 f4, 600 f4, 400 DO MkII, I realized that they are a bit too much to carry around and for me, handholding the 500 and 600 was almost impossible unless my elbow was resting on something and then too for a very short while. However, the separation of subject from the background that can be achieved with these lenses is impossible with anything else. My 100-400GM is super sharp, not much to complain there, although honestly one can never get enough sharpness Even with the 1.4TC it remains very usable and for the money and weight, there is nothing better around, IMHO.

However, on the recent trip to Botswana I really missed having the super teles and that for me is saying a lot. With the TC, the A9 + 100-400 GM rig becomes f8 at 560mm and while the reach is plenty, the background is for me, too busy, esp with birds, which is really where you need the extra reach. This is one situation where cropping into APS-C mode is not helpful as the bird is small in the frame to begin with and then I always end up cropping more in post, so finally there wouldn't be much left in the file, hence the TC is the only way to go.

There were lots of beautiful birds on the Chobe river and we were on a special boat that is fixed up for photographers, with special chairs and gimbal heads that can take any camera/lens combo. The boat runs low on the water and you get a unique perspective. Kingfishers are my favorite bird, especially the little malachite fellow and I got plenty of good shots of the guy. The pictures are good but they could be better, I am sure.

I am just wondering what the 400 2.8 with the 1.4TC at f4 wide open would have done with these shots. Some of these are heavily cropped, almost 75% of the original.


All of these were taken with the A9 plus 100-400 GM plus 1.4xTC at f8 (default max aperture), variable ISO and shutter speeds.


The first one is of a pair of Little bee-eaters that were perched just behind our houseboat. Great shooting, they were very cooperative, but the background is again too busy for me. Handheld.

The second is a giant Kingfisher, again with the same combo, I have to get rid of the distracting branch at the bottom, Cropped about 50%

Third photos is a group of juvenile Yellow-billed storks from a nesting colony. Morning light.

The little Malachite with a small fish. These guys are very skittish and hardly stay in one place long enough to catch the AF, in this regard, I must say the Sony performed amazingly well. Again, a busy background although I am not sure how much better a bigger lens may have done.

Finally, a Pied Kingfisher with a catch. Taken in very harsh backlit conditions, he was on this dung ball on the ground with a lot of grass in front and behind. Had to convert to monochrome to avoid the excess amount of green everywhere. Cropped about 70%

I have many others like these where although the images are nice they are not as satisfying as they could have been. Take a look at this one of a superb starling taken over 5 yrs ago with the Canon 600MkII on my old 1DX:

I dare say the 400 2.8 even though meant for sports, will turn out to be a great lens for wildlife (with the TC), that is, until Sony comes up with the 200-600 f4/5.6

Thanks for looking.

 

[k-hawinkler]

I missed the recent posts on this thread.


Mine (400 2.8) has been on order since it was announced. Hope to get it within the next two weeks or so.

I've always had a love-hate relationship with long lenses of this kind. Having owned the Canon 300 2.8, 500 f4, 600 f4, 400 DO MkII, I realized that they are a bit too much to carry around and for me, handholding the 500 and 600 was almost impossible unless my elbow was resting on something and then too for a very short while. However, the separation of subject from the background that can be achieved with these lenses is impossible with anything else. My 100-400GM is super sharp, not much to complain there, although honestly one can never get enough sharpness Even with the 1.4TC it remains very usable and for the money and weight, there is nothing better around, IMHO.

However, on the recent trip to Botswana I really missed having the super teles and that for me is saying a lot. With the TC, the A9 + 100-400 GM rig becomes f8 at 560mm and while the reach is plenty, the background is for me, too busy, esp with birds, which is really where you need the extra reach. This is one situation where cropping into APS-C mode is not helpful as the bird is small in the frame to begin with and then I always end up cropping more in post, so finally there wouldn't be much left in the file, hence the TC is the only way to go.

There were lots of beautiful birds on the Chobe river and we were on a special boat that is fixed up for photographers, with special chairs and gimbal heads that can take any camera/lens combo. The boat runs low on the water and you get a unique perspective. Kingfishers are my favorite bird, especially the little malachite fellow and I got plenty of good shots of the guy. The pictures are good but they could be better, I am sure.

I am just wondering what the 400 2.8 with the 1.4TC at f4 wide open would have done with these shots. Some of these are heavily cropped, almost 75% of the original.


All of these were taken with the A9 plus 100-400 GM plus 1.4xTC at f8 (default max aperture), variable ISO and shutter speeds.


The first one is of a pair of Little bee-eaters that were perched just behind our houseboat. Great shooting, they were very cooperative, but the background is again too busy for me. Handheld.

The second is a giant Kingfisher, again with the same combo, I have to get rid of the distracting branch at the bottom, Cropped about 50%

Third photos is a group of juvenile Yellow-billed storks from a nesting colony. Morning light.

The little Malachite with a small fish. These guys are very skittish and hardly stay in one place long enough to catch the AF, in this regard, I must say the Sony performed amazingly well. Again, a busy background although I am not sure how much better a bigger lens may have done.

Finally, a Pied Kingfisher with a catch. Taken in very harsh backlit conditions, he was on this dung ball on the ground with a lot of grass in front and behind. Had to convert to monochrome to avoid the excess amount of green everywhere. Cropped about 70%

I have many others like these where although the images are nice they are not as satisfying as they could have been. Take a look at this one of a superb starling taken over 5 yrs ago with the Canon 600MkII on my old 1DX:

I dare say the 400 2.8 even though meant for sports, will turn out to be a great lens for wildlife (with the TC), that is, until Sony comes up with the 200-600 f4/5.6

Thanks for looking.

Congratulations Pradeep. Amazing stunning images - all of them. :clap:
My favorites are the first and last one.

I think the Sony 400/2.8 and TCs on A9 will live up to your expectations. I am sure.
BTW, on your Canon 600/4 did you use TCs?

 

[Pradeep]

Congratulations Pradeep. Amazing stunning images - all of them. :clap:
My favorites are the first and last one.

I think the Sony 400/2.8 and TCs on A9 will live up to your expectations. I am sure.
BTW, on your Canon 600/4 did you use TCs?

Thanks much, K-H.

These were just to illustrate the issue with the lack of subject separation with the 100-400 GM and TC combo, great though it is.

No, I never used a TC with the 600 - no actually I did just once, I put on the 2X to photograph a pair of black rhinos in the Ngorongoro crater that were just too far away. Reasonably good photo, but just for documentation.

One question I've always wondered about. Is there a difference between two lenses at the same focal length and aperture? So you have the 100-400 GM with TC at 560mm and f8, and say the 600 f4 stopped down to f8. Would the two produce the same background separation? I believe the big supertele would still be better overall. I am not talking about the bokeh here, but the busy, cluttered background between the lenses.

Can't wait for the big lens.

 

[k-hawinkler]

AFAIK six hundred units of low cost housing are being constructed in our neighborhood.

A9 + FE 100-400/4.5-5.6 OSS GM

 

[Knorp]

Yep, there goes the neighbourhood ...

 

[k-hawinkler]

The Construction Site.

The view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from this location.
Not bad - not bad at all.

A9 + FE 100-400/4.5-5.6 OSS GM

 

[k-hawinkler]

Yep, there goes the neighbourhood ...

Au contraire - Halloween will become lively again. :clap:
Too few families with young kids in the neighborhood currently.
BTW low cost housing here is pretty much above average cost of housing almost anyywhere else. :watch:

 

[Knorp]

Au contraire - Halloween will become lively again. :clap:
Too few families with young kids in the neighborhood currently.
BTW low cost housing here is pretty much above average cost of housing almost anyywhere else. :watch:

Pfff, you call this 'lively' - little creeps ringing your doorbell and yelling 'trick-or-treat' ... :loco:

:ROTFL:

 

[k-hawinkler]

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1533056/24#14616705

"Aperture Drive in AF (still image)" in Help Guide, contains specific info about FW 3.10

https://helpguide.sony.net/ilc/1650/v1/en/contents/TP0001690898.html

Help Guide

Interchangeable Lens Digital CameraILCE-9α9

• 
• 

Aperture Drive in AF (still image)

Changes the aperture drive system to prioritize the auto-focusing tracking performance or to prioritize silence (only when using a compatible lens).
This function can be used when the camera's system software (firmware) is Ver. 3.10 or later.

• MENU →
  
  (Camera Settings1) → [Aperture Drive in AF] → desired setting.

Menu item details

Standard:Uses the standard aperture drive system.

Focus Priority:Changes the aperture drive system to prioritize auto-focusing performance. During continuous shooting using the electronic shutter, the [Focus Priority] setting allows you to continuously adjust ​the focus with an F-value greater than F11.

Silent Priority:Changes the aperture drive system to prioritize silence so that the sound from the aperture drive is quieter than in [Standard].

Note

• When [Focus Priority] is selected during continuous shooting, sound from the aperture drive may be audible, shooting may become slower, or the display may flicker. To avoid these phenomena, change the setting to [Standard].
• When [Silent Priority] is selected, the focusing speed may become slower, and it may be more difficult to focus on a subject.
• The focus is locked to the setting in the first shot when [Aperture Drive in AF] is set to [Standard] or [Silent Priority], and the F-value is greater than F11.
• If [
  
  Shutter Type] is set to [Mechanical Shut.], [Focus Priority] cannot be selected.
• During single-shot shooting with [
  
  Shutter Type] set to [Auto], the aperture is driven by the [Standard] system even when [Focus Priority] is selected.
• [Aperture Drive in AF] is unavailable when using a lens incompatible with this function.

Related Topic

• Shutter Type (still image)
• Version

 

[k-hawinkler]

Air show videos with A9 and FE 400/2.8.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=neazWk2kjTc

https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=hhE8wk5hoXM

 

[k-hawinkler]

Sunflower with Ants. :facesmack:

Mistletoe, ISO 25,600

A9 + FE 100-400

 

[k-hawinkler]

Many images and videos, shot with FE 400/2.8

http://www.slrclub.com/bbs/vx2.php?id=slr_review&no=621

 

[k-hawinkler]

Sony ILCE-9 + Zeiss Batis 2/25 @ ISO 100, FOCAL LENGTH 25.0 mm, APERTURE f/3.2, EXPOSURE TIME 0.04s (1/25).

 

[Pradeep]

Many images and videos, shot with FE 400/2.8

http://www.slrclub.com/bbs/vx2.php?id=slr_review&no=621

Thanks K-H. I looked at the review and what is very impressive is the MTF chart. It is the best I've seen for any supertele so far, if accurate. I then downloaded the RAW files from the samples and looked at them in LR. The subject is very sharp wide open and happily, even though they acknowledge in the review about a little bit of vignetting, I don't see it in these real world samples. The background blur is also very pleasing. The files sharpen beautifully, especially of the animals where one can of course do a lot more than with fashion models.

Overall very pleased with the reports on the lens so far. Can't wait to try it out myself.

 

[k-hawinkler]

Thanks K-H. I looked at the review and what is very impressive is the MTF chart. It is the best I've seen for any supertele so far, if accurate. I then downloaded the RAW files from the samples and looked at them in LR. The subject is very sharp wide open and happily, even though they acknowledge in the review about a little bit of vignetting, I don't see it in these real world samples. The background blur is also very pleasing. The files sharpen beautifully, especially of the animals where one can of course do a lot more than with fashion models.

Overall very pleased with the reports on the lens so far. Can't wait to try it out myself.

Thanks Pradeep. Same here. :thumbs:

 

[k-hawinkler]

REVIEW: Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1565423/0#14624394,

Quote:

"I took the liberty to copy paste the FB post of Alex Phan, linked to above, here:

"Let talk about the new Sony 400mm f/2.8 G Master. To date, it is the is the lightest (6.38lbs), fastest focusing due to the new lens design featuring XD Linear Focus (google it up if you don't know what that is). It has 23 elements in 17 groups with 3 fluorite lens elements and 1 ED glass element.

AF focus is instant once you point up to your subject. It is super fast, sharp, beautiful bokeh and accurate. You can truly enjoy the full 20 fps. I also love the new Lens Function Ring. With a slightly touch/turn, it will toggle from Full Frame to crop mode.

Handheld shooting on this lens is a joy. It is so light. With the center of gravity back toward the body, it balances more with the A9. I don't feel a thing after a long day out in the field with the lens.

I can't really find any negative things to talk about this lens except the price ($2k more than Canon version). Here are my take:

Pros:
* super light
* the lens is balanced with A9 for handheld.
* Super fast AF.
* Sharp
* Full benefit of 20 fps
* You can re-use all of your foot replacement from big White lens.
* Ability to use both of Sony 1.4x/2x TC with no loss in AF speed.

Cons:
*EXPENSIVE
*Easy to get scratch. First day, already scratch while my Canon white lens, i haven't scratch it yet (after 3 yrs usage). Not sure how..
"

Part 2: Live EVF AF video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=JuYRGSQ_E6A

"Part 3: Samples/opinions
I spend the last couple days out in the field but mother nature wasn't on my side; hence i can't really get more images or push the lens to the limit. I'll update more on this lens later.

The question you might ask: Is this lens worth it? is it better than using Canon 400IS ii with adapter? is it really that much faster? sharper? lighter? what is the bottom line? am i recommend it?

First of all, it is way faster that 400IS ii with MC11 in term of focusing and initial subject acquiring. It is also 2 lbs lighter than Canon 400IS ii. That is huge.

As for sharpness, it looks the same to me. Corner to corner sharpness is a bit better.

Now, here is something bother me a bit. I didn't have the "WOW" moment when using this lens. I mean i can get the same result with 400IS ii. I just have to work a little more, lift a bit more weight in the gym but at the end of the day, 400IS ii is also pretty damn good.

IF you're already have 400IS ii, keep it and use it. Save the money for something else.

IF you're after the absolute best, fastest, lightest, this lens is for you.

I'm more than happy to recommend this lens. Sony did an excellent job with this lens. I enjoy shooting with it.
"

Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2204919379771019&id=100007589355024
"

:thumbs: :clap: :watch:

 

[k-hawinkler]

The SEL100400GM as Portrait Lens. :thumbs:

Sony ILCE-9 + Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS (SEL100400GM) @ ISO 1600, FOCAL LENGTH 100.0 mm, APERTURE f/4.5, EXPOSURE TIME 0.008s (1/125).