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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Olympus ed 70-300 (1 Viewer)

Thanks, Derry, for your link to Wrotniak. I will spend some time reading it properly. I use only raw at present and my understanding is that 'in camera' settings such as sharpness etc. apply only to jpegs. Some people put over the view that the best quality jpegs from the E3 are virtually indistinguishable from raws - Wrotniak should help to get these settings right so I might experiment. Since my last post, I have tried ISO 640 instead of my usual ISO 400. The only shot I have taken using the 70-300 plus ec14 was of a fox which although not perfect, printed well on A4 paper. As it was the full 425mm (850mm) and then heavily cropped, it is sharper than I would have expected. As for noise, no doubt the experienced could find it but my intended audience, family and friends, do not notice it at all. I would post it but I'm not sure whether a Fox is allowed on the forum!
 
certainly post it,,

this forum has links for anything walking and flying on this planet except for the thing behind the camera,,;)

Derry
 
Thanks Derry. Although not perfect by any means, enclosed in the Fox image taken with the 70-300 plus ec14 at ISO 640. As the Fox was a fair distance away, this is a very heavy crop. I also include a Bullfinch (same combination) taken at 800 ISO - apart from a small amount of cropping and sharpening in Master 2, I have not done anything else to it. I would be interested to find out what opinions are about any visable noise and whether such noise would be acceptable.
 

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Jon, they look good,, I can't see noise on my 24" HD monitor,,

take a look at Noiseware,, free software that really does a fine job when you want to correct some noise issues,,


Derry
 
I also feel that the noise is very acceptable as is, especially considering that a black area like in the Bullfinch image is often where a lot of noise is likely to show. I suppose you could run it lightly through a noise program if you want to make the background super smooth, but it looks pretty fine as it stands. Very nice for 800 ISO!
 
I am still debating whether to buy an EC-14 converter or not. I got as far as putting one in my basket on the London Camera Exchange site but then removed it again! Has anyone got any answers to the following points?

It seems to me that my best results come from birds which are close (obviously) but this not just definition but metering accuracy and focusing. I wonder if a teleconverter would help where the bird was further away as the bird's image would cover more of the sensor which should help metering the bird as it represents a greater part of the overall image? Would this help with focusing as well, especially for flight shots where it is easy to miss the bird if it is too far away and focus on the background instead?

I realize a converter does nothing for resolution but I wonder if these two possible advantages might make it worthwhile or am I completely missing something obvious?

Ron
 
Ron, I have the EC14 and it stays on my 50-200 mainly,, as for the resolution you really have to pixel peep (300X) to start seeing the difference,,

I started with the 12-60 and 50-200 and wanted a tad more reach for the grandkids field sports but not another lens,, my bag is just the right size and weight for my age,, I have never read a bad or negative review on this converter, it is tops,,

I picked up a pre-owned one that was used four times,,

sure no regrets here,,

Derry
 
Thanks Rah and Derry. Having only returned to photography in the past year and being used to Fujichrome 100 in the past, any ISO over 200 makes me feel uneasy - it is amazing that I can 'get away' with ISO 800 even though my instinct is to go no higher than 400.
Ron, I can't really help you too much with your questions as I am very inexperienced. I could be wrong but I think I read somewhere that focusing with an added tele-converter is slightly slower but to be honest, I have not noticed much difference. All I can say is, that at present, I feel confident keeping the EC14 on all the time. The number of 'keepers' are as good as without it although I do delete many of my shots for various reasons.
I have, a few days ago, taken a shot of a Green Sandpiper. Where I live, it is not very common and although it has hung around for almost a week, it will probably be gone soon. Although technically not a good photograph, it was taken approximately 30 metres away and the sun was directly behind me - the bird is small and without the converter, I would have stood no chance of getting a reasonably clear shot. I do feel the extra reach helped me focus as I could actually follow it in the viewfinder as it scurried about.
I certainly don't regret buying it - it is supposed to be superb with the prime 300mm lens so when we have saved up the £5000 or so, we will have the perfect combination!!
 

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It seems to me that my best results come from birds which are close (obviously) but this not just definition but metering accuracy and focusing. I wonder if a teleconverter would help where the bird was further away as the bird's image would cover more of the sensor which should help metering the bird as it represents a greater part of the overall image? Would this help with focusing as well, especially for flight shots where it is easy to miss the bird if it is too far away and focus on the background instead?
Click to expand...

I'm sure you're right on both counts Ron, but having a bigger image in the viewfinder also makes it that bit harder to keep the subject in the viewfinder if it's moving fast. I splashed out last week on the 50-200SWD, and was using it to photograph Little terns in flight. The closer they were, the harder it was to keep them in the frame and focus on them, which I suppose corresponds to your idea of using a converter.

Of course, if the subject is stationary it should be much better to have the extra reach. The EC14 is certainly top of my list for the next accessory to get for my camera, as the 50-200 would certainly benefit from a but more oomph!

So far I've had more success shooting dragonflies with the new lens, though I think I could benefit from an extension tube or a high quality close-up lens (Canon 500D)to allow closer focussing. There is a guy on the 4/3 Photo site using one of these with this lens and the EC14 with outstanding results.

Steve
 
As Steve mentions, the EC14 would probably make it harder to take in-flight shots, because it would be much harder to find and keep the bird in the viewfinder.

As far as stationary shots, yes, the target would fill more of the viewfinder, so it would no doubt help with autofocus. However, don't forget that a teleconverter LOWERS the amount of light - I think a 1.4 converter cuts it by 1 stop; a 2x cuts it by 2. Since a lot of light is important for autofocus, you might lose the advantage of a larger target image because you have less light. If you still had plenty of light even with the converter, then no doubt it would help the focusing.

All things considered, I think the EC14 is a must-have for bird photographers (although it sure is pricey). In fact, I just bought one, even though I haven't bought the E-520 yet - i.e. I have the converter but have no camera to put it on! (I got a good price on the converter, and am still waiting for the price of the E-520 to come down below "list").
 
Thanks for the replies. I have succumbed to temptation and an EC-14 is winging its way to me from Amazon at the moment. (London Camera Exchange and others will only deliver to the cardholder's address which is awkward when you are at work.) It should be here tomorrow so I hope we have some fine weather over the weekend to try it out. I will have to practise holding the camera a bit steadier now!

Ron
 
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Ron, I bet you will enjoy the EC14,, it is not a big power increase but does give a little extra punch with the same resolution,, if any of your lens are in the 200mm plus it makes a nice addition,,

I also have the Oly 35-100 f2 and have had the 1.4 on it a few times,,

Derry
 
My EC-14 teleconverter arrived this morning, less than 24 hours after ordering. Well done Amazon and Royal Mail Express Delivery.

It seems to work all right with my 70-300 although I have only tried a few shots through glass at the moment. It obviously needs good light to focus and I had to set the ISO to 400 minimum to get a reasonable shutter speed. It's not going to be a combination for winter use!

I'm being a bit dense here but there is a bit in the instruction leaflet which is not clear to me:
'The iris setting (f-number) is shown as a composite value. For optimum lens performance, an iris setting with a composite value of f4 or more is recommended.'
Does 'more' mean f2.8 or f5.6? Logic suggests that you need the widest aperture possible (f2.8-f4) but the brightest zoom lenses are f3.5 at full zoom and will lose another stop with the converter attached. The aperture range with the 70-300 + EC-14 is f5.7-f7.9.

Finally, the converter is extremely compact and you hardly notice it when it is in place. I was pleased to find that the camera with the converter and 70-300 attached will still fit into my Think Tank Digital Holster 20. Very useful.

Ron
 
Does 'more' mean f2.8 or f5.6? Logic suggests that you need the widest aperture possible (f2.8-f4) but the brightest zoom lenses are f3.5 at full zoom and will lose another stop with the converter attached. The aperture range with the 70-300 + EC-14 is f5.7-f7.9.
Click to expand...

I think more would mean f3.5 with the brightest lenses, but of course this is not possible with your lens. It's just a recommendation for best performance. I seem to remember reading somewhere on the 4/3 site about Olympus not recommending a certain attachment (could have been a converter-my memory fails me!) for use with certain lenses. This doesn't mean it won't work in good light, just that Oly get less complants about patchy performance with certain combinations.

There are certainly some good results on that site from the lens you have with the EC14. you could of course try manually focussing the lens whilst mounted on a tripod if struggling for light,

Steve
 
Hey Ron - I have used the EC14 with the 70-300mm extremely often, and I am certain you will get some great results with it. I shouldn't worry about there being not enough light, just set to Aperture mode, open up as far as you can, turn IS on and let the camera do the work... :)

Here's some of my results with this combination...

http://www.reflectingme.com/p28339871/
 
I had the chance to try out the 70-300 + EC-14 combination at Minsmere yesterday in between showers. The light was not very good but I didn't notice any problems with focusing, although I had to keep the ISO at a minimum of 400 to get reasonable shutter speeds. I haven't had the chance to sift through all the Raw files yet but here is one which I have processed. It was hand held of course.

The exif data reads:
ISO 400
1/400 sec
F7.9
425 mm focal length.

Incidentally, does anyone know what the bird is? It was on its own and I assumed it was a young Black-headed Gull but I could be wrong.

Ron
 

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Here is a cropped version of the above photo to show a bit more of the detail on the bird's plumage. It's a bit soft but I am pretty happy with the result considering it was hand held at 425 mm.

Ron
 

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Ron are you now going to return the EC14 after testing it,, ;)

nice photo,,

can't help ID the bird as nothing like it around me here in the midwest of USA,,

Derry
 
Derry said:
Ron are you now going to return the EC14 after testing it,, ;)

nice photo,,

can't help ID the bird as nothing like it around me here in the midwest of USA,,

Derry
Click to expand...
Thanks Derry. Funnily enough the EC-14 seems to have become permanently attached to my camera since I received it! I think it will be staying. I just need some bright weather and nice little birds to give it a proper work out now.

The bird in the photo has been confirmed as a Black-headed Gull by a few other people now, so that is good enough for me.

Ron
 
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