Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/10/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Jayanand Govindaraj wrote: >No complaint from me either - he is welcome to us what he wants - it >just amuses me to see how other points of view get rubbished, with >incorrect data! What is your data, Jayanand? You think that at the sizes I print nobody would be able to distinguish between a photo made with the 200-400 and a photo and with the 280 f/4 APO? Have you actually made this comparison? Regardless of the optical mechanical and ergonomic differences between the lenses, my field data suggests that they would be different photos. The much larger size and weight of the 200-400 would require different technique and a different approach to the subjects. I cannot get nearly as close to the animals with a big lens as I can with a smaller one; the 200-400 would not allow many of the photos I've posted for this reason. Many of my wildlife photos were made at distances under 3 meters (Jackrabbit, for example) or 2 meters (some of the Mountain Bluebirds, Ring-necked Pheasant, Sooty Grouse, Common Merganser) or one meter (turkey poults, ground squirrel) and I'm often following there animals for hours in rough terrain before I make even one exposure. My experience with heavier lenses is that I cannot frequently go from a crouched position to standing without excessive fatigue (I'm also a triathlete, it's not like I'm flabby). The dense vegetation I frequently work in also prevents me from using a longer lens at a longer distance. For these reasons I compare the 280mm f/4 APO with comparable Nikon lenses, and I find that the APO-Telyt is more suited to my needs. I've tried about 2 or 3 dozen lenses from at least 5 makers in the focal lengths between 200mm and 400mm. I find that the 280mm f/4 APO is best suited to my needs. In the future please refrain from telling me that I should use some other equipment unless you can demonstrate a measurable difference in side-by-side comparisons in the conditions I work in with my subjects and technique. Doug Herr Birdman of Sacramento http://www.wildlightphoto.com