Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM
1/500s f/7.1 at 400.0mm iso800
Tamron 1.4 Extender Hand held from a canoe

Canon EOS 5D Mark II ,Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM
1/1600s f/5.6 at 560.0mm iso800 Tamron 1.4 extender. Hand held from a canoe

This guy was hard to get close to, but finally he ignored my wife (stern of the canoe, getting me close) and I and let us approach.
The in-flight shot is about 1/4 of the frame.

Hey Jim,

Nice photos...particularly the first one. I am going to ask a really silly question...are you able to get AF with the Tamron extender and the F5.6 lens?

James

Not a silly question at all. Yes, autofocus is achieved with this combination because the lens doesn't communicate with the Canon parts. Canon sees only f5.6 and attempts to focus.

The results are not perfect but quite usable. I find the lens chatters before choosing a steady focus. This delay is a huge pain for an in-flight shot, but no big deal for a "sitting duck".

All that said, the in-flight shot of the Green Heron was a matter of luck. I doubt anyone could manually focus on that fast-moving target, or that any camera/lens combo could either. Look at the grasses either side (closer/farther) of the heron. How could an autofocus pick out what the photographer wanted? I expect the autofocus settled on a piece of grass that was conveniently the same distance away as the heron.

"The results are not perfect but quite usable. I find the lens chatters before choosing a steady focus. This delay is a huge pain for an in-flight shot, but no big deal for a "sitting duck". "

Hey Jim,

Thanks. Can you describe what that looks like? Is it significantly slower with the general focus lock?

James

I replied to this before?? OK, maybe I goofed.
Yes, it is slower. The lens chatters - that's the best way to describe it. It searches back and forth very quickly, not like a lens hunting from one end of the range to the other. In less than a second it locks. But that can still be a long time! It is still faster than focusing manually of course and tons better than trying the Canon 1.4 which doesn't even try.
I've heard of many who use this combination for the same reason.

Thanks, Jim. Do you find the results sharp at 100 and 200%?

James

Nice work catching the bird in flight.

Wow, I am impressed with the the 200%. Very nice photos.