Mike's Camera Lense Day at the Denver Zoo
Mike's Camera brought back one of their events that I loved so much: demo days at the Denver Zoo. They stopped doing this in 2020 due to Covid and haven't done it since. I figured they weren't going to bring it back when I saw in one of their email newsletters that it would be this weekend. I had given up hope in this event since they hadn't done it in 5 years.
I rented an R5 camera body which is the bigger version of the camera I have. It has twice the pixel density (45MP) which means that I can crop in on the photos without losing as much detail, and it has in-body image stabilization which helps shoot handheld with telephoto lenses.
For the lenses I rented, I started out with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1. That lens was perfect for the zoo and produced very sharp photos, unlike the cheaper RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 lens that I already own. The only downside is that the lens is bulky and heavy, which wouldn't be a good fit in my lens lineup. But it was fun to play with and I rented that lens for 3 hours before exchanging it for something else.
My second lens rental for the day was the RF 100 f/2.8 macro lens. There were some flowers around that I made use of this lens on, but I didn't really have enough time to get used to it. That's the first lens that I've used that has a spherical aberration adjustment. That seems like a handy feature but I didn't understand enough of what it was doing for it to matter in the short window that I had the lens for.
The last lens that I rented for the day was the RF 135mm f/1.8 lens. This is a portrait lens. Of all the lenses I tried, this one fits my needs the most in landscape photography, although right on the edge of being too zoomed in. That lens was also quite heavy for everyday use.
Throughout the day I was able to hook up to some much nicer lenses that they had stationed around the zoo. For Canon, that was the RF 200-800 f/6.3-9 and the RF 400mm f/2.8 lense. The latter lens by far outperformed the former, but they were both nice and fun lenses to use.
Here's a summary of the equipment I rented (and its cost to buy new):
| Equipment | Cost |
|---|---|
| R5 Camera Body | $2,899.00 |
| RF 100-500 f4.5-7.1 | $2,899.00 |
| RF 100mm f/2.8 Macro | $999.00 |
| RF 135mm f/1.8 | $1,899.00 |
| RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 | $1,899.00 |
| RF 400mm f/2.8 | $11,999.00 |
| Total: | $22,594.00 |
Baby Orangutan
The animals are often the most active in the morning. I caught this mother orangutan with her baby for a brief moment when I went up to the exhibit. The baby wasn't present any other time that I went by this area, so I was lucky to get a glimpse! This was taken with an RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 IS USM lens.
Baby Wallaby
The Denver Zoo has a new Wallaby exhibit where you get to go in the area with the animals.
Lounging Wallabys
Albino Wallaby
The zoo had an albino wallaby.
Resting Up High
One of the larger lenses was at the lion exhibit where I got to shoot with the RF400mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens. Even at very far distances away, it creates a beautiful bokeh.
Flamingos
Eating Breakfast
Silly Mountain Goad
This mountain goat was chewing on something, which gave him the appearance of smiling right at the camera.
Gibbon
The Gibbon Monkeys are one of my favorite animals at the zoo. They did a good job with the exhibit in that there is no glass or fence to shoot through, but instead they're up in the air around you. Shot at 200mm
Hanging
Halloween Treat
The Zoo used treat baskets for feeding the Gibbon monkeys.
Grinning
Shocked
This female gibbon monkey was just attacked from above by the male. I captured the moment that she realized it and wanted to yell.
Swinging
The male Gibbon Monkey was much more active than the female. He was swinging around most of the time I was in the area.
Grooming Time
The male kept raising his armpit while the female was grooming. Every time he would do this, the female would quickly push it back down and keep grooming.
Giraffe
I got another chance with the RF400mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens. Like with the lion, it created a wonderful bokeh even from far away.
Long Trunk
From the Gibbon area, there were elephants around that I was able to capture with the RF400mm f/2.8 IS USM lens.
Macro Tests
While I rented the RF100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM lens, I shot some of the flowers around the zoo. Since it's late in the season, there weren't a lot of flowers to shoot.
Sharp Bee
The RF100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM lens was incredibly sharp and fast to focus, even on quick-moving subjects.
Pink Center
Catching a Little Bit More Sun
In a few weeks, this flower will have died from an impending frost that will be sure to happen before the end of October.
Snap Dragons
Lorikeets
Since I had a macro lens, I figured I'd go into the Lorikeet Adventure and take some macro photos of them. The long focal length of the 100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM lens was perfect for getting detailed shots while keeping a distance.
Biting the Branch
Interested in Me
This lorikeet was interested in me since it was almost feeding time. I didn't have any food, but they didn't know that.
Day in the Life of a Gorilla
Each time I went to the gorilla exhibit it was sitting just hanging out. I was able to capture such a close shot by shooting through the glass with the RF200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM lens.
Sun FLower
I returned the 100mm macro lens and traded for a RF135 f/1.8 IS USM portrait lens. But I still did a little bit of macro photography with it.
Patient
Wild butterflies tend to be sporatic and not stay in one place for too long. But since there was a strip of flowers with other flower gardens far and few between, this butterfly kept to this area long enough for me to capture a few great shots with the RF135 f/1.8 IS USM lens.
