FoxCT, where I work, and the Hartford Courant are one. We’re co-owned and share a large newsroom. I love being around the newspaper people. Because I enjoy photography I especially enjoy being around the photographers. Each of them has decades of experience and know how. They’re amazingly talented and underappreciated by anyone who thinks photography is mainly pointing.
I was back in their area this evening, being admonished not to keep a cap on my lenses because it might slow me down while getting a shot. I’m scared of scratching stuff. I have a lot to learn.
We are a Nikon shop. I am a Canon shooter. That disappointed me since it meant their gear and mine are incompatible.
I mentioned this one night only to be told we used to shoot Canon. Then a tall metal cabinet was opened. Inside was a collection of well worn and now unused Canon lenses.
Tonight I borrowed one and attached it to my camera. It was a Canon 300mm F/2.8.
Here’s how one site reviewed this lens.
The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens produces absolutely awesome image quality. This may be the highest image quality Canon EF lens made.
This lens on a camera is so big it’s tough to miss. Weighing in at a little over 5½ pounds I was scared it would rip the mount right out of my camera’s body!
You have seen this lens on the sidelines at football games or catching runners as they cross the finish line. It’s also used to capture birds-of-prey in flight. It is a very long telephoto lens designed for fast shutter speeds and shallow depth-of-field.
I put it on my Canon 7d and walked outside to take some random shots and test it out. At the same time a group of young men walked by. They wanted their collective picture taken.
“You’ve got to be far away,” I told them. The lens is made to sports and wildlife, not portraiture.
I popped the shot you see at the top of this entry. Though we were at least 100 feet apart we were too close. Some of the group is cropped out! I was embarrassed to ask for a retake.
Actually I was embarrassed to tell them it was a lot more glass than I’m used to.
I took the lens back inside and put it away. If it’s possible this is too much lens for everyday photography. It’s certainly too much lens to use without a monopod or other mount.
It felt like I’d borrowed an Indy car without really knowing how to drive. It was cool, but scary.