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

Reviews by Ken Billington

Ken Billington
For EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera Body in Cameras, DSLR & MFT (micro four thirds)
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • Good solid build (magnesium casing), rapid exposure bursts (6.3 fps), good autofocus, 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with improved noise reduction, wide range ISO 100-3200 (H1: 6400, H2: 12800)
Cons
  • Partial Weather Sealing
Advantages

1. 15.1-megapixel CMOS Sensor - those remote bird shots can now be cropped even more without losing image quality. This is a big advantage compared to the older Canon models 40D (10.1MP) or 30D (8.2MP).
2. The Improved Noise Reduction of the sensor also allows the use of higher ISO's without excessive graininess (maximum ISO rating of 12800, a key advantage if you have to shoot in low-light conditions.
3. Fast Frame Rate and Short Shutter Lag - the processor can shoot up to 6.3 fps, in bursts of up to 90 JPEGs - ideal for shooting birds in flight. This is a big advantage compared to the 60D, Rebel T1i & Rebel T2i.
4. Low Grain and Artifacts - the self cleaning sensor unit includes a fluorine coating on the low-pass filter for better dust resistance. Each time your switch the camera on and off, the self-cleaning mode kicks in.
5. Build Quality - the 50D camera body being made of magnesium alloy feels sturdy and solid as opposed to the Rebel T1i or T2i.

Disadvantages

1. Partial Weather Sealing - only the Canon 1-series bodies are weather sealed. Better not to get your 50D wet!
2. Pixel Count - based on sensor size and pixel count the 60D or the older 7D come out on top with 18MP. The 50D with 15.1MP is still far superior to the older Canon models 40D (10.1MP) or 30D (8.2MP).

Summary

The EOS 50D 15.1MP Digital SLR Camera is an excellent choice for the wildlife photographer. It delivers superb image quality from a solid-performing body. Check out the quality of my images by clicking on the link below
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Ken Billington's Bird & Wildlife Photography
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Ken Billington
For EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens in SLR & MFT (micro four thirds) Lenses
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • Fast focusing, non-extending or rotating, sharp images, excellent optical performance, practical minimum working distance (MWD) of 150mm.
Cons
  • Build quality not as solid as L-Series lenses, No image stabilization.
Advantages

1. Fast Focusing - Utilizing USM (Ultrasonic Motor), the Canon 100 Macro internally focuses very fast, quietly and very accurately.
2. Non-Extending or Rotating - When focusing at 1x subject distances, the lens does not extend, and the front element does not rotate.
3. Sharp Images - the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens is sharp wide open. The tiniest details in your tiniest subjects will come to life with this lens.
4. Optical Performance - Flare is very well controlled. Color and contrast are excellent and distortion is negligible. Although vignetting is apparent at f/2.8, this rapidly disappears when the lens is stopped down.
5. Practical Minimum Working Distance (MWD) - The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens gives an optimum MWD of 150mm. At the higher MWD of the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM lens (240mm), insects are not really close enough. At the lower MWD of the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens (90mm), insects may scare and fly away prematurely.

Disadvantages

1. Build quality - this USM Macro lens has a reasonable build quality although it's not quite as solid as the L-Series lenses.
2. Image Stabilization - this lens does not feature the image stabilization present with the significantly more expensive Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro Lens.

Summary

The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens is a very good choice for macro photography of butterflies, insects or flowers. It offers excellent optical performance and middle-of-the-road working distance, size and
weight. Check out my Butterfly & Insect Stock Photos and Images.
Ken Billington
For EF 400mm f5.6 L USM in SLR & MFT (micro four thirds) Lenses
Recommended
Yes
Price
0$
Pros
  • light in weight, excellent optical performance, fast focusing, sharp images, good vignetting performance
Cons
  • no image stabilisation, not water resistant
Advantages

1. Light in Weight - the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM Lens is light in weight compared to the other Canon telephoto lenses . This is a huge advantage for bird photography, easy to maneuver when taking flight shots, not too tiring when trekking.
2. Excellent Optical Performance - as a member of the Canon L Lens Series, the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM Lens' overall optical performance is outstanding.
3. Fast focusing - thanks to the Ultrasonic Motor (USM), the 400 f/5.6 L internally focuses very fast and very quietly.
4. Sharp Images - the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM Lens performs superbly in the sharpness department. Even wide open, the 400 f/5.6 produces very sharp images.
5. Good Vignetting Performance - even the corners of full fame shots remain evenly colored without displaying any tendency to vignetting.

Disadvantages

1. Image Stabilisation - one of the compromises of this budget lens is that it doesn't have image stabilisation (IS). It can still be very successful for "handheld" or so-called "grab-shots" provided that a short exposure time and/or a higher ISO is used. When used together with the high quality EOS DSLR's recently introduced by Canon, this disadvantage can be compensated.
2. Water Resistance - another disadvantage of this lens is that it isn't 100% water resistant like its more expensive cousins.

Conclusion

The Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM Lens is hugely successful for bird and wildlife photography and especially for flight shots. It offers a good level of performance at a relatively low price. Check out the quality of sample images on Ken Billington's Bird & Wildlife Photography
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