# Very impressed with the IS on the 500MM II



## Chisox2335 (Apr 27, 2015)

Took this on a 70D with a 1.4X III TC. 
ISO 800, 1/80, F5.6 Handheld

Very impressed with the detail at a fairly low shutter speed given the setup I was using.


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## Click (Apr 27, 2015)

Very nice shot. The IS is doing a great job.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Apr 27, 2015)

Even my old 100-400mmL with its early IS would let me get shots at low shutter speeds in a emergency. It really does make a difference for still objects. For moving ones, it won't freeze the subject, but makes it easier to see them in the viewfinder in some cases.


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## candc (Apr 27, 2015)

The "is" on the newer canon lenses is really top notch. Much better than what's on the 3rd party lenses that I've used. I did some testing on my cat with the 600ii. I took about 10 shots handheld on a 7dii 1/90s they all turned out sharp.


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## Chisox2335 (Apr 27, 2015)

candc said:


> The "is" on the newer canon lenses is really top notch. Much better than what's on the 3rd party lenses that I've used. I did some testing on my cat with the 600ii. I took about 10 shots handheld on a 7dii 1/90s they all turned out sharp.



I'm more impressed your cat sat still for ten shots


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## candc (Apr 28, 2015)

Chisox2335 said:


> candc said:
> 
> 
> > The "is" on the newer canon lenses is really top notch. Much better than what's on the 3rd party lenses that I've used. I did some testing on my cat with the 600ii. I took about 10 shots handheld on a 7dii 1/90s they all turned out sharp.
> ...



he is about 15 so no problem getting him to sit still. now if i could just get him to catch mice.


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## jrista (Apr 28, 2015)

candc said:


> The "is" on the newer canon lenses is really top notch. Much better than what's on the 3rd party lenses that I've used. I did some testing on my cat with the 600ii. I took about 10 shots handheld on a 7dii 1/90s they all turned out sharp.




Aye, the IS on the new Canon superteles is phenomenal. I got a bunch of hand-held deer shots the other day with my 600 II, the sharpness was phenomenal:


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## jrista (Apr 28, 2015)

candc said:


> Chisox2335 said:
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> > candc said:
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Beautiful, healthy looking cat for being 15!


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## candc (Apr 28, 2015)

jrista said:


> candc said:
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> > Chisox2335 said:
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I will tell him you said that, he will appreciate it. Your shots of the deer look really good and show how well the lens blurs the background and how nice the bokeh is. That is something that really sets the lens apart.


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## jrista (Apr 28, 2015)

Yeah, the background blurring is wonderful with these lenses. Those shots were with the deer quite close, and the backgrounds pretty far. Like 15 feet and 60 feet or somewhere around there, so the blurring was pretty extreme (love it, though!)


Here is another, day prior to those above, with less background blurring:














Still pretty amazing stuff. These lenses are worth the cost if you want the best IQ. 


The first shot there actually isn't as sharp as the rest. I think the IS group kicked in or hadn't settled when the shutter opened, so there is just a touch of some motion blur. Sometimes that happens, particularly if you bump the lens or something as you press the shutter...I think the jarring increases the IS settle time. I'm always in mode 3, which only activates the IS group after the shutter button has been pressed. That may be why it happens...I suspect if you were using mode 1 or 2 where IS is active when you meter or focus, it should all be settled by the time you hit the shutter button. 


These shots were also at 1/50th shutter, which is pretty close to the 4-stop IS limit, so the chances of something like that causing a problem are a little higher. I think 1/40th would be a full four stops, at least for a full-frame camera. If you were using APS-C, then 1/60th would be a full four stops. I've actually managed to get sharp handheld results as low as 1/15th shutter, which is a little over 5 stops of hand-holdability.

When publishing online, you can see it generally doesn't matter. Output magnification just isn't high enough. It would only be an issue when printing large. (Although, that's usually what I do...my base print size is 24x36" canvas gallery wrap, and I think the amount of blur in that first shot at full size would be visible.)


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## candc (Apr 28, 2015)

I really like that last one, the cocked ear, nonchalant look and bent branch all seem to fit together.


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## jrista (Apr 28, 2015)

candc said:


> I really like that last one, the cocked ear, nonchalant look and bent branch all seem to fit together.




Aye, they do!  I love the old broken plant stem there...it's right in the focal plane, makes for a nice accent.


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## Chisox2335 (Apr 28, 2015)

jrista said:


> candc said:
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> 
> > I really like that last one, the cocked ear, nonchalant look and bent branch all seem to fit together.
> ...



Great shots jrista. Is it possible to use my 500 to do deep sky photography with the right mount?


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## jrista (Apr 28, 2015)

Absolutely. With a lens like that, you will want to get a midrange mount with the right capacity, and you will want to mount the lens properly on the right kind of dovetail with the right kind of mounting equipment. I am actually working on some articles for my site that will cover exactly how, so keep an eye at the following for more information:


http://jonrista.com/the-astrophotographers-guide/


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## Chisox2335 (Apr 30, 2015)

jrista said:


> Absolutely. With a lens like that, you will want to get a midrange mount with the right capacity, and you will want to mount the lens properly on the right kind of dovetail with the right kind of mounting equipment. I am actually working on some articles for my site that will cover exactly how, so keep an eye at the following for more information:
> 
> 
> http://jonrista.com/the-astrophotographers-guide/



Book marked!


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