300pf + 1.4x it’s a nice combination but I use 200-500 for reach
I understand and believe you're correct. Its not the latest version of the TC
Before this summer, I plan to rent the 500mm PF (ill never be able to afford to buy one)
I also want to try the 200-500 as I've seen so much good work with it.
However, I believe the zoom option adds more weight, also I don't know how often I'd use the 200mm end of the range.
I attach the full crop frame shots for reference
Thanks
Actually this is an example of the drawbacks of cropping.
The view of the buzzard in flight looks pretty good initially, but when you zoom in, you can see details are not (quite) as sharp as they could be.
After experimentation I've changed to AF Area Mode: Dynamic Area (25 points) for my BIF as I realised I wasn't able to keep them in the centre of the frame accurately enough when in flight.
Despite shooting at 1/1250 and using f6.3 to get the best out of the TC combination, most of my shots on Sunday lack critical detail.
The EXIF readout says
"AF-C, at 32m, with a depth of field of about 1.4m, (from about 69cm before the focus point to about 72cm after)"
This bird was gliding. I wonder if my unsharp other shots (with more unpredictable flight) were just the AF just not being able to lock in accurately?