Yeah Roger, that wording threw me for a loop as well.

Great pics by the way, Michael. The close up of the duck in particular looks good.

wind?
 

I also am using a eos adapter and a 70-350 lens. I have noticed that there is a lot of what looks similar to heat waves on windy days. Looking at the stills posted on this thread, they didnt seem to have them. I wondered if it was due to a completly windless day, or if certain lenses pick that up differently. I doesn't make sense that they would, but it's worth asking about others experiences with the extreme telephoto.
thanx,
adam

Mounting Plate for long EF lenses
 

I have a Canon EF 300 2.8 I'd like to play with on the XL1 but have not found a suitable mounting attachment. Is there something on the market that might work?

Mounting Plate
 

This is key to good stable images, but I have not heard of any on the market specifically for the XL1. If I come across any info, I'll drop you a note. Please do the same for me if you come across any news on this.

Thanks

I've had several adapters custom made to support long lenses. I have them machined out of aluminum and usually cost $100 to $200 at a job shop. I may have one of my recent ones available. I had it in the classifieds a long time ago and don't remember if it sold or not. if you're interested, let me know.

Lens Support
 

Thanks, Jeff

Right now I don't need it, but I'll keep you in mind in the future. You may want to contact Robert (address below) to see if he might want to purchase what you have.

Robert Bingham
http://www.gliderking.com

Thanks again for the info...

Jeff, you have email from me. I'm interested!

Focusing with EOS lenses
 

I'm using the canon 100-400 usm lens amongst others to capture red kites in flight.
A large number of times I find that the image I believed to be crisp is in fact just off and therefore not useable. The colour viewfinder does not give enough information to be accurate.

I've read the report on the black n white viewfinder but before I make a plunge for my wallet I wonder if the 5" LCD viewers such as vari-zooms would give me enough visual info (and save me a packet!).

I'll look forward to your thoughts guys.

Ok, dumb question!
I've no access to these things and they are are expensive tryouts hence my query.
So I take it that the large LCD viewers are not suitable for focusing and that I'll have to shell out for the viewfinder.

Cheers anyway

Hi Chris

How long have you been using your set-up? The reason I ask is that it took me a little while to get the hang of focusing long lenses on the XL1. The colour viewfinder isn't great, but I can live with it.

I assume, perhaps incorrectly since it's Wales we are talking about :), that you generally have plenty of light when shooting flying raptors, and can therefore use a fairly high f-stop. Most of my raptor experience is with Marsh Harriers, and I typically shoot in the f15-22 range even on overcast days. This gives a reasonable DoF, and I can generally get well-focused shots. Obviously, it's more difficult if the birds are relatively close and flying towards the camera.

If your shots are just slightly soft, have you considered the possibility that the problem is with the lens rather than your focusing? I have used the Canon 100-400 very little, but my impression was that beyond 300mm it wasn't pin sharp, especially at wider apertures.

As a final thought, have you tried sharpening your shots in post? I find that slightly soft focus can be dealt with pretty well by good NLEs.

Cheers
Duncan

Hi Duncan

I’ve had the XL1 a couple of years but have gone for the long lenses in the last 12 months as they give me so much more freedom.
I must admit I'm having increasing time gaps between filming, because of the numbers of visitors we are see here this year, so I guess you are saying 'more practice' :)

And, yes, we do have our share of sunshine in Wales..

I also have a 400mm 2.8 that has wonderful light gathering capabilities and a huge focus wheel that runs like silk but it’s so difficult to find the target in the first place it’s hardly used so the 100-400 is the tool of choice.
f15 – 22 is my usual range on this lens.

Rarely do the kites fly directly towards me but their flight has no pattern and as both vertical and horizontal distances open and close with such speed one hand is constantly on the focus.
It’s just that final tweak that is eluding me on so many occasions.

Before the XL1 I was using a Panasonic SVHS and its crt viewfinder – hence the yearning for the clarity.

I took your point on there being a softness to the longer lens so I've
been experimenting with FCpro sharpening tools. I’ve now made a few trial runs and have found they help some of those files I’d previously thought borderline. Until your post I’d not looked at them.

Many thanks

Chris

It sounds like you have plenty of experience with the set-up, so you probably have reached the limits of the colour viewfinder. I'm guessing that the 400mm lens you have is high quality given the f2.8, so I doubt it would be soft even wide open.

I must admit that I have been tempted by the B&W viewfinder but, as you say, it's not exactly cheap - in relation to the cost of the camera, at least. If you do take the plunge, I'd be very interested to learn how you get on with it.

I bet the Kites are pretty challenging subjects on the wing - presumably you are able to video them on the deck if you have a feeding station?

Cheers

Duncan

I too would like to own the CRT viewfinder. It is difficult to *know* you are in
exact focus with the regular viewfinder. One trick is to over expose
and use the zebra to help get closer, but at the end of the day you can
still be a tiny bit off on some shots and not know it.

LCDs are not usually dense enough to be much better IMO. Most of
the cheap ones have no more lines of resolution than the color viewfinder.

Funny thing, have you tried to get focus on your old 16X lately?

The last time I used the 16X lens I swear EVERYTHING was out of focus.
Even auto focus didn't (seem to) work.
The deal was I'd become SO spoiled by the
far sharper image provided by Canon 35mm glass and couldn't go back.

Duncan

That Canon 2.8 is a fantastic piece of glass but fixed at the equivalent of 2880mm on the camera it's not that useful when looking for the target
With regard the kites – they stoop and grab at xx mph much like ospreys but without the pause! The only ones to land are those we've rehabilitated but they’ve got large tags and have not taught the others this habit.
I’ve a few short QT movies on my site http://tinyurl.com/2txt3

Jacques

Although the 16x was fine on stationary objects too many times it either went hunting in auto or else in manual that continuous focus wheel was no asset at the range I was operating.
I now stand much further away from the action and with these longer lenses I'm at least able to follow them in some shape!

Thinking hard about that viewfinder - shame, but I've not found anyone in the UK willing to hire one out for a trial run.


Cheers

Canon EF 100-400 Zoom Lense advice
 

Has anyone used the Canon EF 100-400 Zoom lense with their XL1? I checked this out at a local dealer and it appears to give excellent results. However, as it is over £1100 worth of lense, any comments would be appreciated prior to buying. My interst is wildlife and, in particular, eagles, hawks etc..