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Vivitar Series 1 135/2.3
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PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 8:15 am    Post subject: Vivitar Series 1 135/2.3 Reply with quote
My usual testing ground, Dunrobin Castle falconry display.
Using a Canon 7D.
Harris Hawk, Gyr Falcon, Saker Falcon, Bengal Eagle Owl and Steppe Eagle.
All shot under f4.

I've tried many different lenses for this kind of shooting, this one is my favourite.









PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 8:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Outstanding photos! I've not managed to produce such sharp focused and detailed images from my copy of this lens.
Mine is the first version without the VMC. I've shelved it in favor of other lenses.
Of course, skill and experience plays a big factor. Judging from the photos, you're light years ahead of me. Smile


PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 8:45 am    Post subject: Re: Vivitar Series 1 135/2.3 Reply with quote
SonicScot wrote:

I've tried many different lenses for this kind of shooting, this one is my favourite.


Damn dude, those are fantastic.

What have you used for this kind of shooting before and what's the best about the 2.3? I am just about at the point where I can get a decent shot of a bird if it's on the ground (not only that - I can even consistently remember which way to turn to focus the lens!). How do you get good at this? Very Happy


PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 8:51 am    Post subject: Re: Vivitar Series 1 135/2.3 Reply with quote
piggsy wrote:
How do you get good at this? Very Happy


Practice, practice and more practice. Wink Smile


PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 9:08 am    Post subject: Re: Vivitar Series 1 135/2.3 Reply with quote
DigiChromeEd wrote:
piggsy wrote:
How do you get good at this? Very Happy


Practice, practice and more practice. Wink Smile


Haha I am sure that is part of it - but just off the top of my head, say, something that really helped was being told, "just get up earlier in the morning or do it just before the sun fully rises, and get a flash" to do insect macro. I genuinely had no idea that this was how people did the stuff they were doing. Or say, how did my buddy lose so much weight? It turns out, the answer was methamphetamine the whole time.


PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The second picture is my personal favorite because it lacks of the rather nervous bokeh of the others.
However, fantastic shots. All of them.


PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
very nice pictures


PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I am amazed. I know from personal experience just how damned difficult it is getting in-focus shots of birds on the wing. Back in my film days, I felt good if maybe one or two out of a dozen would be in focus. Very impressive. And the lens is no slouch either. Cool


PostPosted: Sat May 23, 2015 1:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
I am amazed. I know from personal experience just how damned difficult it is getting in-focus shots of birds on the wing. Back in my film days, I felt good if maybe one or two out of a dozen would be in focus. Very impressive. And the lens is no slouch either. Cool


That's one of the beauties of modern digital photography. You can simply make 100 pictures to get the excellent one. At no cost!
In the old times it happened sometimes that the film was finished, before the one and only "great" picture was taken. Unfortunately that happend also to me. Wink


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 7:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
WNG555 wrote:
Outstanding photos! I've not managed to produce such sharp focused and detailed images from my copy of this lens.
Mine is the first version without the VMC. I've shelved it in favor of other lenses.
Of course, skill and experience plays a big factor. Judging from the photos, you're light years ahead of me. Smile

I didn't know there was a version without VMC.
Thanks for the compliment Smile


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:06 am    Post subject: Re: Vivitar Series 1 135/2.3 Reply with quote
piggsy wrote:
SonicScot wrote:

I've tried many different lenses for this kind of shooting, this one is my favourite.


Damn dude, those are fantastic.

What have you used for this kind of shooting before and what's the best about the 2.3? I am just about at the point where I can get a decent shot of a bird if it's on the ground (not only that - I can even consistently remember which way to turn to focus the lens!). How do you get good at this? Very Happy

Thanks Smile

If you look at my Flickr set of falconry you'll see I have tried dozens of different lenses when shooting these birds. Various focal lengths between 85-300mm.
This particular lens can produce some very nice pop, it's also quite sharp and it feels good in my hand. The focus throw works in my favour too, it has just the right amount of movement to follow focus over short distances.
The VMC isn't the best so I've added a longer metal hood than the built-in one, I think it helps a lot.


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:06 am    Post subject: Re: Vivitar Series 1 135/2.3 Reply with quote
DigiChromeEd wrote:
piggsy wrote:
How do you get good at this? Very Happy


Practice, practice and more practice. Wink Smile

Absolutely true Smile


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
tb_a wrote:
The second picture is my personal favorite because it lacks of the rather nervous bokeh of the others.
However, fantastic shots. All of them.

I have to agree, the bokeh isn't always the best. That second image was the best that day, the background is much further away than in the other images.
Thank you Smile


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
@yusuf & cooltouch thank you Smile


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just WOW!


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Really great pictures! I tried shooting flying birds with manual focus many times, no success so far!


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
For those wondering 'how', experience and lots of practice help a great deal. Having a vague idea which general direction the birds will fly is a bonus too, although no two flights are exactly the same. Muscle memory is important, knowing how far to turn the focus ring as a bird either flies past or flies towards you is invaluable.
Owls are the slowest, followed by hawks, but falcons are speed merchants. If it's a windy day the falcons use this to accelerate, some can reach 90 mph in level flight, much faster if they're stooping (diving straight down). Falcons can reach over 200 mph in a stoop Shocked
I shoot birds with both the 7D and 5D Mkll, I usually shoot a short burst of 2-4 shots, there's no point firing off 10 frames if I haven't got the timing right. On this particular day I came home with about 110 images, these were the best but there's another 20 or more in focus. My percentages have improved greatly over the last four years since I first visited the display.

Two days ago Bonsai the Bengal Eagle Owl landed on my hat, then he shit on me Laughing
(photos taken by a friend)



PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
TrueLoveOne wrote:
Really great pictures! I tried shooting flying birds with manual focus many times, no success so far!

With practice your success rate will rise. I've tried using a Canon 70-200L f2.8 with my 7D and it's ok for owls and hawks, it can't keep up for the falcons though.

Thanks Smile


PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
This lens is ok for Steppe Eagle portraits too Smile shame I missed focus on the eyes in the first one, but you get the idea.
(the background is a rough stone wall, around 4m away)




PostPosted: Sun May 24, 2015 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
SonicScot wrote:
For those wondering 'how', experience and lots of practice help a great deal. Having a vague idea which general direction the birds will fly is a bonus too, although no two flights are exactly the same. Muscle memory is important, knowing how far to turn the focus ring as a bird either flies past or flies towards you is invaluable.


Having done a lot of bird shooting in the ancient times of film and MF photography I can only support what you are stating here.
Though I was always considering the end of the film and the associated cost, before I pushed the button.
My preferred birds have been the gulls in the surrounding of my living place due to lack of other birds, except doves.
However, some of the shots have been also successful against all odds. Wink
Maybe I should search my negatives and do a scanning job. Will see.

Nowadays I somehow prefer to do it the easier way: Digital with AF. Tricky enough. Wink


PostPosted: Mon May 25, 2015 4:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I used to "bait" seagulls. Or I'd get my wife to do it. We'd lie flat in the sand or grass and she'd toss up bits of food into the air, the gulls would swoop down and pluck it out of the air. It made for some good captures.

Canon F-1, Vivitar S1 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5, Kodachrome 64:
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