Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS
 

Has anyone used the Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS on the XL-H1 using the EF adaptor?

Dave,

I use the 70-200 2.8 (without IS) on my H1. I really haven't used it much since I was down in Costa Rica in '07 I'm heading down there again next month and will be taking it.

Of course with the 7.2 magnification, your lens is now roughly 500-1440mm so as long as you are ready for those challenges, it produces outstanding results, comparable to the stock 20x. You do however manually control the lens. And the biggest challenge (for me) was finding the subject in the viewfinder even at the wide end. Of course this depends on what you are shooting. If you are shooting a larger relatively static animal - then by all means it's excellent. If however, you are shooting little birds that dart and flip through foliage, then you will spend a lot of time to get good shots. Mind you I was stalking hummingbirds with it. They'll drive you crazy. Your rewards will be worth it though. I think you would be greatly aided by a laser pointer (green) though I've never used one. You also need a very good tripod and head at that (even wide) magnification. In fact I don't believe you could do much of a follow at the tele end. Usually, I try to lock it off, as ALL movement (even a breeze) will cause jitters which absolutely destroys your shot.

There are others on here that use this lens way more than I do. I believe Per Johan has used it as well as Mick Jenner. While I love to shoot birds and wildlife (I find it very meditative, lying in mud waiting for that perfect shot) I also have young children, and at this point in my life/career, I can't indulge in nature shooting as much right now, though I'd like to one day.

LOL, Ken you made my day with this textline... :-)

Dave,
I second what Ken tells you, the 70-200mm f2.8 lens is very, very recommended to do wildlife recordings. This is the lens beside the original 20x HD lens I use most of the 35mm lenses.
Note that I use a Sigma 70-200mm f2.8, but compared to the Canon (I've got a friend who use the Canon), we've found no visible difference optically (studying sharpness) in parallell recordings of the same target. And the Sigma is a lot cheaper too...!
Also note Canon 70-200mm f2.8 is supplied in two different brands, with and without IS. For video-recordings with the ef-adapter I will recommend to turn OFF the IS!

This short video of the Golden Eagle is entirely shoot with a 70-200mm f2.8 at different focal lengths.

video-film.no Kongeørn (Golden Eagle footage)

Even with the web-compression I hope you'll see the sharpness and details in the eagles plumage!

Thanks Ken and Per

Per

Excellent footage of the Eagle it's very reassuring to know my 70-200 will be useful.



Ken

Did you use any kind of rail system for support?

Dave

Per,

Stunning footage as usual. I think I've seen it before but it's always worth watching. You even managed to move the camera a couple of times without jittter. This is part of the reason that I think that this camera is probably the best in the world for this sort of thing. The 7.2x magnification gets you reach that few other lenses can dream about, all the while recording to hdv, which despite the mpeg compression is still exceptional. And you can add the Flash XDR to record uncompressed (if you have the spare 5k).

Dave, I think I recall now having the discussion of whether you need rails with this lens. I don't have the two lenses in front of me, but I don't remember the 70-200 as being that much longer than the 20x. It's likely heavier, and of course you do have the eos adapter. If you have rails already, then yes I would use them. Do you need to use rails? No I didn't, and I didn't feel worried in the slightest that I was straining the camera.

If you can get to a camera shop, take your h1 and ask to borrow the lens to see how it feels.

Also I do remember the IS or not IS discussion. I happened to buy mine as a non-IS, because I got a pretty good deal on it. But there was some discussion as to whether the IS was worth using.

I also happen to a Canon xti digital still, so it made the lens purchase decision easier. But it is a perfect match for the h1/xl2 as well.