Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM
life on the lake
Canon EOS-1DX - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x III (420mm)
- iso100 - f/8 - 180 sec with long exposure noise reduction - Michael Grobe
Been living near the lake here now for a few weeks, but never saw anybody landing on or leaving these floating huts, wonder what they are used for, even having a satellite dish. Guess I have to investigate a bit. This is also one of my first real shots with the Canon EOS 1DX, that finally arrived in Germany in October after months of waiting and pre-ordering. So far after a couple hundred test shots, it seems the autofocus is outstanding, image quality in low light real good and overall an addictive camera to shoot with. The 12fps sure is...
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1DX: Canon's actual flagship professional camera body with 12fps, full frame 18MP sensor and what seems to be the best autofocus in a DSLR so far.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment. Get the updated vII: even sharper, 4 stops of IS and even lighter.
Canon 1.4x Ef Extender III: The latest version III is a welcome update to the former, improving image quality including sharpness effectively. Together with the version II telephoto lenses (like the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM) autofocus speed is improved also.
Adobe Lightroom 4: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
tire tube fisher
08/10/2012 23:11 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x III (420mm)
- iso3200 - f/8 1/500 sec - Michael Grobe
Getting up early (around 0600) rewards usually with photographic opportunities. One of the few fishermen of Lake Powai in Mumbai, India paddles from net to net in the early morning mist. That lake has a few crocodiles living there, so sitting on a tire with ones legs in the water might show either some bravery or disastrousness...
The 1.3x APS-H sensors are a breed of the past for Canon and most likely discontinued with the advent of the full frame highspeed 1DX. I will keep my 1D MK IV for a while, since that 1.3x factor turns the 300/f2.8 plus 1.4x teleconverter package into an 546mm f/4 equivalent with still gorgeous image quality. Can't wait to shoot the new autofocus of the 1DX though.
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. I use it for fast and responsive street photography, too.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment.
Adobe Lightroom 4: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
olympics
01/09/2012 02:14 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso2000 - f/2.8 1/320 sec - Michael Grobe
The 2012 Olympics in London are over and this athlete has been shot in a stadium in Malaysia instead. There is a relationship between the two though, a commercial, that was shot for the London Games.
While lens flares are often to be avoided (unless you are J.J. A.), I loved it here coming from the nice backlight.
More about the commercial to come soon.
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. I use it for fast and responsive street photography, too.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment.
Adobe Lightroom 4: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh. Just released the latest version 4 with a few really helpful additions.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
banganga tank
26/08/2012 00:53 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM
- iso5000 - f/2.8 1/160 sec - Michael Grobe
A famous place in Mumbai, seen in many Bollywood movies and a few TV series as well. The Banganga Tank in Malabar Hill, Mumbai. I took this photo well after dusk with the last sunrays reflecting in the water tank, iso5000 and the lens resting on the knees made it possible.
You gotta love India's colors.
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. I use it for fast and responsive street photography, too.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment.
Adobe Lightroom 4: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh. Just released the latest version 4 with a few really helpful additions.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
monkey brunch
31/03/2012 09:19 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso400 - f/6.3 1/640 sec - Michael Grobe
Monkey enjoying potato chips for late sunday brunch near the Kanheri Caves in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park Mumbai, India.
A great place to relax, once you managed to get out of ever busy Mumbai for a while.
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. Canon's best image quality as of early 2012 (until the 1DX comes along...) makes this camera also highly desired for nature and landscape photography. I use it for fast and responsive street photography, too.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment.
Adobe Lightroom 4: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh. Just released the latest version 4 with a few really helpful additions.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
goetz of the iron hand
13/11/2011 22:47 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso160 - f/2.8 1.6 sec - Michael Grobe
Schloss Schwarzenberg in Frankonia, Goethe opens his 1773 play "Goetz von Berlichingen" in a tavern near the castle. The famous quote of "Goetz of the Iron Hand" can still be used to give excuse and justification for ones malicious tongue...
"Mich ergeben! Auf Gnad und Ungnad! Mit wem redet Ihr! Bin ich ein Räuber! Sag deinem Hauptmann: Vor Ihro Kaiserliche Majestät hab ich, wie immer, schuldigen Respekt. Er aber, sag's ihm, er kann mich -".
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-5D Mark II: 21 Megapixels resolution, fullframe sensor with gorgeous 1080p video, great high ISO noise performance.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
slovenian beauty
08/09/2011 22:31 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso160
- f/2.8 1/160 sec - Michael Grobe
Not only truffle pigs, but also beauty to be found in Slovenia.
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. Canon's best image quality as of 2011 makes this camera also highly desired for nature and landscape photography.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
slovenian truffle pig
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso1250 - f/5 1/200 sec - Michael Grobe
Back in lovely Slovenia again to supervise a commercial shoot. Spotted this rare sight in the evening just next to our shooting location deep in the country side. From far it looked like a strange monster dog, but then it turned out to be a giant truffle pig. Following this master through the meadows and woods, that is how the Slovenian truffles are hunted down, which you can eat aplenty in Ljubljana...
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso1250 - f/5 1/200 sec - Michael Grobe
The gear used to create this image:
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. Canon's best image quality as of 2011 makes this camera also highly desired for nature and landscape photography.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
delorean.de relaunch
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso100 - f/2.8 1/250 sec - Michael Grobe
15 years online - and now a relaunch: www.delorean.de
All you need to know about the stainless steel gullwing beauty. Contributed a few images and a trailer to the redesigned website. Recommended for all DeLorean fans and classic sports car enthusiasts, still the leading website about the DeLorean in Europe.
delorean.de from Michael Grobe on Vimeo.
The gear used to create this image and the video:
Canon EOS-5D Mark II: 21 Megapixels resolution, fullframe sensor with gorgeous 1080p video, great high ISO noise performance.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV: one of the best low light and sports cameras today. Canon's best image quality as of 2011 makes this camera also highly desired for nature and landscape photography. Fantastic 1080p video shooting as well.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM: awesome image quality, as-good-as-it-gets, a lifetime investment.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM: the video was shot with the discontinued version I predecessor, get the newer EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM. The 70-200 is my most used lens delivering great results.
Adobe Lightroom 3: the best tool for image management and manipulation on Windows and Macintosh.
Apple Final Cut Studio: all in one solution for editing, color grading, sound editing and dvd creation on Macintosh.
See my gear pages: recommended equipment.
hollywood fog
14/09/2010 08:25 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso100
- f/8 1/125 sec - part of stitiched panorama - Michael Grobe
People here in L.A. would immediately refer to bad weather, when there is fog, haze, or clouds covering the sky. The photographer in me would immediately think of carrying my camera up the hills and shoot well into dusk and beyond. Clear blue skies and atmosphere lack just the magic. The foggy haze here covers most of L.A. and reaches inbetween the Hollywood Hills.
manhattan nights
27/08/2010 21:50 Filed in: video
Manhattan Nights from Michael Grobe on Vimeo.
Night impressions of Manhattan, New York. A few timelapses and shots taken during a few nights of still photography in New York. The Manhattan skyline is enjoyed best from the New Jersey side over the Hudson. You just have to love New York. Shot with the Canon 1D mk IV and 5D mk II at ISO 2500-6400. Obviously there is some noise present at 6400, but nothing that can't be cleaned with the help of Neat Video Noise Reduction in Final Cut. With the latest generation of dslrs it is a joy shooting at night, stills or video. I shot stills with the 1D mk IV at ISO 12800 without hesitation, as long as the are well exposed. Some cleanup in post and you get printable images. The timelapses are shot at ISO 800 to catch decent shutter speeds (less than 10sec) once night has fallen in, so that I could have a picture taken every 10 seconds.
the last salute
17/05/2010 23:28 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso100
- f/8 1/1600 sec - Michael Grobe
Yesterday one of the greatest rock singers passed away, Ronnie James Dio. I just happened to catch this image the evening before. Even the sun throws the horns for a legend... the "Malocchio".
maximilianeum
Canon EOS-7D - 420mm (EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x) - iso1250 - 1/3200 sec - f/4
- Michael Grobe
Some more shooting with a borrowed EOS 7D. Still have to figure, whether I really like this camera and it's image quality (it definitely has more high iso noise than it´s bigger sisters), but it gives great additional reach due to it's APS-C sized sensor. The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x Extender becomes a 672 mm full-frame-equivalent. So this shot was taken from several hundreds of meters away looking up through the trees near the "Isar" towards the flags on top of Munich's "Maximilianeum". Used a monopod to stabilze this 672 mm combo and the 1/3200 sec exposure assured a sharp photo.
last struggle of winter
20/03/2010 01:48 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso100 - f/2.8 - 1/1600 sec
- Michael Grobe
The last bits of snow a few days back in the munich outskirts. But now the temperatures are going up again, spring is around.
mulholland night
25/02/2010 19:21 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso100 - f/2.8 - 1.6 sec
- Michael Grobe
Driving along Mulholland Drive at midnight. The million lights of L.A. shining through the bars of an electricity pylon. Btw... love David Lynch movies...
last thought of winter
11/02/2010 17:09 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso400 - f/8 - 30 sec
- Michael Grobe
The last impression of winter before flying to L.A. for a few weeks.
winter night sun
17/01/2010 23:45 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso100 - f/3.2 - 30 sec
- Michael Grobe
What looks like a shot into the sun is really a 30 sec. night exposure, the “sun” light is sent from Munich´s olympic tower.
daisy and the snow
11/01/2010 03:22 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso3200 - f/2.8 - 1/100 sec
- Michael Grobe
Daisy, Europe´s current low-pressure system brought lots of snow all over Germany and really cold temperatures. All that snow makes a lovely backdrop for some night shots. And at 1am, there aren´t too many guys plowing through the white scenery, it is quiet and one can enjoy the freshly fallen white stuff. If those cameras were just built with bigger buttons, so that you can easily operate with gloves on, it´s quite difficult to do that properly with modern DSLRs.
happy new year
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso3200 - f/8 - 0.8 sec
- Michael Grobe
I wish everyone a happy new year!
These shots have been taken on Munich´s Olympiaberg, the highest point of the city with views all around. A couple of thousand people gather there each year to celebrate and make the little mountain disappear peacefully in fire and smoke.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III - EF 70-200mm 1:2.8L IS USM
- iso1600 - f/2.8 -1/5 sec - Michael Grobe
famous details
30/12/2009 23:25 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso400 - f/2,8 - 1/50 sec
Architectural details to be found on one of Munich´s most famous roofs. Frei Otto´s roof tensile structures.
A tele-lens can be a great tool for capturing details, despite it´s bulkiness the 300/2,8 becomes my favorite lens.
the roofs of munich
29/12/2009 23:53 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - 420mm (EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x) - iso800 - f/8 -
HDR exposure blending of 3 shots - Michael Grobe
A foggy winter night over Munich´s roof tops.
distorted night
09/12/2009 01:22 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-5D Mark II - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso100 - f/5,6 -
HDR exposure blending of 3 shots - Michael Grobe
The Olympiapark is becoming a favorite shooting ground... but then again, there is so much detail to be explored, each time I take my camera there, I find new opportunities. Spotted this one walking by the Olympic Stadium and chatting to a friend. First hesitated as I had to shoot through a fence. But then positioning the lens inches away from the fence got rid of any obtrusive lines in the out-of-focus area. Shot as a bracketed exposures to blend dynamic range detail together, I guess it was worth the freezing hands...
biomorph
10/11/2009 00:34 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III - EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM - iso800 - f/7,1 6 sec - Michael Grobe
Biomorph: organic architecture. The famous roof tensile structures of Frei Otto.
digging in mud
26/10/2009 23:46 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III - 420mm (EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x)
- iso3200 - f/4.0 1/8 sec - Michael Grobe
And another night at the Oly-park in Munich again. The Olympia-lake has been drained partially, a great opportunity for some unusual low light mud photography.
pangolin
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III - EF 300mm 1:2.8L IS USM - iso100 - f/8 13 sec - Michael Grobe
Another night at the Olympiapark in Munich, photographing the timeless architecture.
Pangolin - das Schuppentier.
Incredible detail and sharpness rendered by the EF 300mm 1:2.8L IS USM in this 13 sec long exposure.
Detailed crop of image above.
on the road again
01/09/2009 00:21 Filed in: photos
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III - 420mm (EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM +1.4x)
- iso100 - f/4.5 1/250 sec - Michael Grobe
The ultrasharp 300mm f/2.8 works exceptionally well with the 1.4x Teleconverter resulting in a very sharp 420mm f/4 capturing this beauty on the road again.
