First let me explain... you'll recall from my last post what I said about gear, that I should try and get the most out of what I have, and that my old zoom - the Tamron 55-200 f/4-5.6 was just fine. Truth be told, it was a good lens. In fact, a great lens considering it cost less than $200 to buy. That said, I feel like I'd gotten the most out of it... My last study showed the limits of what it could do. That meant time for an upgrade.
And what an upgrade! Had you spoken to me three days ago, I could have told you a hundred reason why NOT to spend the money on such an expensive lens. Today, I can't recall a single one of those reasons. Canon's L line of lenses is legendary for it's build and image quality, and this is no exception. I spent an hour just ooohing and ahhing at how sharp my images are... how the light is captured... the accuracy of the colours... I could go on and on. Suffice to say, this lens is worth its weight in gold.
Which brings me to my only complaint, if I had to make one... it's heavy. It's difficult to keep it steady especially zoomed all the way to 200mm. It definitely would not be your first choice as a walk-around lens. Good thing it comes with a handy tripod collar. Screwing on a tripod or a monopod makes it a way easier task to take a nice sharp shot.
... and MY how sharp it is!
I could count the individual hairs in the fur on the lion's snout. Does it come across that I'm happy with this lens? If it didn't, let me reiterate: I LOVE THIS LENS!!!
Back to the lions...
I couldn't have asked for better conditions. It rained fairly heavily right up until the moment I arrived, then the rain stopped. If you've read my previous posts you'll know that cool and rainy days are the best days to get good zoo shots. So I was off to a great start. The second thing that happened was that the sun was starting to set, and was casting a wonderful warm glow through the clouds. The result was perfect, diffused light coming from low in the sky. It lit up the fur of the lions in such a nice way. Thirdly, the lions were in the mood to pose. Add all three up and you get shots like these:
As always, click on these photos for bigger sizes and to see the rest of the shoot.
- jc
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