Meeting a Dgrinner when out shooting

Steve Cavigliano

Hello All,
The wife and I had some errands to do over at the beach, so I figured I'd bring the pack and spend some time shooting. It was foggy and gray on this side of the hill and I figured surf shots with the Bigma would be extremely challenging :dunno But, as we drove over the hill, the Sun broke through and it was beautiful at the beach. After lunch, we drove to the Lighthouse parking lot and I got out to shoot some. There were a bunch of surfers and lots of people taking pics of them. Like these 2 guys (also notice the big white lens in the BG of the 2nd pic...lol)



So I'm shooting up a storm, moving around, trying to squeeze in between all the tourists and other shooters. One of the other shooters with a BIG WHITE lens walks past and says "this is a good show today." Thinking about the excellent big wave pics MacZippy posted earlier in the week, I reply, "yeah but I wish the waves were bigger." So we are all shooting surfers and pretty engrossed when the guy with the big lens comes by again and says, "hey is your name Steve?" I figured maybe it was MacZippy and asked, "is your name Andrew?" He said, "no, my name is Ian." Holy cow!! It's Ian408:clap


Now, how cool is that? I knew there were lots of Bay Area Dgrinners, but I never expected to bump into one while shooting :rofl We had a nice conversation and we both can't wait for the Yosemite trip. Oh yeah, we also agreed that Gus should by a Bigma :thumb With his artistic eye, and keeping his budget in mind, this baby is a perfect fit and I'd just love to see the results he could coax out of it

OK, I'll shut up now and post a few Bigma surf pics :lol3






Thanks for looking,
Steve

Dee

How neat to meet Ian
I'm always looking at guys and wondering if it's Steve, or Dave or anyone else....

I saw this at the beach Thursday and couldn't resist sneaking a shot. I was brazen enough to ask if I could photograph his lens... he obliged... then I asked what he was shooting and he replied porpoises and showed me a pic!

I was blown away that one, he even saw them, and two, that he had time to haul out all the equipment, set it up and still get the shot!

He just got his first digital camera a month ago - 20D. He's from Santa Cruz (geesh, all the times I go to Santa Cruz to get pics and he heads north into my turf!)

No, he doesn't do dgrin, or the forums at dpreview (just the reviews!). So here's my bigma catch of the day.

Now if this doesn't win the silliest post of dgrin, I don't know what will

Andy

how cool!

great shots, too steve.

but - ahem... where's the food

ian408

I was definetly "over-lensed" today. Given I had to walk about 3/4 of a
mile to the lane, and didn't want to carry everything, I brought the 1D
and the 500 figuring I'd be good to go. But the tide was higher than I
thought.

Here's my prospective on the hoodie...shot from the same spot as
Steve's.



Plus, I got this guy...



And another one of a painter "Images one pixel at a time"




Steve, it was great to meet you and the wife! I won't tell 'zippy you
thought I was him

Oh, and since I was reading lens mfg's, 'gus, almost every long lens was a
Sigma...

Ian

ian408

andy wrote:

how cool!

great shots, too steve.

but - ahem... where's the food

We talked about food...Andy's BBQ to be exact

Ann McRae

How cool .........so, any other dgrinners in Edmonton?????


It's warmed up nicely to -8C - warm enough to hottub!!!!

ann

ehughes

Very cool guys, thanks for sharing

luckyrwe

Dee, folks with lenses like tat live for the moment they get questions about it. I think us dgrin folks here need a secret handshake, or maybe a patch for our gear bag, to identify one another out there.

dkapp

luckyrwe wrote:

Dee, folks with lenses like tat live for the moment they get questions about it. I think us dgrin folks here need a secret handshake, or maybe a patch for our gear bag, to identify one another out there.

I'd slap a smugmug patch on my bags. How hard would it be for smugmug to get some made up?

Dave

pathfinder

Dee wrote:

I'm always looking at guys and wondering if it's Steve, or Dave or anyone else....

I saw this at the beach Thursday and couldn't resist sneaking a shot. I was brazen enough to ask if I could photograph his lens... he obliged... then I asked what he was shooting and he replied porpoises and showed me a pic!

I was blown away that one, he even saw them, and two, that he had time to haul out all the equipment, set it up and still get the shot!

He just got his first digital camera a month ago - 20D. He's from Santa Cruz (geesh, all the times I go to Santa Cruz to get pics and he heads north into my turf!)

No, he doesn't do dgrin, or the forums at dpreview (just the reviews!). So here's my bigma catch of the day.

Now if this doesn't win the silliest post of dgrin, I don't know what will

Wimberly tripod head - Was this a 500mm or a 600mm lens? 600mm would be my guess.

ian408

Here are a few of my shots from this afternoon's shoot.

I'll start with the brush off--Santa Cruz is a fairly teritorial
place. Who knows if these two knew each other or the guy in
front was really PO'ed?



This guy was pretty fun to watch.



A wipeout.



And finally, a surfer suiting up.




Ian

Tim Kirkwood

dkapp wrote:

I'd slap a smugmug patch on my bags. How hard would it be for smugmug to get some made up?

Dave

I would also like to have "the mark". I too have been out shooting and run into another photog and wonder if its someone I may have talked to online before.


The patch would be a great idea!

Where do I sign ?

gus

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

Oh yeah, we also agreed that Gus should by a Bigma With his artistic eye, and keeping his budget in mind, this baby is a perfect fit and I'd just love to see the results he could coax out of it

OK, I'll shut up now and post a few Bigma surf pics
Thanks for looking,
Steve

Nice to know im talked about in such high photoalogical circles gents. Ok steve..question time. Nice shots BTW

What shutter speed are those shots ? I have heard/read that at about 1/500 is enough to do surf.?

GREAPER

I'll take one too...

ian408

pathfinder wrote:

Wimberly tripod head - Was this a 500mm or a 600mm lens? 600mm would be my guess.

Looks like a 600.

Ian

Steve Cavigliano

Humungus wrote:

Nice to know im talked about in such high photoalogical circles gents. Ok steve..question time. Nice shots BTW

What shutter speed are those shots ? I have heard/read that at about 1/500 is enough to do surf.?

Gus,
Thank you

I like to shoot the Bigma at F8. It's pretty sharp there, no matter what zoom is used. So when it's bright out, I just set the ISO to 400, and use Av mode set to F8. I can usually get really good speeds using this method. The 1st shot was @ 1/800 and the other 2 were @ 1/2000. Speeds over 1/1000 seem to do a really nice job of freezing those little globules of water. While 1/500 may be OK for surf shots, I recommend getting the highest speed possible. Especially, if you're handholding a long lens. FWIW, I was handholding the camera and panning with the surfers.

Thanks again for the nice comment. I'm very happy with today's results and it was a blast running into Ian.

Steve

Steve Cavigliano

Dee wrote:

I'm always looking at guys and wondering if it's Steve, or Dave or anyone else....

I saw this at the beach Thursday and couldn't resist sneaking a shot. I was brazen enough to ask if I could photograph his lens... he obliged... then I asked what he was shooting and he replied porpoises and showed me a pic!

I was blown away that one, he even saw them, and two, that he had time to haul out all the equipment, set it up and still get the shot!

He just got his first digital camera a month ago - 20D. He's from Santa Cruz (geesh, all the times I go to Santa Cruz to get pics and he heads north into my turf!)

No, he doesn't do dgrin, or the forums at dpreview (just the reviews!). So here's my bigma catch of the day.

Now if this doesn't win the silliest post of dgrin, I don't know what will

Dee. Man that is some longggggggg piece o' glass Cute story and nice pics

Ian mentioned he had been up your way earlier in the day and nothing was happening. So he came down to SC. I guess it works both ways.

You're right, we've got to get patches, or t-shirts, or.....tattoos :roll

Steve

Steve Cavigliano

andy wrote:

how cool!

great shots, too steve.

but - ahem... where's the food

Andy We really did talk about food and when we went to Andy's Ribs a few days before it closed it's doors forever :cry Save that Andy's t shirt. It'll be worth big bucks soon....lol

No food pics. The dw really gets upset when I take pitchas with food in my mouth :lol

Thanks for the nice comments,
Steve

Steve Cavigliano

ian408 wrote:

Steve, it was great to meet you and the wife! I won't tell 'zippy you
thought I was him

Ian

Ian,
You barely got the "hooded guy's" face and camera in the frame...lol That's one tight shot

Hey, it was a pleasure meeting you We had a good time chattin' while shooting. Look forward to next time.

Steve

wxwax

dkapp wrote:

I'd slap a smugmug patch on my bags. How hard would it be for smugmug to get some made up?

Dave

I'd put a dgrin patch on, since this is our meeting place. Good idea.

ian408

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

Ian,
You barely got the "hooded guy's" face and camera in the frame...lol That's one tight shot

Hey, it was a pleasure meeting you We had a good time chattin' while shooting. Look forward to next time.

Steve

I think it really affected my take otherwise--seriously. I'm headed down
to the aquarium tomorrow. If the coast is clear, I'll stop with the 100-400
(I'll be gear limited with the bike ).

Hey, how's this one?



Lot's of Canon gear out today...

ian408

wxwax wrote:

I'd put a dgrin patch on, since this is our meeting place. Good idea.

I bet the guy that did the Advrider version would be happy to make
stickers for lens hoods or even the patch.

Ian

gus

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

Gus,
Thank you

I like to shoot the Bigma at F8. It's pretty sharp there, no matter what zoom is used. So when it's bright out, I just set the ISO to 400, and use Av mode set to F8. I can usually get really good speeds using this method. The 1st shot was @ 1/800 and the other 2 were @ 1/2000. Speeds over 1/1000 seem to do a really nice job of freezing those little globules of water. While 1/500 may be OK for surf shots, I recommend getting the highest speed possible. Especially, if you're handholding a long lens. FWIW, I was handholding the camera and panning with the surfers.

Thanks again for the nice comment. I'm very happy with today's results and it was a blast running into Ian.

Steve

Great info to chew on steve...why im so interested in surf shots (other than i love the sport) i recon its a bit of a benchmark to shoot ie speed with water effects & both good & low light.

I have no idea which way to go as in a telephoto yet..man am i reading heaps though. I am not so concerned with the high speed glass so much as reach. I would have far more to shoot with distance rather than low light distance & really the only 2 lenses that are in the game is the Bigma & the 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS USM. And certainly a 400mm lens is no slouch.

So the question remains again a personal one...is that extra $500-$600 worth the sacrifice of 100 mm zoom + the addition of IS ?

I am always reading people in other forums on about IS effectively allowing a larger apature. Whats your opinion of using Image Stab Steve ...would it help a great deal in lowish light for what you shoot ?

Dee

Don't shave your beard

Steve Cavigliano wrote:

Dee. Man that is some longggggggg piece o' glass Cute story and nice pics

Ian mentioned he had been up your way earlier in the day and nothing was happening. So he came down to SC. I guess it works both ways.

You're right, we've got to get patches, or t-shirts, or.....tattoos :roll

Steve

Don't shave and I might have a fighting chance of recognizing you!

Dee

You think?

luckyrwe wrote:

Dee, folks with lenses like tat live for the moment they get questions about it. I think us dgrin folks here need a secret handshake, or maybe a patch for our gear bag, to identify one another out there.

You're probably right

He even swung the lens around (when I asked him) so I could get better lighting on it! He also explained half the lens was the lens hood and that it came off.

Michiel de Brieder

About IS

Humungus wrote:

I am always reading people in other forums on about IS effectively allowing a larger apature. Whats your opinion of using Image Stab Steve ...would it help a great deal in lowish light for what you shoot ?

'Gus,

About IS, it does make for about 1-2 stops difference in handholdability, BUT remember that you will still need fast shutter speeds to stop the action! With the sh$tload of light down under you'll probably don't need it I've decided for myself to get the Bigma I've seen so many good results from that lens that I can't justify the cost of the 100-400 for myself... I hope to get 'nuff cash raised for the Yosemite shoot so that I can buy some food for the 2 weeks I'm there AND grab myself a lens

Michiel de Brieder

Excellent shots Steve!!!
And a nice read I hope to get some nice shots when I get to SF! I like shooting surfers, so I'm hoping for some nice weather in May!!!
Thanks for sharing

dugmar

dkapp wrote:

I'd slap a smugmug patch on my bags. How hard would it be for smugmug to get some made up?

Dave

Great idea actually. I'd sew one on my bag for sure.

Doug

gus

Michiel de Brieder wrote:

'Gus,

About IS, it does make for about 1-2 stops difference in handholdability, BUT remember that you will still need fast shutter speeds to stop the action! With the sh$tload of light down under you'll probably don't need it I've decided for myself to get the Bigma I've seen so many good results from that lens that I can't justify the cost of the 100-400 for myself... I hope to get 'nuff cash raised for the Yosemite shoot so that I can buy some food for the 2 weeks I'm there AND grab myself a lens

Michiel i have done nothing but read about the Bigma & a few others for the past couple of weeks..you would be hard up to find a bad word against the Bigma 50-500 (you do see some bad words for the sigma 170-500 though)

Sooo many people that shoot long distance rave about it. Its all just a giant trade off like everything else in this world. I was surprised at the following that lens gets though.

just some site i found where the bloke shoots neally everything with the bigma.

http://www.h20pix.com/

maczippy

I'll buy a person a pint if they ever spot me.....

Hint, I'm the only person who handholds these beasts...and has a "funny" accent....I'll say no more..

So don't be shy, if you think it's me, and are feeling brave, it's a trip to the Seabright brewery for you...on me...

Nice work Steve et al.

Andrew

(at home becuase there's just too many people for me down there today...)

Steve Cavigliano

Humungus wrote:

Great info to chew on steve...why im so interested in surf shots (other than i love the sport) i recon its a bit of a benchmark to shoot ie speed with water effects & both good & low light.

I have no idea which way to go as in a telephoto yet..man am i reading heaps though. I am not so concerned with the high speed glass so much as reach. I would have far more to shoot with distance rather than low light distance & really the only 2 lenses that are in the game is the Bigma & the 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS USM. And certainly a 400mm lens is no slouch.

So the question remains again a personal one...is that extra $500-$600 worth the sacrifice of 100 mm zoom + the addition of IS ?

I am always reading people in other forums on about IS effectively allowing a larger apature. Whats your opinion of using Image Stab Steve ...would it help a great deal in lowish light for what you shoot ?

Gus,
I was considering the same 3 options as you. The 100-400mm and the 400 F5.6 are lighter, are Canons and are "L" glass. Plus, the 100-400mm has IS. The major positives for the Bigma were price, the extra 100mm's (more like 75mm's) of reach and the extra room at the wide end. I read all the reviews (including user feedback) and looked at a ton of pictures. I came to the conclusion that they are all equally capable of delivering sharp images, with nice color and contrast. None of them had any image quality issues I could see (CA, flare, color issues, viginetting, etc). Since I couldn't see a $300-$500 difference, I took the economical route. I'm am very satisfied with my decision and think I can get even more out of this beast once I get more experienced with it.

Regarding, the question "to IS, or not to IS?" As Michiel points out, IS helps you with slower shutter speeds. Unless you plan on shooting at full tele, with speeds less than 1/500 (or 1/400 in the Canon's case), you really wouldn't notice a difference. In most cases, you will be using high speeds in good light and IMO, all of these lenses are still too slow, at max tele, to handhold in poor light anyway.

FWIW, I ordered the cheapie ($80usd) Tamron 1.4x TC from B&H last week. I plan to try it with the Bigma, I'll keep you posted on the results 500mm's x 1.4 = 700mm's. 700mm's x 1.6 FOV = 1120 :yikes If it works out, I'll be able to tell if a surfer missed a spot when shaving :lol


Good luck,
Steve