560mm f8

560mm f8

560mm f8

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Why 560mm ? Because for wildlife photography something like this is the ideal tool, if we not sitting in a hide(perhaps useful there as well.)

Below picture has been shot with Canon 200f2,8 L usm+ canon 2x Mk II+ Kenko 1,4 dgx (newest blue dotted version) teleconverter on a canon 30D body at ISO 1000. With this combination the autofocus is perfectly working in good/normal light, if we change the Kenko 1,4 converter to Canon 1,4 the autocus is not working any more with prosumer or consumer bodies.

Preferred shutter speed from hand held shooting, faster than 1/1600s, below picture has made at 1/3200s. The quality is exceptionally good if we consider the two stacking converter on the lens. White subject and good light helps to make good pictures. Honestly I was surprised about the picture quality. In close distances though(10-15m) the focus must be pin-precise. Any misfocusing kills the picture.

Both above pictures has no post processing.

with little post processing the second picture:

Even more interesting let’s see the next picture 560mm f11:

Here is a 100% crop_

Possible alternatives for the same focal length, but not always the same quality:

Canon 600mm F4 used – app 4200 Eur much better 5,9 kg
Canon 500 f4 used + 1,4 = app 4900 Eur + 200 = 5 100 Eur much better 4,5 kg
Sigma 500f4,5+1,4x used= 3200+200 Eur= 3400 Eur better at least at 500mm 3,2 kg
Canon 300f2,8+canon 2X used = 2000 +200 = 2100 Eur surely better 2,8kg
Sigma 300 f2,8+2x used = 1800+200 = 2000 Eur not sure better or not 2,8 kg
Sigma 120-300f2,8+2x used = 1000+200 Eur=1200 Eur ? 3,2 kg
Canon 400 f5,6+1,4x = 1100+200=1300 Eur not 100 percent sure it is better at all 1,3 kg
Canon 300 f4+2x used = 1100+200=1300 Eur not 100 percent sure it is better at all 1,3 kg
above combo cost used 520+200+150= 870 Eur 1,2 kg

Summary: very good picture quality in a small and relatively not expensive package. Perhaps not good enough to sell pictures, but for an amateur phtographer I think is good enough.
Drawback: at longer distances perhaps the sharpness loss more obvious, lots of light needed because of shutter speed and f8, frequent usage of high iso in less than ideal lighting situations not helps with picture quality.