# 800mm first shots! :)



## Overread

shot lost to infinty - just imagine a long lens with a lot of teleconverters, flash and a tripod 

Ok its not a real 800mm its a 70-200 + two 2*Teleconverters (canon and sigma). Turns out to get the 1.4s on needs an extension tube due to silly protuding parts!

The results are not as bad as I thought they would be - light is key for this and very bright light out is definatly needed. Couple that with manual mode to get a little more control and a rocksteady support. Focusing is all manual and the depth of field is fine, but not too fine. Its not got the speed to capture movement - not tried in direct sunlight but then it might work - so its a stattic sniper! 

Test shot - taken from a beanbag support out of a window - resized, edited and sharpened.





f9,1/6,ISO 400
flash on 
link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/3263751879_a41f01bda5_o.jpg

web serviceable, a little less than sharp fullsized:
100% crop from centre with no sharpening:





with more practice and stronger light (evening overcast grey at the moment here) I recon I can get a little more out of this combo!


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## icassell

I stack my Sigma 1.4X and Sigma 2X convertors ... they only go together one way due to the protruding parts -- but I forget off the top of my head which one has to go in front. I don't use an extension tube. It makes a useable but slow and somewhat (but not badly) degraded 280-840mm out of my Sigma 100-300mm EX f4.


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## Overread

I reckon is the 1.4 that goes first - the 2.8 has a good deep insert space to it - only problem is that the size of that hole is too small for the canon 1.4 -- and my 1.4sigma was not in the shop 

Any shots from the 840mm?
be interesting to see them


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## icassell

... I'm not home, so can't get into my archive ... I haven't taken many, so maybe I'll go out this weekend and get a few ... 

laughing here ... would be funny if you could add that 1.4 to your stack ... an 1120mm would be interesting ... you could take wildlife images with it cuz you wouldn't have to worry about movement ... they wouldn't know you were watching them from a mile away


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## Overread

Yah - and I was also thinking of adding an extension tube and then attaching the other 1.4 (canon) 1568mm lens  though with that I might need the sun to move closer!
Would be good with crocodiles though! They never move - till they strike!


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## icassell

... not many crocs here in Arizona ...

maybe you can get pics of the crew of the space station ...


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## Big Mike

I've seen a Canon 1.4TC coupled with a 2XTC...I think the 1.4 has to go first.

Either way, the results were better than I would have expected.

I've got a Sigma 2X (or is it Tamron :scratch and I'll be trying it out with my new 70-200 shortly.


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## kundalini

Just out of curiosity, what was the approximate distance from camera to subject in the test shot?


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## Overread

I am hopless with guessing distances - give my till tomorrow and I will try to measure the distance (or at least get someone with a better sense of distance than me)


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## kundalini

If you do the John Cleese steps, as in Monty Python, then you're talkin' about 3 meters per step, otherwise, it's about a meter per stretched step.

BTW, nice looking kit.  The only way to improve upon it is to have it all black with a Gold Ring.


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## icassell

kundalini said:


> stretched step.
> 
> BTW, nice looking kit.  The only way to improve upon it is to have it all black with a Gold Ring.




Yep ... love my Sigma EX stuff


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## aliaks

o-oh-my-god


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## matt-l

looking good!

take some real shots now!

i mean right now..like leave your home and go shoot.

:mrgreen:


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## Overread

kundalini said:


> If you do the John Cleese steps, as in Monty Python, then you're talkin' about 3 meters per step, otherwise, it's about a meter per stretched step.
> 
> BTW, nice looking kit. The only way to improve upon it is to have it all black with a Gold Ring.


 
tricky part is I was shooting from 2 floors up - so pacing it out is rather tricky 
But at a guess (from a better set of measuring eyes) 85ish feet away.

I have also thought of pointing this contraption up at the sky and shooting the moon at night!


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## Overread

Update:

Peregrine Falcon shots - first is bare with no TC whilst the rest are with both:









link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3470/3255651559_3f8a70ff46_o.jpg





link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/3255652253_aa46d20345_o.jpg





link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/3255652819_11cce40cce_o.jpg

very kind of him to sit still so long - and one of the few cases where only a 500mm or longer would have been fully justified - there was no way I was climbing the cliffface!


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## icassell

Pretty cool!


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## Battou

I shoot artificial 800mm all the time but I go the route of 400mm telephoto and single 2X converter. I'll bring in some 100% crops tomorrow, if I can remember. I've been tempted to to try doubling that again to a conjoured 1600mm but I was uncertain as to how well back to back teleconverters would do.


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## Bifurcator

If those are 100% crops I would say that's very good!  Considering the post processing one would typically apply to it for web display or print it almost regains digitally everything it lost optically.




___________________________________Overread Peregrine Falcon___________________________________ 





Original (100% Crop?)







Processed as if for web.


​


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## Hawaii Five-O

what a dinky, small lense


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## Hobbes

lol did you actually use the flash?? I mean wouldn't the HUUUGE lens cast a shadow in the pics you take with flash


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## Paul M

I am posting some pictures taken with a Sigma "Bigma" EX 50-500mm f/4-6.3 APO DG AF. These pictures are not very exciting as far as composition, but are just showing the power and clarity of this lens. These pictures have no post processing done to them other than making a smaller version available for the thread post. Above each picture, I have detailed what I was looking at after seeing the picture full size. All pictures are taken from the same spot in my backyard.

This cactus has decided to grow ontop of our shed. I have no idea where the "seeds" came from to start it to grow, I just saw it one day and left it. It is getting huge! It is now about 6" tall when I walk up to it in person. Notice the spider web on the right side of it. This picture was taken about 10 yards away.




*EXIF DATA*
Lens model: Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX APO AF
F-stop: f/14
Exposure time: 1/60 sec.
ISO speed: ISO-1600
Focal length: 500mm
Max aperture: 5.3
Program Mode: Manual

This picture was taken about 30 yards away. After looking at it full size, I can see the label on the compressor inside the white cover, as well as the slots in the phillips head screws holding the cover on.



*EXIF DATA*
Lens model: Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX APO AF
F-stop: f/18
Exposure time: 1/160 sec.
ISO speed: ISO-900
Focal length: 500mm
Max aperture: 5.3
Program Mode: Manual

This picture is the power feed on my neighbor's roof. It is about 100 yards away and I was trying to focus on the frayed cable next to the pole. Notice the lizard on the pole right near the frayed cable. This shot is using the 2x converter making the lens a 1000mm.



*EXIF DATA*
Lens model: Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX APO AF with Sigma 2x EX DG Tele Converter
F-stop: f/20
Exposure time: 1/80 sec.
ISO speed: ISO-1000
Focal length: 1000mm
Max aperture: 7.3
Program Mode: Manual


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## Bifurcator

I'd say that bigma and Overread's setup are pretty close with softer yet better than expected results from Overreads setup. Good testing.


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## Overread

Bi - the shots I showed were 100% crops - though I did add processing to them (well they started as RAWs so had to be) adding sharpness and removing noise and such.
Good results with the Bigma Paul  - I often get the feeling that the bigma is a stronger lens than many would think for its price and range


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## Battou

Crap I forgot all about getting mine, Not that they will be of a ton of use being on older glass. it could be somewhat helpful, As a look between converted 800mm prime to converted 800mm zoom. Granted I am working with a single teleconverter wile Overread was using two but.


This weekend pending my pay check I might go down and pick up another teleconverter and a 200mm prime and run some drills.


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## Overread

even on older glass I would think you could get sharper results with a 200mm prime than a zoom - whilst your 400mm to 800 would certainly (as the bigma has well demonstrated) be sharper still - though 1600mm from a 400mm would be interesting to see!


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## Battou

Overread said:


> even on older glass I would think you could get sharper results with a 200mm prime than a zoom - whilst your 400mm to 800 would certainly (as the bigma has well demonstrated) be sharper still - though 1600mm from a 400mm would be interesting to see!



Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to that my self, I just cant deside on wether to go Olympus or Canon mount on that though.

Some of the 2X'd 400 are posted here, they are 50% size and compressed for PB and not right but if you are curious.


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## Overread

ahh the choices for one with more than one system

Go Canon - Go Canon - Go Canon 

and some new stuff - this was taken with both the canon 1.4 and 2 times teleconverters stacked - so 560mm+crop sensor effective addition - interestingly the camera appears not to have recorded the 1.4 TC
at: f5.6, ISO 400, 1/1250sec





100% crop


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## Battou

Overread said:


> ahh the choices for one with more than one system
> 
> Go Canon - Go Canon - Go Canon



Ah but here is the issues I face. The Canon mount 400mm had to be dismantled and the front element defoged. I did this my self, so it's possible that it's not as sharp as she used to be. The Olympus mount 400mm is imaculate, but I just can't justify buying a second teleconverter for the Olympus given that I prefer my Canon bodies....


My FD collection seriously out weighs my OM collection for a reason :lmao: 

In all honesty I bought the Olympus with the hopes of steeling the glass out of it for the Canon one, but that is yet another tough decition to make.


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## Silverpenguin

Looknig at this thread reminded me of a few years back when I put a 1.4 and 2x tc on a 600/4 with my D200:






Here is a the scene I was looking at, the red circle highlights what I then looked at through the lens...which was soft as you like lol






Oh and this is not a %100 crop, its the full frame shot just resized...told you it was soft...






Amazing thing is, it still autofocused...slowly..lol


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## icassell

Silverpenguin said:


> Oh and this is not a %100 crop, its the full frame shot just resized...told you it was soft...
> 
> 
> 
> Amazing thing is, it still autofocused...slowly..lol



Remember that at this magnification, some of the softness might also be ascribed to atmospheric haze rather than your lens combination.


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## Silverpenguin

icassell said:


> Remember that at this magnification, some of the softness might also be ascribed to atmospheric haze rather than your lens combination.


Absolutely...also vibration etc as even breathing on the camera showed a wobble lol. I used mirror lock up and a shutter release too.


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