Nope, that ain't it. I've waited a total of 24 hours now for ONE tiger shot and haven't fired yet. Many animals prefer shade, which puts me, all too often, in shutter speeds of 1/8 to 1/30 second, with all the attendant focusing difficulties of an f8 mirror. I need a long lens to help isolate background: I don't like shots where fences, fake stone enclosures, etc. are revealed.
Believe me, I know some of these critters by name. Where they like to hang out, which ones are "hams", which ones have babies, etc.
A 500 mirror just doesn't cut it much of the time, and a 300 is often not going to isolate well enough. A fast 300 with TCs would probably do the trick, though....
jerome wrote:
Using a 500 mirror (which is NOT too long for zoo shots, btw) gives me a max shutter speed of about 125 with 800 speed film in most situations on bright days at noon. Many shots are impossible with such a slow lens.
I haven't read all of the emails, but rather caught the above blurb from someone's response. However, I felt compelled to mention that the more I read, the more this is starting to sound moreso like a need for better technique rather than better equipment (even though both may very well be the case). By technique, I mean a few things:
a) perhaps being more patient. If the animal is not in a good vantage point (e.g., not close enough) then sometimes you just gotta wait it out. Sometimes seconds, sometimes minutes... sometimes it just means "maybe another day". In some instances it can simply mean finding a better point to shoot from. But of course this is not always possible. Sur, You may be able to reach things that you couldn't before but keep in mind: 1) f2.8 + 2x TC + at least 1 stop for good measure (or even 2 for DOF) = your right back at f8 or f11. and 2) as Mark pointed out, dealing with that 2x TC can really knock your image quality down a few notches anyway.
b) Learn the behavior of your subjects. The reason I say this is because you seem unsatisfied with a 1/125 sec. shutter speed, and suggested that this makes "many shots...impossible". This kinda baffles me since I can't remember the last time I was able to shoot above 1/100 with either the 300mm f2.8 OR the 400 f2.8..
Given that the best zoo photos are typically on overcast days and/or with animals shying away from direct sunlight, I usually live around the 1/30 to 1/60 range, with 1/15 not being unusual. Granted, I use ISO 100 film... but the point is that it (slow speeds) works, and few shots are "impossible" unless you're specifically trying to freeze action. You just need timing. And a whole heap of patience for that right moment (which may literally last 1 second as the animals pauses for thought or changes direction).
I kinda sensed the "if I had a big fast lens, then click click click and excellent photos are mine" syndrome for a second there. So I just thought I'd mention this since I'd hate for you (or anyone) to spend a heap of money on fast primes and be totally disenchanted when they find that the equipment additions didn't "save the day".
