Mirrorless and the Canon 400mm f2.8 L IS Vs 400mm f2.8 L IS II

Introduction.

I upgraded to the Canon R6 from the 1DX last year and found that the original 400mm f2.8 would not keep up with action, no matter what autofocus settings were utilised. It was like the camera was thinking faster than the lens could react, especially with eye detect. So I rented the mk ii lens over a weekend and thought I would share my experiences. This won’t be a full gear review/comparison/sharpness test etc. - there are plenty of those out there, more of snapshot of my personal experiences with what I shoot, and how I shoot which will hopefully be of interest.

Mk I above Mk II below

Why use a 400mm f2.8?

Simply… the beautiful background diffusion, which gives images a painterly look, and depth by having the subject beautifully sharp and turning the background into an impression. To me its not a sports lens, but an artists lens. Other features include good sharpness, contrast, IS, build etc. You can create beautiful wildscapes with the 400mm f2.8 if you give the subject some space. Oh and you can cancel Gym membership and just train with the Mk I lens - it weighs 5.5kg! Move over Arnie.

Canon R6, 400mm f2.8 IS L II, beanbag.

Weight and Balance

The Mk II is almost 2kg lighter and better balanced, while the Mk I is over 5kg and front heavy, so handholding is much easier. I’m not one for tripods as I need total freedom to compose.

Buttons

It took a while to get used to the new layout, as the focus limiter switches have moved to the back of the lens, but this is better as I often accidently switched these on/off with the old format.

Minimum Focusing

Minimum focusing has only improved by 30cm more in the Mk II, but very useful and noticeable.

Image stabilisation

The mode 3 stabilisation on the newer lens is a godsend, as with the Mk I lens it is always engaged with the R6, draining battery and making noise. Mode 3 activates stabilisation only during the exposure which works for me!

The extra stop of stabilisation, coupled with IBIS is a help too.

Image Quality

The detailed resolved by the Mk II over the Mk I is very noticeable, at 100% which is fantastic. Colours and contrast as well as managing flare is also much improved.

Autofocus with action photography

In all cases the lens returned a very high hit rate with all my subjects, almost between 70/90% using eye detect at 20fps. Exactly what I had hoped for.

R6, eye detect, 1/4000th sec, 400mm f2.8 IS II

R6, eye detect, 1/4000th sec, 400mm f2.8 IS II

R6, eye detect, 1/4000th sec, 400mm f2.8 IS II

Extenders

I actually tried the mk iii extender too (I currently own the mk ii) and it focuses faster and provides very useable results wide open giving me a great 800mm f5.6.

Canon R6, 400mm f2.8 L IS II with 2x iii giving a beautiful 800mm f5.6.

Conclusion

A worthy long term investment.

What next

Tigers… 2027

Did someone say 400mm f2.8 L IS II and R5…

SOLD!

400mm f2.8 IS II Example images

The King

A close up of a King, with a 800mm lens and crop sensor body. Enjoying going through my vast archive and finding gems like this.

RSPB Bempton

Whoever we are, whatever we do, its important to note….

….nature is healing.

Maya

India, post-monsoon, October 2018. Tigress T12, known locally as Maya (Hindi for illusion) gives us a 'side-eye' before following her mischievous cubs into the forest. Maya resides in the core of the park, and being a brazen wild tigress is a favourite amongst visitors to the park. It is estimated she brings in the majority of the reserves income (around £8K per day), and is vital to the local economy.

I hope that the parks can open very soon, as poaching has been rampant since the outbreak of Covid19, as tigers like Maya face even more threats. I also hope I can see her raising her cubs to adulthood once again.

Good luck to her and all the other species that exist under her shadow...

Canon 1DX, 400mm f2.8

Post Monsoon Jungles

Tadoba tiger reserve, India, is beautiful and lush post monsoon. The jungle exudes colour, vibrancy and spirit and is fantastic for wildlife viewing at this time.

On one day we encountered this beautiful young sambar deer stag deep in the forest. He was quite relaxed, and also curious during the brief encounter so I took a few shots.

However, it pays to be cautious and alert in the jungle…

As you never know what may be hidden amongst the vegetation…

Tadoba reminiscence

I do find value in going back to my raw file archive from time to time. Tadoba in 2014 was just as active and as beautiful as it is today, and is currently my premier tiger reserve for photography.

Not a sign you see every day

We believe there was a leopard in the grass, but like the sambar deer, we could not catch a glimpse, only feel it’s presence.

The areas dominant male passing through the main lake in the reserve.

Last light. Red light. Beautiful light.

Heron

Local locations are often key for wildlife photography, as you can take time to understand animals behaviours and patterns. This heron used to hunt in the same place every morning, so it was just a case of waiting for the right moment…

400mm f2.8 IS, 1dx.

In between tigers!

Tracking tigers in India can be one dimensional, and for certain reasons it has to be. I myself do try to absorb the jungle as a whole with its huge variety of life and landscapes. All taken with the 400mm f2.8, 1DX and EOS RP.

A beautiful Golden Orb spider, shot from a jeep against a morning sky.

A baby langur monkey playing hide and seek (not very well!).

A red-wattled lapwing

A green bee-eater

An indian roller

Barbet

A barn owl

Red naped ibis with kill

Wild boar

Langur

Langur

Almost time again...

It’s almost time for the deer rut and I hope to go out and attain some more images such as the below.

1DX 400mm f2.8 IS

I’m always after atmosphere and mood in my deer shots, so clear skies and sunrises are a must. Then there is the challenge of finding deer in these conditions so some early starts as always!

1DX 400mm f2.8 IS Flare can be a problem, but I try to position myself so its impact is limited and try to add extra shade to the front element of my lens.

Hope you like these and I should have some more in a few months! Wish me luck!

Two months to go...

I’ve been looking forward to my return to Tadoba for a while now and decided to go through some images from my last adventure. We had a lovely afternoon with a beautiful tigress and managed to capture her in a variety of habitats and situations. That’s the beauty of Tadoba… lakes, thick jungle, meadows, but most of all, colour and a variety of species.

A sleek and beautiful leopard moving stealthfully towards some boar. Canon 1DX 400mm f2.8.

A sloth bear crossing the jungle trail. Just look at those huge claws! Canon 1DX, 400mm f2.8.

A lovely tigress in a dry rocky terrain, deep in the jungle. 1DX 400mm f2.8

Giving her space made her comfortable around us, so she proceeded to walk towards our reversing jeep. This in turn allowed for some beautiful habitat images. You can see her left ear turned, perhaps listening to the deer alarm calls that were occurring. 1DX 400mm f2.8.

Some beautiful rays of light breaking through the forest highlighting an already beautiful species. Canon 1DX, 400mm f2.8.

BBC Interview

Had a lovely time with the BBC last week talking about the ethics of wildlife photography, tigers and the art form itself. The piece was shot at my local RSPB (Sandwell Valley) nature reserve, with the BBC’s Shefali Oza.

The huge 400mm f2.8 and the mini EOS RP

The beautiful Sonam, of Tadoba tiger reserve, India, getting some air time.

In the 15 years I have been photographing wildlife I have seen a steep change in the number of photographers in the field. There seems to be and endless list of courses/workshops relating to wildlife photography, camera settings but only a few that cover ethics of wildlife photography, field-craft and animal behaviour. The UK National Wildlife Crime unit has launched a campaign called undisturbed which seeks to raise awareness and it will be active on social media until the end of the year. Some useful references can be found on the below link

Ethics of Wildlife Photography.

Here are some behind the scenes images of the shoot courtesy of Andy Purcell - thank you for hosting on the day!

A serious rig!

Until next time…

Exhibition

A lovely weekend meeting and greeting a variety of talented artists at the MAC tutors exhibition.

A leopard at night

Tadoba tiger reserve, 2016, late evening we encountered a pack of Dhole that seemed somewhat excited and were circling around a patch of forest. It was only when the whistles subsided and one of them looked up, that we spotted a very young leopard silhouetted against the darkening sky.

We were shocked to see how high the youngster had shot up, and even though she was safe, she kept looking down at the dogs as they circled below her.

Leopards are great climbers and seem just as much at home in the trees as some primates.

I decided to use multiple focal lengths of 70-200, 400mm and 800mm to attain the above sequence, all stabilised with a beanbag. The sheer fright the leopard was feeling meant she stayed relatively still and I was able to use slow shutter speeds to extract as much detail from the scene as possible.

A large hearted gentleman

Deep in the buffer zone of Tadoba tiger reserve, we come across a huge male tiger. He was walking with an intent, a purpose, and as always we gave him a wide berth. We calculated the general direction he was travelling in, and by using the guides knowledge of the jungle topography, we backed off and managed to have all of our photographic opportunities of him facing us. We would patiently wait for him to walk through the small clearings in the thick forest, and time photography with these windows. He seemed to oblige, and we captured multiple compositions at different focal lengths. The main challenge I had was managing the harsh late morning sun, so I predominately took my images as he passed through shade, which enabled me to get some nice diffuse light on the face and eyes. His sheer presence and grace of movement reminded me of a quote from famous tiger hunter (turned conservationist) Jim Corbett :

”The tiger is a large hearted gentleman with boundless courage and that when he is exterminated, as exterminated he will be, unless public opinion rallies to his support – India will be the poorer by having lost the finest of her fauna “

Canon 1dx, 400mm f2.8. The first sight. I do enjoy taking habitat shots with the 400, it beautifully compresses space and blurs out foreground leading nicely into my subject, which seems to pop out, if correct and accurate focus is attained. I also positioned myself at an angle to help separate the tiger from the background by having his figure against the lighter grass, not the shaded jungle.

Canon 1DX, 400mm f2.8. Breaking the ‘rules’ here a little in terms of composition, but I am satisfied with the final piece. I always strive for perfection in my tiger works, and reflecting back, the posture could have been a tad nicer, with more of the right eye showing, but I’m happy with the positioning of the ears and the lovely pointing of the shoulder blade in the sun. He was focused on what was in front of him, and not distracted by our jeep.

Canon 1DX, 400mm f2.8. This particular shot was composed to show the sheer muscle mass in his arm. One can imagine him bringing down a one tonne Gaur (Indian Bison).

Canon 1dx, 400mm f2.8. The contrast on a tigers face and eyes allows one to easily lock autofocus and track the subject. A beautiful male, approaching his prime, it was a sight to behold and left us all inspired.

Canon 1dx, 400mm f2.8. A dash of colour to finish. The bold orange and black, contrasts and compliments beautifully with the greens of Tadoba, and it is feature of my work there.

We can all do our bit to help conserve and protect tigers in many ways, please click below to start.

Wild Cats Conservation Alliance

A royal bath

A beautiful, bright eyed male tiger rests during a warm evening at Tadoba tiger reserve, India. Tigers love water unlike most cats. and can often be found resting in small lakes and waterholes, especially April onwards. The temperature during this time can reach 45 degrees Celsius and is very challenging to shoot in, so its vital we have enough fluid and protect our skin.

I am always looking for the perfect reflection, so when the water is moving, sometimes it is best to take a burst of images in order to have the key elements in the reflection as clear and as distortion free as possible. Also, when the subject is stationary, I try to extract as much detail from the scene by shooting at the lowest iso, exposing to the right and keeping the camera and lens as stable as possible. This gives me a great foundation for processing and scope to enlarge images for prints and exhibitions.

77d, 800mm f8, 1/125th sec, iso 100.

People often ask me why I don’t sometimes include the tigers ears. The reasons are simple, it is an artistic choice as I am drawn to the beauty of markings, and the eyes of the species. I hope you are too…

Toned processing

I am really getting a feel for toned and fine art style processing on my images. The approach mostly seems to work when the image is relatively simple with few elements, and the subject is distinct. I’ve used a variety of methods to get the look am after utilising both lightroom, and especially photoshop to get the tonality I think suits the image. Here are some cheetah from yesterday, taken with the usual canon 400mm f2.8 and 1DX setup at a local wildlife park.

Feathers

Beautiful feathers of a Phalacrocorax aristotelis