Reviews by postcardcv

I recently had the opportunity to use the new Jobu Black Widow Pro Gimbal for a couple of weeks, here's my thoughts on it:

Out of the box it looks very impressive and is suprisingly light weight, it was very easy to attach onto my Gitzo and get out using it. I'm currently using the BWG-L which is a side mounted gimbal, putting the lens onto this top loader was much easier. Getting it balanced was very easy (only took a minute) and the movement was very smooth. The knobs are good and chunky which makes using them very easy even when wearing gloves (good on those cold days).

Using it in the field it worked very well, panning was very smooth and it held still when I let go. It held my 500 f4 with ease, the manufacturer reckon it will take any of the big lenses and I don't doubt this for a moment. I three weeks of using it I've had no problems with it and would be very happy to use one full time. I still feel that the BWG-L is an excellent option for someone who wants a cheap gimbal. But if you want a full gimbal than this new one is clearly worth a look especially as it's currently 100 cheaper than the Wimberley.

I was surprised to read the previous reviews as I know a number of people who use this lens and have not heard of any other problems.

I was using the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 but wanted a lighter option so switched to the Canon f4 non-IS version about six months ago. I'm extremely impressed with it, the AF is nice and fast and the images are bang on (much sharper than the Sigma). The lens is about half the weight of the Sigma and is much nicer to handhold for long periods of time. It's the perfect lens for candid portraits and action shots of the kids, though I've not shot a single bird or animal with it yet! If you want a general purpose zoom then this is an excellent choice, if you want a birding lens then look for something longer.

I got my 40D a couple of weeks ago and am very impressed with it. The camera feels solid and well made, and fits very well in the hand. The menus and controls are well laid out and simple to use. The viewfinder is nice and bright (though not up to 5D/1D standards), and the rear LCD is easy to see in most conditions. I've been really impressed with the battery life, the first charge gave me over 2000 shots!

My main reasons for buying the camera were the fast frame rate (6.5 fps) and the seemingly good high ISO performance. Neither of these have disapointed. The level of noise at ISO800 is so god that it often doesn't need NR (assuming you got the exposure spot on) and noise is acceptable at ISO1600.

The biggest and most surprising feature of the camera has been the image quality. I knew it would be good, but I'd not expected to see a noticeable improvement over the 400D. Images out of the 40D need less processing and sharpening to acheive the same results.

All round I'm very happy with the 40D (looking forward to trying it with the grip). My only issue is now I've got one I want to upgrade my second body too!

When I changed to a Canon 500 f4 I need to get a larger camera bag as I like to carry my camera attached to the lens. After some research it was a choice of this or the equivilent Lowepro, the Tamrac was a good deal cheaper so I thought I'd give it a go.

My initial impression was that it was a well designed and well made bag. After a bit of fiddling with the moveable dividers in the main section I got it right for my gear. I can easily fit in my 500 f4 with both a camera and 1.4x tc attached, and there's still room for a second body and four more lenses! The front pockets are great for memory cards and spare batteries as they are easy to access quickly when needed. A large front pocket hold my flash, portable harddrive and a waterproof jacket.

Fully loaded my bag weighs over 12kg! However the excellent, well padded harness means that I can comfortably carry it for a full days birding. From my experience the Tamrac harness is better and more comfortable than the Lowepro. I'd recommend this bag (and it's smaller siblings) to anyone looking for a new camera bag.

I got this lens about a year ago to use along side my 500mm, as I wanted a good lens with a good close focus.

The lens feels great in the hand, zoom ring is easy to use while panning as is the large focus ring. The AF is fast and true, I often use this lens for shooting birds in flight and find it tracks very well. The lens takes a 1.4x tc well (becoming a 140-420 f5.6) though the AF is noticably slower. The lens delivers useably sharp shots wide open, though is better at f8 (which is what I tend to use it at).

This is a great short telephoto zoom and offers great value for money, it makes a good biridng lens, expecially if you also carry a 1.4x tc. Defintely better than the 170-500 that I used to use, though a bit more money too.

I bought this lens about 18 months ago as an upgrade from the Sigma 170-500 and love it.

The first thing that struck me when I got it was just how sharp the images were, even when shooting wide open. At f4.5 you can count the feathers, stopped down to f6.3-f8 and it\'s even more impressive. The AF is fast and quiet, it just snaps into focus. I often use this lens with a 1.4x tc (taped pins to retain AF), AF is still fast (difference only notices in poor light) and acurate.

The close focus of 4.5m seemed quite limiting on paper, but in real life it\'s not an issue. A starling sized bird will basically frame fill at this distance. It\'s only been on rare occassions that this has cost me a shot.

the lens hood is large and solid so offers decent protection to the front element. The foot is also large alloing firm attachment to a tripod. It is a large, fairly heavy lens, and definitely works best on a tripod.

It has two slight disadvantages over the Canon - no IS and f4.5 rather than f4, but given the difference in price I doubt I\'ll ever justify an upgrade. For it\'s price I think this lens is unbeatable value, even better if you can pick up a secondhand one.