I found at least six eagles that provided a great photo-op following church today. Lucky I had brought my new 100-400L mk2 on the 5d mk3 along for another reason. This looked like two family groups mixed together. The immature birds look like they are larger than parents, but are definitely more klutzy in their flight. Fun to watch and rather close up, maybe fifty yards on the ground and various distances in flight. It was a dull, low-contrast day so all photos were cropped, color corrected and slightly sharpened as needed. The recently killed deer on the lunch menu wasn't there on the way to church.
The pastor's sermon was good, but the photo-op may have been just a wee bit better!!

Lunch is served

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Dad's not entirely welcome

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And here come the relatives

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And another


And More

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Looks like they're expecting more to come, and they did.

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Thanks, I'm sure I will. It's not much different than my mk1 is, except better sharpness in the corners. I do love the better IS though, as I'm getting a bit shakier when shooting handheld. Lots of time a monopod is less than handy.

I was surprised to see that I can use it as a push/pull just like the mk1 if I choose...neat...and quicker too.

See my post above in the Main Photo Discussion: "Not the Big Brown Truck, but the white USPS van". All pics with 100-400L mk2 and 5dmk3, handheld...love the amazing IS on this baby, my aging arms love it too.

#1 Chickadee at about 15 feet, cropped.

#2 Last year's cattail exploding to spread it's seeds, 10 feet, cropped.

#3 Sunset, the big pine is over a quarter mile away...the branch detail captured just amazes me.

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The doorbell rang and the mail lady delivered the anxiously awaited package during lunch...my almost new[2 mo. old] 100-400L mk2. I got it from a hogger who decided it was not needed in her bag. I put it on the 5d3 to find out of the box it was pretty darn sharp, same thing on the 70d. A session with the Lens Align and some final tweaking on the outdoor power transformer target and it was about as perfect on both cameras as one could hope for. YES!! Actually, it seems to be only slightly better in the center than my 100-400 mk1 , but better in the corners...that seems to be the consensus of what I've read before. Main reason for purchase was the better IS...I'm a bit shakier than I used to be, and I can see the difference already. I'm totally happy with the pics it makes. See my trial posts in today's photo gallery .
Now I gotta sell off the MK 1 to keep Momma happy. It'll be listed in the classified in the next few days after I get some photos ready. John

Drizzling this a.m., so we waited until after lunch for the daily walk. Never much to see in the afternoon, so I questioned the wisdom of carrying a camera...but I took the 70d with 70-200L and a Tamron 1.4 converter. I like to use every AF lens at least every couple of weeks, it seems to keep the lubricant free and they focus smoother and more accurately. We walked a mile to where we turn about; lo and behold, there stood a deer, about 150 yards away, coming down to the river to get a drink. Got my first shot as she was watching something intently. And shortly after a wake appeared in the water, followed by an otter jumping onto the shore. The next shot is her watching him dash into the brush; a pretty amazing thing to see and be there to capture it. I shoulda been carrying my 400mm zoom!! I cropped these up some; the extender works okay, but may not really be much of an overall improvement. Next photo was a short time later when we saw two different otters, but much further away, so the crop is a bit fuzzier in download, but still not bad. Enjoy.

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That's way beyond my paygrade LOL.

Thanks for looking. I can't recall of anyone posting a fire with burned down coals before. I see this scene quit often when I load the stove. Usually I see beautiful blue flames coming off the orange-red coals. But when i went to got the camera, they had almost disappeared.

Thanks for looking and the comment. I enjoy more than just the tightest possible shot showing how sharp the lens is, [if it's an L, it's gonna be sharp], but instead, more of the environment and natural context in the photo.
John

Yeah, you never know what the morning walk will bring, saw trumpeter swans last week. Life's a joy!

Then I'd have no heat in the house!!

Thanks for looking Linda.

Good wife and I try to get in a walk every morning, and what we see is generally interesting.


1st Fog on the river at sunrise.
70d, 70-200L@70 mm, f6.3, 1/250, ISO 400

2nd Geese, 60d 70-300@300, f8, 1/400, ISO 400 There a bit of brush creating a haze in the foreground.

3rd Mallards, 60d 70-300@207mm, f8, 1/400, ISO400

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Here's some recent shots. The Fire is in my wood stove as it burned down to charcoal in the middle of the night. Haven't seen any similar to this on UHH since I've been looking. Fire interesting in download.
John

1st-- 5d3, f4 1/40, ISO 320, 188mm [24-105L].

2nd-- 60d, f8,1/400, ISO 400. 70 mm [70-300L] The ice is formed around poultry wire.

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I love the Vanguard design as well, with it's' swing-out center column and low-angle legs . If you use a tripod that allows attaching the camera to the bottom of the post, it may introduce a problem in that when using it in this way you may have a difficult time working with the camera hanging inside of the the legs--a young mans game. Tried it, it's just too awkward and not for me, so I settled on the Vanguard Alta Pro 264--got it from B&H.

I turned 78 this month and have some issues, but good wife and I just returned from a 2 mile walk a few minutes ago. I carried my Canon 5d3 with the 400 5.6L prime. and got some pretty fair shots of geese on water from well over a hundred yards, handheld [that's as close as we could get]. I noticed on review that the focus indicator shows my focus point exactly where I wanted it. I still use the focused breathing techniques learned years ago in competition small bore shooting. This evening we will be at our church for several hours shooting the dress rehearsal for a Easter Passion play; same camera, but with a more appropriate lens, slow shutter and the expectation of a good shoot. Not bragging', but just sayin' that heavy equipment and older age are not necessarily incompatible. But each individual must do what they gotta do, and you are the best judge of your own capabilities, and asking questions here surely provides ideas for reasonable options. That being said, eventually, I'll probably go mirrorless myself [ if I live that long]. Good luck on your decision.