The SL2, through no misbehavior of its own, has been replaced by an R6 II. The lure of cutting-edge autofocus and cleaner (and smaller!) files was too much. Well, okay, ditching “old” tech for something new had a little to do with it, too.
Sorting out the RF long lens choice involved taking the lazy way out, the 2X extender. The 800 was a no-go for me from the start, and the 600+1.4X would be f/11 anyway. The 2X creates an interesting combo for either body while maintaining the close MFD that I like for my little six-legged friends.
Heavy tree-pruning equipment in my usual shooting area yesterday and much of today made my critter friends hard to find. But a dear friend, a Stork-Billed Kingfisher, perched in a very visible place and sat patiently while I shot, changed teleconverters, shot some more, and then changed back. Although I wouldn’t be likely to use the 2X on the R6 II in middling or lower light, it was interesting to see what it could do (see below).
Hopefully the weekend weather will give me a chance to spend some time at the mud flat for some open field shooting, which is really what the 2X is intended for, on either camera. The R7, with no AA filter, will likely be first choice for critter-chasing most days, as relative reach at f/8 with the bare lens is not far from the absolute reach of the zoom+2X on the R6 II.
Eventually the 280+2X will get an outing on the R6 II, where I expect it will finally look like it’s supposed to. For now, it looks as though this slippery slope has about hit bottom, in this case with a happy landing!
