I went back to Peebles Island this morning with the SL1 but brought the tiny, plastic EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM lens instead of the big 150-500mm Sigma. Yes, I gave up half of my focal length but I wanted to see if the quality difference meant I could crop closer and the extra stop (the Canon lens is sharp wide open while the Sigma needs to be at f/8 or smaller) meant I could use a lower ISO. The shorter focal length and lighter weight should also mean I can use a slower shutter speed and a lower ISO.
It was heavily overcast and even drizzling a bit. I used the monopod and here is a 100% crop of the Bald Eagle nest. I was cropping the Sigma lens shots at 1300 pixels wide while this one is 900 pixels wide. With better lighting conditions, I think the Canon lens out performs the Sigma.
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| 250mm, f/5.6, 1/1500 sec., ISO 800 |
An advantage of the 55-250mm focal length range is that you can get other types of shots while you wait for something to happen with the Eagles. Here are some three file HDR shots on the trails along the way. I bracketed +/- 1.5 stops. Exposure info is for the normally exposed file.
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| 55mm, f/8, 1/1500 sec., ISO 800 |
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| 200mm, f/8, 1/180 sec., ISO 400 |
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152mm, f/5.6, 1/90 sec., ISO 400
Should have used f/8 for more depth of field |
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| 250mm, f/8, 1/30 sec., ISO 400 |
And on Peebles Island there's always the deer you see on the way out.
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| 250mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec., ISO 800 |
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