Outtakes

Yet another weekend of successful shooting. Summer 2012 has not been an optimal summer for nature photography. At least not with the Sigma zoom lens. WHICH I HAD.

Yes. After a few weeks of shooting with the Sigma 150-500mm F5.6-6.3 lens I decided to part with it. It has been raining a lot lately, and the light has been bad. The Canon EOS 1D Mark IV has very good high ISO performance, but I really can't see myself lugging around a huge lens in the rain, especially lens which is not weather sealed. When the weather is uncooperative I would rather take pictures of people.

So off it went, to a guy who will be shooting with it for the whole summer in Africa. The Sigma would be perfect there, dry and sunny. And I once again had to go hunting for a new lens.

The good thing about Canon is that you have almost an infinite amount of lens options to choose from. But it also makes the decision process much, much, harder. The EF 70-200 F2.8L IS II USM would have been great. But it is way too expensive. It's predecessor is selling for half the price, but it does not have image stabilization. I almost opted for the smaller EF 70-200 F4L IS USM lens. But after scouring the internet again for opinions, I opted for a compromise: the EF 70-300 F4.0-5.6L IS USM.

It's still not as fast as the EF 70-200 series of lenses. But I could use the 100mm extra reach. It is shorter, but very stubby, and balances very well on the 1D Mark IV.

And the images? Canon's "L" series of lenses are known to be exemplary when it comes to sharpness and color. And the EF 70-300L does not disappoint! All the pictures I took during the Oslo Pride parade were taken with this lens. The day was overcast and light was poor. But the images were, simply put, awesome. It's not a stealth lens, so I am not sure how successful it will be for street photography. But I still have the trusty "nifty fifty" if I want a minimal setup.

I know now that I have a keeper of a lens! This will be a fantastic lens to go on vacations with. It's perfect for landscapes and portraits too.

Weather permitting, I will try to shoot more with this lens in the weeks to follow.