28 June 2022

Table Mountain over Woodbridge Island with Samsung Smartphone

I went down for my work / birds in flight here with my Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm lens at Woodbridge Island this morning and there was not (really) a single bird in sight (or flight).

Table Mountain over Woodbridge Island with Samsung Smart Phone
From the Diep River : Table Mountain over the Milnerton Lighthouse / Woodbridge Island
I did something I rarely do - an environmental / landscape capture of our natural world with my phone - for all and of course, for a very special French lady of the past two years - who entered my world out of the 'blue', "merci, tu viens de rendre le bleu, plus bleu et le vert plus vert ce matin..."

Location: Table Mountain over the Diep River, Milnerton Lighthouse and Woodbridge Island

Equipment: Samsung Galaxy A22 (Quad Camera) 

Samsung A22 Default Exposure Mode
  • ISO: 50
  • Aperture: f1/8
  • Shutter Speed: 1/120s
  • Focal Length: 4.65mm

Exposure Source: Adobe Lightroom

Copyright: Vernon Chalmers

17 June 2022

The Challenges (and Opportunities) of Winter

Creative Bird Photography during the Cape Town Winter 

Find the light. Keep searching... even if you’re shooting with a fix f/11 800mm lens (as the case here).

Cape Canary at Arnhem, Milnerton (Cape Town) Copyright Vernon Chalmers
Cape Canary at Arnhem, Milnerton (Cape Town) : With Canon EOS R6 / RF 800mm f/11 IA STM Lens

Canon Camera / Lens used:
  • Canon R6
  • Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM Lens
  • Manual Mode: f/11
  • ISO 640 (Various) 
  • Shutter Speed: 1/500s (birds in flight settings)
  • Lens IS on/ Handheld

Image was captured during testing the Canon EOS R6 / RF 800mm f/11 IS STM / FF 600mm f/11 IS STM lens.

Canon Photography Training Milnerton Woodbridge Island | Kirstenbosch Cape Town

14 June 2022

Versatility of a 100-400mm Zoom Lens

 Versatility of a Canon 100-400mm Zoom Lens

Cape robin-chat at Kistenbosch Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography
Cape robin-chat : Small Bird Photography at Kistenbosch © Vernon Chalmers

Creative Bird / Flower Garden Photography 

Yesterday I made brief reference on BirdLife South Africa of the lenses used for most of my (perched) bird photography at Kirstenbosch, Cape Town (and similar garden environments).

The post made me think of what I would consider to be the most versatile lens for garden photography (when using any DSLR / Mirrorless Full Frame or Crop camera body).

As much as I love my Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM prime (non-zoom) lens for most birds / garden photography (in my opinion) any 100-400mm / 100-500mm / 150-600mm zoom lens will make more sense for capturing a variety of garden subjects.

* Image Top Right: Cape robin-chat

All attached images captured with my Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM (zoom) lens at Kirstenbosch. The Cape bulbul was at 400mm and the African Monarch butterfly / small flower at 350mm.

Canon Camera / Lens used at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
  • Canon EOS 70D
  • Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens (Mark I)
  • Manual Mode: f/5.6 / Auto-ISO (Various)
  • Lens IS Switched off and at times on. Handheld
  • Zoom Range: 350mm - 400mm

Recommended lenses for photographing small birds at Kirstenbosch (or similar garden environments)

Any (zoom) lens covering the following focal lengths:
  • 70-200mm / 70-300mm
  • 100-400mm / 100-500mm
  • 150-600mm

I have found my 70-200mm / 70-300mm lenses a bit 'short' for real close-up images of the smaller Kirstenbosch birds.


Cape Bulbul at Kirstenbosch with Canon 100-400mm Zoom Lens  Copyright Vernon Chalmers
Cape Bulbul at Kirstenbosch with Canon 100-400mm Zoom Lens

Cape Monarch Butterfly at Kirstenbosch with Canon 100-400mm Zoom Lens Copyright Vernon Chalmers
Cape Monarch Butterfly at Kirstenbosch with Canon 100-400mm Zoom Lens

Small Flower at Kirstenbosch with Canon 100-400mm Zoom Lens Copyright Vernon Chalmers
Small Flower at Kirstenbosch with Canon 100-400mm Zoom Lens

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden Bird Species >>

10 June 2022

Unusual fishing tactics... Woodbridge Island

Unusual fishing tactics from a little egret in the Diep River, Woodbridge Island – catching a fish while semi in-flight (with feet slightly in the water).

Normally they just wade on the side of the river - catching and quickly swallowing much smaller fish. This was the first time I've witnessed any little egret flying towards the middle of the river doing this manoeuvre and fly off to the other side.

Little Egret Fishing in The Diep River, Woodbridge Island - Copyright Vernon Chalmers
Little Egret Fishing - Diep River, Woodbridge Island Cape Town

 Location: Diep River / Woodbridge Island (Cape Town)

Canon Equipment (Birds In Flight Photography)
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR camera body
  • Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Canon Exposure / Focus Settings
  • Manual Mode Settings / Lens AF On
  • Shutter speed: 1/3200s
  • Aperture: f/5.6
  • Focal length 400mm
  • Auto ISO (ISO 400)
  • Continuous Shooting Mode (10 fps) / AI Servo
  • AI Servo / AF Mode Option (Wide Zone AF / Case 1)
  • No Lens IS / Handheld

Canon Birds in Flight Photography Training Woodbridge Island Cape Town >>

01 June 2022

Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R10 Launched

 Canon EOS APS-C R7 and Canon EOS R10 Launched

Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R10 Launched
Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R10

Canon launched / released the Canon EOS R7 and EOS R10 on 24 May 2022

New Canon EOS R APS-C Releases 2022

Canon EOS R7
 Canon EOS R10
Also Launched
: Two new Canon EOS RF-S Lenses >>

User Guide Downloads: Canon EOS R7 / Canon EOS R10 Advanced User Guide Downloads >>

Canon’s EOS R System innovation meets the APS-C format with Canon EOS R7 and EOS R10

"Canon Europe today announces its first APS-C EOS R System mirrorless cameras, the EOS R7 and EOS R10 – bringing the benefits of the EOS R System to the popular APS-C image sensor format. The APS-C format offers significant benefits for photography enthusiasts and content creators, including the potential to make smaller yet high-speed and high-performance cameras positioned perfectly for enthusiasts. Taking the essence of the EOS 7D series, the EOS R7 is suited to wildlife and sports photographers that need the added reach of APS-C, as well as the outstanding speed and tracking autofocus inspired by higher models in the range.

Built for the next generation of EOS ‘double digit’ users, the EOS R10 is a powerful all-rounder – capable of impressive stills and video performance to suit lifestyle creators and photographers on the move. Also launching today are two new RF-S lenses – the RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM, an ultra-compact everyday zoom lens and the RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM, a more versatile, high-magnification lens." -- Source: Canon Europe

Canon EOS R7 and EOS R10 Image Credit: Canon Europe

Various Birds in Flight at Woodbridge Island

Birds in Flight at Woodbridge Island / Table Bay Nature Reserve

Various Birds in Flight Hike  - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town
Great White Pelican - Table Bay Nature Reserve

After the recent rain and wind from the last couple of days I ventured out to re-connect with my Woodbridge Island Birds in Flight shooting environment.

I went for a short hike towards the Table Bay Nature Reserve and although a bit windy (and mid-morning) I encountered quite a few birds along the way.

Great White Pelican
It was also quite significant to see the Great White pelican on the edge of the small Island in the Table Bay Reserve - four images towards the bottom of the page.

All birds in Flight photos by Vernon Chalmers with Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens ISO 320 - 800 / f/5.6 1/5000's, AI Servo (Handheld). 10 fps High-Speed continuous shooting mode.

Shooting location / Conditions
Around Woodbridge Island, Cape Town. Sunny with a slight South-eastern wind.

(Click to Enlarge)
Pied Kingfisher in Flight - Woodbridge Island / Cape Town
Pied Kingfisher in Flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Common Starling in Flight - Woodbridge Island / Cape Town
Common Starling in Flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Yellow-billed duck in Flight - Woodbridge Island / Cape Town
Yellow-billed duck in Flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

African spoonbill in Flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town
African Spoonbill in Flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Reed cormorant in Flight - Woodbridge Island / Cape Town
Reed cormorant in Flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Great White Pelican Taking Flight - Table Bay Nature Reserve

Great White Pelican taking flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town
Great White Pelican taking flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Great White Pelican taking flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town
Great White Pelican taking flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Great White Pelican taking flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Great White Pelican taking flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town
Great White Pelican taking flight - Woodbridge Island, Cape Town

Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town View

Bird Species Woodbridge Island, Cape Town View

Small Birds with Birds in Flight Photography Settings

Small Bird Photography Learning at Woodbridge Island / Table Bay Nature Reserve 

Pied Kingfisher - Perched Birds Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island
Pied Kingfisher : Table Bay Nature Reserve / Woodbridge Island

Photographing perched small birds 
With all the questions I get with regard to my perched small bird photography technique (with my standard Bird in Flight photography settings), I thought it was about time to provide more detail regarding settings et al.

For many new and experienced photographers this is a different way of shooting perched birds. Generally one will assume that perched birds will be photographed with a long lens (with Image Stabilization) and / or on a tripod (or some other form of stabilization).

During my own skills development process with Birds in Flight photography I would at times encounter a few smaller perched birds (in the Table Bay Nature Reserve close to Woodbridge Island). I used to ignore them at first, as I was on a mission for fine-tuning the Canon EOS 7D Mark II's AF and to master my Birds in Flight photography techniques. The smaller birds around the Table Bay Nature Reserve / Woodbridge Island are rarely perched for more than a few seconds at a time - I quite like this unpredictability, as its making the capturing more natural (as in the the true wild).

Early one morning in the goodness of our local summer light I captured a few smaller birds without changing any settings on my camera - with the understanding that the fast shutter speeds that I generally use - 1/3200 - 1/4000s - should work to stop (any) motion and the good light should keep my Auto-ISO in manual mode down. My lens does not have Image Stabilization and I'm quite experienced in its application for Birds in Flight photography. These days I rarely change any settings for the perched birds as I don't really see any real advantages over using any other settings (i.e. Av Mode with lower ISO's),

The images posted here are generally all with the same settings without any changes to my Birds in Flight photography settings. The only exception is, when I have enough time, I would change my standard large Zone AF mode to one of the smaller AF areas.

Canon Gear / Memory Cards
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II camera body 
  • Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens 
  • Lexar Professional CompactFlash UDMA 7 32 GB 
  • Sandisk Extreme Plus SDHC™ UHS-I Card 95MB/s 32 GB 

Exposure / Other Settings: Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

  • Manual Mode 
  • Aperture: f/5.6 
  • Auto-ISO 500 - 800 
  • Focal Length: 400mm 
  • Shutter speed: 1/3200 - 1/4000 seconds 
  • AF On - Case 1 [Various Zones] 
  • No IS (None-IS lens)
  • Lens Autofocus on 
  • Handheld

(Click to Enlarge)

Common Waxbill - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve
Common Waxbill - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve

Southern Masked Weaver - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island
Southern Masked Weaver - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve

Pied Kingfisher with Catch - Perched Birds Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island
Pied Kingfisher - Perched Birds Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve

Levaillant's Cisticola - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island
Levaillant's Cisticola - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve

Southern Masked Weaver - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island
Southern Masked Weaver - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve

Levaillant's Cisticola - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve Woodbridge Island
Levaillant's Cisticola - Perched Bird Photography - Table Bay Nature Reserve

Starting out with Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town View

Canon Photography Training Milnerton Woodbridge Island | Kirstenbosch Cape Town

Two Cost-Effective Canon Lenses for Bird Photography

Canon EF Lenses for Bird / Birds in Flight Photography

With Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens
With Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Cost-Effective Lens Choices for Birds / Birds in Flight Photography
This is a topic I frequently discuss during my regular Birds in Flight Photography training and workshops in Milnerton / Woodbridge Island, Cape Town.

The two Canon EF Lenses
  • EF 400mm f/5.6L USM  Lens
  • EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens

Canon EOS Bodies Used
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II
  • Canon EOS R

Note: Birds in Flight Photography images from both lenses are at the end of this article.

Both prime and (certain) zoom lenses are good to go for Birds in Flight photography (and perched birds), but there are various criteria for enthusiast photographers to consider:

  • Importance of Birds in flight Photography
  • Zoom vs Prime (fix focal length) lens
  • Canon vs. other lenses (i.e.Sigma / Tamron)
  • Full frame and / or crop camera body
  • Using tele-converters (and compatibility)
  • Autofocus speed (NB for birds in flight)
  • Weight (mobility for carrying long periods)
  • Cost of ownership (Budget / ROI)

Compatibility with Canon EOS Full Frame / APS-C (Crop) Bodies
Both these Canon EF lenses are fully compatible with all Canon EOS DSLR bodies. Paired with the Canon EOS Full Frame bodies (i.e. EOS 6D / EOS 5D Mark IV) it will be 400mm focal length or 100-400mm focal length range.

On Canon EOS APS-C bodies (i.e. EOS 700D  / EOS 80D / EOS 7D Mark II) it will be the focal length of the lens at any range x the 1.6 crop factor. I.e on the EOS 7D Mark II it with a 400mm prime lens will be 400mm x 1.6 = 640mm (Field of View). Most post-processing software will register the focal length in the EXIF Data as the standard lens focal length (irrespective of the 1.6 crop factor).  


Canon EF Alternative Lens: The Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary Lens (Canon EF) is a popular birds / birds in flight lens with my clients / students and the results I have analysed with both Canon Full Frame and APS-C (Crop) bodies compares very well with the two Canon lenses.

Summary of Canon's popular 400mm focal length lenses for Birds in Flight photography (and other nature / wildlife applications):

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Prime / Telephoto Lens


This high-performance lens was designed with portability and handling ease in mind. One Super UD-glass element, whose characteristics are similar to fluorite, and one UD-glass element result in sharp pictures from corner-to-corner. The lens also has a built-in hood and a detachable tripod mount (Ref: Canon USA).

A very cost-effective / value lens lens for birds in flight and perched birds for both Canon EOS APS-C or full frame bodies is the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens. It's a prime lens at 400mm (no zoom) with very quick autofocus and sharp image quality. Its mobile enough to carry all day and once you get used to the 400mm fix focal length its a gem of a lens
.

Note: This lens does not feature Image Stabilization (IS), but its not really a concern for Birds in Flight Photography. At fast shutters speeds of 1/1000's to 1/5000's IS is not necessary. This is my most used lens and I shoot with it all day handheld at shutter speeds up to 1/5000s.The perched kingfisher below was shot with this lens in Av Mode: f/5.6 / ISO 1600 / 1/5000s.

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens: Professional / Consumer Reviews
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens: Professional / Consumer Reviews

An affordable / fast Autofocus lens for Birds in Flight Photography

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Prime / Telephoto Lens
 Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Prime / Telephoto Lens

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom lens

This lens delivers a superb combination of cutting-edge performance, compact construction and brilliant resolving power that’s great for sports and wildlife photography. The lens features one fluorite and one super UD element to help provide impressive contrast and resolution with reduced chromatic aberration across the entire zoom range.


Canon’s new Air Sphere Coating (ASC) helps significantly reduce backlit flaring and ghosting, while fluorine coatings on the front and rear lens surfaces help lessen smears and fingerprints. A 9-blade circular aperture renders beautiful, soft backgrounds, and a 3 mode (standard, panning and exposure only) Optical Image Stabilizer provides up to 4 steps* of image correction. (Ref: Canon USA)

Currently the newer Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens is one of the most popular Canon lenses for a variety of genres / applications and of course, for birds in flight. It was launched the same time as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and also pairs well with said body and the Canon Extender / Tele-converter EF 1.4x III.



Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM II Lens: Professional / Consumer Reviews

More information>> Canon USA

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Zoom lens
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Zoom lens

These lenses and many other cost-effective / suitable birds in flight photography lenses will be discussed during the upcoming Birds in Flight Workshop.

I've used both Canon lenses on the following bodies (over the last few years)
  • Canon EOS 700D
  • Canon EOS 70D
  • Canon EOS 80D
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II
  • Canon EOS 6D
  • Canon EOS R

Birds in Flight Workshop Cape Town:  More Information

All Vernon Chalmers Photography Workshops Cape Town 2017: All Workshops


Starting out with Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town View

All bird in flight / perched bird images Copyright Vernon Chalmers

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Prime / Telephoto Lens Sample Images / More Images

(Click to Enlarge)
Two Canon EF 400mm Lens Options for Birds in Flight Photographers
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens / Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Prime / Telephoto Lens Sample Images
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens / Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Prime / Telephoto Lens Sample Images
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens / Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Prime / Telephoto Lens Sample Images
Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens /  Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Zoom lens Sample Images / More Images

(Click to Enlarge)
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Zoom lens
Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens /  Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Zoom lens
Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Two Canon EF 400mm Lens Options for Birds in Flight Photographers
Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens /  Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EOS R - Sample Birds in Flight Photography Images

Birds in flight Sample Images with Canon EOS R / EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens
 (and Canon EF 1.4x III Extender / Tele-Converter)


Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R
Little egret in flight with Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R

Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R
Grey heron in flight with Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R

Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R
Yellow-billed duck in flight Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R

Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R
Purple heron in flight with Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R

Perched Bird Image Sample Canon EOS R with same lens

Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R
Perched cormorant with Canon EF 100-400mm f//4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens / Canon EOS R

Canon EOS R First Impressions and Sample Images View

Capturing / Tracking Variables for Improved Birds in Flight Photography View

Canon EOS 7D Mark II - Birds in Flight Photo Gallery View

Birds in Flight Photography Cape Town View

Versatility of the 70-300mm Zoom Lens range

Different Applications of the 70-300mm Zoom Lens

Versatility of the 70-300mm focal length range lens
Versatility of the 70-300mm Focal Length Range Lens

A 70-300mm focal length range lens is for many photographers the longest lens in their camera bags. If not the longest, the second longest. A versatile focal length from capturing close-ups of flowers to relatively close-up wildlife.

For the serious wildlife photography enthusiast the 70-300mm focal length is always going to be a tad too short - many opt for 100-400mm lenses, 150-600mm lenses and various non-zoom prime lenses of 400mm +.

Although I do a lot of work with a 400mm lens and also much shorter lenses (i.e 16-35mm) there is no way that I can do without the versatility of my Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens. Most 100-400mm lenses will offer similar or even better versatility with close-up and high image quality opportunities.

New generation 70-300mm lenses (Canon / Nikon / Sigma) are very cost-effective and sharp with good Autofocus capabilities - most of them are not classified as professional lenses and therefore the price is quite respectable for the enthusiast photographer.

In my opinion, the Canon L-series professional 70-300mm lens that I use is about three time the price of the equivalent Canon consumer lens, but in no way three times better ito image quality - if that is a major concern for somebody. It offers weather sealing, more durable construction and a floating optical system for producing sharp images across the zoom range, but its not worlds apart when comparing images (this statement is relative to other requirements not necessarily just based on image quality when the pro lens is purchased). The consumer lens should be good to go for most photographers.

All 70-300mm lenses could be used with various accessories (extension tubes / close-up filters) for decreasing the minimum focus distance (MFD of the lens - useful for photographing close-up subjects.

Most 70-300mm lenses are variable aperture lenses (between f/4.-5,6) meaning that the aperture will decrease from 70 to 300mm. I.e at 70mm the aperture will be at f/4 and as you reach 300mm it will at f/5.6 and beyond. You cannot capture a zoomed-to-300mm image at f/4. Not possible. This in itself is not a limitation for most of the applications of these lenses.

I use my 70-300mm lens often on both Canon EOS full frame and crop-sensor bodies and have no concerns about any limitation for the purpose its applied for. If the lens is going to be 'too shot' or 'to long' for whatever I need to achieve I will use a different lens, either a 16-35mm, 24-70mm or 400mm lens.

Photography Training:
Training is available on all 70-300mm / 100-400mm lenses with / without extension tubes are available from me. The only prerequisite is that is must be paired with a Canon EOS / Canon EOS R body.
 
A few of my own images to show the versatility of the 70-300mm focal length. From the top: flowers, to a landscape, a bird in flight and some fashion.

Note: The flower / insect image was captured with the Canon EF 25mm extension tube attached.

The last image will show the Canon hardware setup with the extension tube.

Landscape Photography With Canon EOS 6D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Landscape Photography With Canon EOS 6D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens Sample Image

Birds in Flight Photography With Canon EOS 70D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Birds in Flight Photography With Canon EOS 70D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens Sample Image

Hair Fashion Photography With Canon EOS 6D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Hair Fashion Photography With Canon EOS 6D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens Sample Image


Wild Flower Photography With Canon EOS 6D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens
Wild Flower Photography With Canon EOS 6D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens Sample Image

Canon EOS 6D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens with EF Extension Tube EF 25 II
Canon EOS 6D / EF70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens with EF Extension Tube EF 25 II


Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM Lens Sample Images View

Close-Up Photography with Canon 400mm Lens

Close-Up Photography with Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Close-Up Photography with Canon EF 400mm f/5.6LUSM Lens
Close-Up Photography with Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

Close-Up Photography with Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens

 
The small butterfly was captured while I was out doing some birds in flight shooting around Woodbridge Island, Milnerton Cape Town.

Impromptu Birds in Flight Settings
This is exactly the same camera / lens setup that I use for capturing birds in flight around the island. Normally, I would use a macro lens / or a zoom lens with an extended tube, but I was keen to see how this setup could work. 

Advantages for close-up photography with this setup are very good image quality and fast Autofocus (AF) of the Canon EOS 7D Mark II / EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens combination.

A disadvantage of the 400mm lens is the Minimum Focus Distance (MFD) when capturing close-up subjects. the MFD is 3.5 meter, but the lens can be used with extension tubes and / or close-up lens filters. Filter thread is 77mm.

The rest is up to (AF) tracking and framing requirements. I've captured all three images with lens AF on.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II /  EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens (Handheld). Manual mode: ISO 1000 / f/6.3 1/4000s. Wide Zone AF / 10 fps. Handheld.


(Click to enlarge)
Butterfly Woodbridge Island : Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens
Close-Up Photography Butterfly Woodbridge Island : Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens

Butterfly Woodbridge Island : Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens
Close-Up Photography Butterfly Woodbridge Island : Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens

Butterfly Woodbridge Island : Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens
Close-Up Butterfly Woodbridge Island : Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm Lens

Butterflies and Sunbird at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden View

Canon Photography Training Milnerton Woodbridge Island | Kirstenbosch Cape Town 

Vernon Chalmers Photography Popular Posts