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my many thanks regarding advise

paulbrogden10
Enthusiast

Hello

 

I wanted to say a big thank you to every one who has responded to my questions. I have been on many forums and can say this is the best I have come across and I wanted to say a big thank you and shout out to.  ScottyP ebiggs1 TTMartin RobertTheFat cicopo Waddizzle . You are all very helpful and my many thanks.

 

You guys are fantasic while I have still not made my mind up weather I made the right choice sigma 150-600 vs canon 100-400 mk2. I have a alot of respect for canon products all be it a bit exspensive I finally decided to go with the canon mk2 100-400 I am still on the fence what to do with the 300 f4 and 70-200 mk1 2.8 as these lenses are heavy things to carry.

 

I did want to say my exsperience with my mk1 2x extender is it makes the quality very bad almost grainy when I look through the view finder so tend to stick to the 1.4.

 

I have managed to get the 100-400 mk2 for £1200 thats $1674.00 which is a grey import from austrailia  I saved myself £600/$837. In the UK we do get ripped off on prices that europe and america pay.

 

But apart from that wanted to say thanks to every one I will be uploading a video on reviewing it as I can compare it to the 300 + 1.4 extender. It does seem the extra reach at 400mm is not that much or shall we call it 370mm.

 

But wanted to say thank you out of the many forums out their you guys are the best. Regards Paul.

32 REPLIES 32

"... the 150-500 had enough issues to scare me away from Sigma ..."

 

Well all I can say is, they are so vastly different lenses it makes no sense to think that.  Remember the Sigma company that is making the 150-600mm S and C is not the same company that made the 150-500mm.  Sigma has been reorganized since then.

 

I hear you as not too long ago I would not even touch an off brand lens.  Not one.  There were days when they were just horrible. DIdn't work well.  I have since found there are some real gems out there.  There are lenses that Canon doesn't and/or doesn't even want to make.  Then there is the cost difference.  Some of us can't afford to go Canon totally.  I still recommend buy Canon if you can but if you can't or Canon doesn't make what you want, Sigma and Tamron have stepped up.

 

I still don't buy or even recommend Tokina but I know they have a couple lenses that deserve some checking out. As of today I own no Tokina's. I am about to buy one!

 

I am a guy that has had many, many lenses over the years. I think I counted 40 the other day.  I also worked for a company that bought many, many lenses over the years.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

"I still don't buy or even recommend Tokina but I know they have a couple lenses that deserve some checking out. As of today I own no Tokina's. I am about to buy one!"   

 

I have cinema versions of their lenses.  They work fairly well at HD Video resolution.  Taken with the 85mm T1.5

 

IMG_2015_10_06_2768-2780.png

 

IMG_2772-Pano.jpg

 

The top panorama was created with PhotoStitch.  The second was created with LR6.

 

IMG_2769.web.jpg

 

IMG_2769.Crop100.JPG

 

That is just one shot out of a dozen of a panoramic shot.  All of the shots were long exposures taken an hour before sunrise.  With careful focusing, I can get pretty good images.

 

Ernie, I don't think you'll like the Rokinons, though.  Out of the product line, you may like the 14mm to shoot the night skies with, but that's about it.  I hope that's the one you're looking at.

 

IMG_3451.JPG

 

Here's another pre-dawn, long exposure, but taken with the 14mm and the camera angled upward 30 degrees, or so.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

"I have cinema versions of their lenses. ... Taken with the 85mm T1.5"

 

As I generally do, I refrain from commenting on lenses I have never personally used, so I can't comment on any of these (video lenses).  Your shots look great.  How much is you and how much is the lens?  Who knows but you certainly have it nailed down.

 

I really have no bone to pick with Rokinon except there apparent lack of a QC department.  I find that if you get a good one, you get a good one!  However getting a good one is sometimes more difficult then it might seem.  Admittedly this is hearsay from my Astro buds.  I never have actually tried but they all say it takes two or three or four times. I am surprised B&H and/or Adorama are so forgiving on this matter.  They must realize it is the way it is from the get go.

 

I am looking at a Tokina, the AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX Lens.  Just haven't pulled the trigger.  Still got a bad taste in my mouth from them.   Not to mention Tokina's total lack of any sort of a customer support or repair department.  But of course CPS can spoil you on that topic.  They rule with no peers. I probably won't get it in Canon mount.  Don't want to disgrace any of my 1 series! Smiley Wink

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

"As I generally do, I refrain from commenting on lenses I have never personally used, so I can't comment on any of these (video lenses).  Your shots look great.  How much is you and how much is the lens?  Who knows but you certainly have it nailed down." 

 

The primary difference between the cinema (non-DS) and still lenses are the "declicked" aperture rings.  The other major difference is the T-rating and F-Stop ratings.  With careful setup in LiveView, I can get pretty good images from them.  What I liked the most about them is that they are inexpensive and FAST.  I bought them when all I had was a T5.  The posted images were shot with the 6D.

 

"I am looking at a Tokina, the AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX Lens.  Just haven't pulled the trigger.  Still got a bad taste in my mouth from them.   Not to mention Tokina's total lack of any sort of a customer support or repair department. " 

 

That one?  I just knew you were looking at a prime. I looked at that one, and passed it up for the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM for the dust and water sealing.  I didn't think the Tokina had any sealing at all.  i had questions about the use of filters with that lens, too.

 

[edit] I'm not gong to make a decision on another long lens for several weeks, BTW.  I have never been the birding type.  Since the 1980s, I traveled a lot and saw a lot of sights.  So, I took pictures of the sights.  I've been taking shots of seagulls to learn how to shoot birds.  It's challenging fun.

 

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

"I just knew you were looking at a prime."

 

No not looking at a prime.  The main reason, I already have the best made primes so no point itn looking elsewhere. (35mm Art, 50mm f1.2L and 85mm f1.2L)    I am likely out of the prime business for awhile at least.

 

"I looked at that one, and passed it up for the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM for the dust and water sealing."  

 

As stated I would not get it for Canon.  I agree in principle the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM is the better lens but I would get the Tokina for my Nikons.  The Nikkor in this class is very expensive and may not be any better.  Nikkor lenses are real iffy. You have to be very careful choosing one of them.  Lots of plastic in the new "G" series. And made in China.

 

"i had questions about the use of filters with that lens, too."

 

You can't use any filters on that Tokina.  Filters are mostly obsolete anyway so that is no biggie.  I can't remember the last time I used a filter for effect.

 

There is no point you can come up with where that Tokina measures up to a Canon lens.  It simply is not possible.  Not even in the same zip code or time zone for that matter.  The clunky clutch for switching from AF to MF?  The mediocre build?  And good luck getting ti serviced?  Now you know why I haven't done it.

 

"I didn't think the Tokina had any sealing at all." 

 

There isn't any.  If there was the ad department would have bragged on how good it was.  They always exaggerate the facts by at least 3 times!

 

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Good luck with the Tokina.

 

I have noticed a pattern to the vignetting with that Sigma 150-500.  When I'm manually setting the entire exposure, I like to slightly under expose by 1/3 of a stop, to avoid saturating highlights and clipping the signal. 

 

The vignetting is more pronounced on slighlty under exposed shots, and virtually gone, but not quite, on slightly over exposed shots.  The more a shot is over exposed, the less vignetting with it.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

Although not a good photograph, you can see my 150-500mm has no vignetting issues.  It has had lens correction done in LR.  I have that set a s a preset for all my files on import.

 

IMG_5051.jpg

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Yes, I can correct for it in LR6.  But, I haven't taken the time to figure out how to make it happen automatically on import.  I've created a custom preset, but I always seem to need to invoke it manually. 

 

However, I would prefer to start with images that are a bit cleaner, and not have to perform triage on every shot.  That can be time consuming.  Just the same, I sold it weeks ago.

 

[EDIT]

"Although not a good photograph, ....." 

 

Liar.  That's a pretty good shot. Smiley Happy Like I said, the vignetting arguably disappears when I slightly over exposed.

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"The right mouse button is your friend."

I chose that shot because of the blue sky where vignette should rear its ugly head if it were present.  I think SS was a little show which made the bird sorta blurry.

 

Just curious, what is your level of comfort with LR and PS?  Are you a beginner, know some things, advanced or proficient.

Presets are simple and eleimanate a lot of work. I process every single photo I take or it gets deleted.  One or the other. Sometimes both!

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Beginner with LR and PS.  Decades of experience programming computers, though.

 

The biggest obstacle is the online Help, instead of local help files.  The Help is frustrating to use.  It's more of a web search, than a reference.  Every time I look up something for PS Elements, I get solutions and hits for full blown PS, which are useless to a PS Elements user..

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"The right mouse button is your friend."
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