While we're talking a close look at the eyes on that Blue Heron, here's another shot that has been zoomed into show the eye...

You'll notice that today's shot isn't quite as sharp as the ones I shared yesterday. However, this shot has an exposure of 1/50th of a second at f/11; whereas the shots from yesterday had 1/320th of a second at f/8. The significance here is that while this image zoomed to 100% does show a very slight amount of softness too it, it is still acceptable for sharing on the web... Here's the uncropped version:

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM at 400mm, 1/50 sec at f/11. ISO 320. IS Mode 1. RAW processing and cropped in Adobe Camera Raw.

Previously, there would have been no way I would have been able to shoot at 400mm with a shutter speed as slow as 1/50th of a second. Granted I was using a monopod and the best technique I could to keep the camera steady, but this definitely shows a very high level of precision provided by the upgraded Image Stabilization that the Mark II version of this lens has. Canon claims a 4-stop improvement from this new IS system (up from 2-stop on the original version of this lens), and I'll be honest and say I think they made good on their claims.

I definitely look forward to using this lens for many many years!

- Bill