Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens

After returning from Lakshadweep I received my new Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM which i had ordered almost 2 moths prior to my departure to Lakshadweep Islands. Here is my short review on that. I find Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens is an ideal walkabout lens. Lens really isn’t too heavy (only 2.5Kg ) and when combined with a good neoprene strap, there is no hardship on a good hike/walk and the performance and potential rewards are well worth the effort. In reality, you really won’t be holding the camera up to the eye for prolonged lengths of time. I also purchased an Indian made Gimbal tripod head via eBay for mounting this lens which I will review later.

The lens arrived in the CS30028 case, looked a bit feminine if truth be told (reminds of a vanity/make-up case). Also supplied is the obligatory slip-on lens cover, the E-145 in this case. This is a non-elasticated cover but quite awkward to remove and put back. I have found a 120mm plastic can lid which fits perfectly as a lens cap. It is easier than slip-on lens cover. The Canon EF300mm f2.8 is also supplied with the ET-120 lens hood. The lens hood is pain to slip on and off but is a life saver for all the glares as well as in preventing damage to front of the lens.

As with other Canon IS lenses, there is a comprehensive control panel to the side of the lens body. Uppermost on the switch control panel of the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens is the focus limit control. 3 options here, the 2.5 metres – infinity (full) setting allows the lens to focus from minimum distance to infinity. Then the 2.5 metres – 6.4 metres and finally 6.4 metres to infinity. Basically, if you’re target is expected within a known distance from you, it speeds up autofocus if the lens isn’t hunting through it’s entire range to get a lock-on.

Next we have the AF/MF switch. Says it all really, though you can always operate the camera in manual focus even if it’s set to AF, being FTM (full time manual) design. Personally I would have prefered the option of totally disabling the focus ring, as it’s can shift if you’re working from something like a beanbag.

Next we have the IS switch, Image stabilization on or off. It has confusing 1 & 0 setting which originates from binary, I is on and 0 is off. IS is of older 2-3 stop range but is very useful. The drive is also queit as compared to my Canon EF 300mm f/4 L IS USM lens.

Underneath the IS switch is the Image stabilization mode switch. Mode 1 controls movement vertically and horizontally, mode 2 just counteracts vertical movement so as to allow you to pan along with a subject without the IS system trying to compensate.

Lastly in this panel is the focus preset functions. Basically, you can set a focus distance on the lens, press ‘set’ and you can recall this distance at any time via the twist ring (the ring with the serrated edge) just in front of the focus ring. It’s handy feature if you’re likely to be shooting at 2 vastly different distances. I would prefer it if focus recall was an option on the 4 focus lock buttons and in a really ideal world, a focus recall button would be situated far closer to the camera body, or indeed controlled via the camera itself. I need to find out how to use them effectively.

The tripod collar can be simply removed from the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM, and this is my choice for use as a walk around lens.
To be honest, I haven’t had this lens very long, so this is just a first impression after 2 weeks or so, of some pretty grim weather. My main use for this lens is with tele-converters, so most of my initial use has been with the Canon EFII 1.4x and EFII 2x tele-converters attached, and quite frankly we all know what these flagship Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lenses are capable of used bare.

With the Canon EFII 2x Tele-converter auto focus speed does drop slightly, it’s fast and reliable but not exceptional as it is with a 1.4x tele-converter. As the whole combination is giving f5.6, all focus points on the Canon DSLR are available. Stopping down to f8 does reap the rewards over having the aperture wide open.

Minimum focus distance of Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens is a relatively long 8.2′ (2.5m) for a maximum magnification of .13x. An extension tube can resolve this issue, but more assembly is required and infinity focus is lost. Maximum magnification is extended to .18x and .25x with 12mm and 25mm extension tubes respectively. Extenders do not affect the MFD (Minimum Focus Distance) of the lens they are mounted behind, thus the MM (Maximum Magnification) of the lens is also multiplied.

Over all results are fantastic, The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens is probably most-noted for being extremely sharp. Results at f/2.8 are very sharp from the center right into the full frame corners and only a very slight improvement is noticed when stopped down. This lens is very usable at f/2.8 (I primarily use this lens at f/2.8) – if the super-thin DOF (Depth of Field) is adequate of course.

I am still getting my biceps ready to use these beast of a lens so wait for more photos soon. As you can see the samples of the pictures below I am using this lens as both macro & tele lens shootings birds and butterflies together (not in the same frame though ). Below are few early samples of House sparrow(Passer domesticus), Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis) and Plain Tiger butterfly(Danaus chrysippus).

Male House Sparrow

Plain Tiger Butterfly

Ashy Prinia

Ship's Main Control Room

With air conditioner of the ship back to normal, it was one of the most pleasant nights we had in the whole trip. But unfortunately the trip was about end before noon. We were fast approaching Indian mainland. I wanted to take the last sunrise from the ship’s deck. But was disappointed as the sun was hidden behind the thick clouds. As we were strolling on the deck, captain’s cabin was nearby and the chief engineer of the ship called us to the control room to show us the ships main controls. It was a engineering marvel.

I quote here from the ships brochure

This all-weather passenger ship, MV Kavaratti, built for the Lakshadweep administration by Hindustan Shipyard, Visakhapatnam, made its maiden voyage to the islands in the first week of August, 2008. The Rs.173-crore ship, the largest passenger vessel ever built in India, is 120 Meter long and has a speed of 17 Knots. The ship can carry 700 passengers and 200 tons of cargo. The ship has world-class facilities like a 152-seater cafeteria, 100-seater dining hall, Recreation room, gymnasium and a very large airspace to enhance passenger convenience on-board. The ship is fully Air conditioned by centralized air-conditioning system and has been built to world class standards. The ships have cafeteria, snack bars, doctor on call, entertainments and upper-deck promenade. Ship facilities include three independent galleys, halls, recreation place with a swimming pool and a helipad. The ship has 100 Deluxe Berths (2 Berths in each room) and has 70 First Class Berths (4 Berths in each room).

We reached Kochi around 9:30AM but had to wait for permission to enter into Wellington Island.  There was very high security (some unconfirmed rumor said that they had found few foreign nationals sneaking into India through Lakshadweep islands via these ships). Customs, Coast guard, Navy all were checking the ship and asking about the identity.  This delayed our disembarkation further. So finally around 11:30AM we disembarked from the ship. This checking had prevented porters to enter the ship, so it was left to us to take down heavy luggage on a dicey ladder leading to the ground. We had a hurried lunch and rushed to nearby Ernakulam Railway station station to catch our train which was due at 1:05PM. We reached railway station at 1:00PM. Just when we searched desperately to find the correct platform to board our train, we found out that all the trains are delayed as some goods train had derailed along the route. we waited for our train which arrived at 3:30PM but refused to leave. Finally we left Ernakulam Railway station at around 8:30 PM and reached Mangalore on next day 9:30AM with the delay of over 12 hours.

Many have asked why I gave the name Nir-Laksha Dweepa for this series. What I felt after 5 days on this ship was like this. It was a great trip which had all the facilities but due to negligence of the tour administrators, as well those who thought about the tour itinerary, the whole trip was ruined despite having divine locations, corals, beaches.

Ship was used only as staying cabin & food court. We used to reach ship before sunset. There was lot of free time which could have been used for some interaction with other members of our package tour. We had a swimming pool which was dry as a bone. We had recreation room which used to transmit IPL matches all through the day. There was no space there to do anything other than watching that idiot box. All through 5 days we hardly saw, interacted or spoke with tour operator. He promptly visited us on the last day to get feedback forms so that he can dispatch them to his seniors and get a appreciation from them. Apathy shown in a typical shoddy working manner which was evident all over.

Deserted Top Deck

I have no complains about the island. They are as pristine as can be for any of the best tourist spot, but the Snorkeling was one of the highlight of the trip, it revealed a new fantastic underwater world which surpasses all the CGI wizardry shown in Avtar movie by over 100 times. Don’t waste money going to Maldives, Lakshadweep has much more sea life for a fraction of cost.

You can book Samudram package which is the one we took. Check this link on Lakshadweep Tourismfor further details. It starts from Kochi and ending at Kochi in a 5 day 4 night package. Cost of the whole trip was around INR 20,000 and for children INR 10,000.You can book these packages with any travel agent. If you are going in large group then it will be of much fun as you can evolve your own way of enjoying the trip. Do note the cabins are arranged in the ship so that odd number cabins are one side of the ship and even numbers are on the other.  So even if you get continuous number of cabins you may be separated due to this arrangement in the ship.

This is what they promised in their travel brochure (all the bold entries below are their publicity material) and this is what I felt about the trip:

• On board ship accommodation – well you can’t jump into the sea and sleep can you? Notice how they conveniently forgotten mention of air conditioning of the ship. We thought it was our bad luck that the AC got damaged in our trip. Later found out from ship’s crew that it was a constant phenomenon since a month or so. They did not expect to have it corrected fully till monsoon break.
• All meals while onboard including snacks – food was good and adequate. It was more like a canteen food than cruise food. As a ardent foodie I missed local dishes which were nowhere in the menu
• Adventures & Entertainment Ashore – There was far more scope for adventure. We reach island at around 8:30 AM and waste our time till 10:30 or so waiting for boats to come or tides to raise. The whole trip needs to be modified to suit these condition which are very much predictable. They call those folk(fake) dances as entertainment I felt it was a torture to our senses.
• Welcome drinks, Lunch and Snacks ashore – the welcome drink is a crazy tradition from some wild party era. Push that coconut drink after a nice kayaking or snorkeling session, then that drink will be a really welcomed by all the tourists. Lunch was a highlight in many places and was quite good as it had much needed variety.
• All transfers to and fro the ship by mechanized boats – This was scary part as the port hole in the Ship and boat needs to aligned and maintained well to make the smooth transfer to and fro to mechanized boat, I always felt unsure climbing into that wobbly boat. And nobody had life jackets!!
• Furnished cabins containing a generous amount of space with throughout carpet. – As they said in Animal farm “All are equal but some are more equal than others” Even though we all booked and paid same, some of us got inferior quality cabins at the 4th deck as compared to the better ones at the 5th deck. These cabins were more spacious (almost double that of ours) and allowed the fresh air though the window which was not possible with ours.
• Rooms are available with two Queen-size beds in the Diamond class. – Beds were big but the space to climb up to the top bed was so cramped that I banged my knee many times to the side rails. Note that this is not a luxury cruise, however, it’s the only cruise package now available in Indian waters.(What a shame)

Now you must be wondering whether it was that awful. Well not at all! We enjoyed the fine islands, beaches. We loved the snorkeling, kayaking and the water bathing even though it was odd to see Indians sea bathing at scorching mid noon sun. Temperature was pleasant 30° Celsius even when rest of India was reeling under heat wave.

Whenever I think of tourism I feel guilty that as tourists we are exploiting the local population. The tourism industry does not benefit locals in directly. But indirectly it helps to finance the huge expenditure of the ships sailing from one to another island which is the only way of transport for them. It also brings all the essentials which are used by the islanders as nothing grows other than coconut. Without tourism I don’t think Indian government would have employed that many ships.

Last Sunrise

During the trip of Lakshadweep I noticed several worrying aspects about these island. I do not have any solution to these. As I conclude my narration in these five parts I leave you with these points for you to ponder.

• According to the provisional population Data sheet of 2001 Census, Lakshadweep has a population of 60,595 persons. The density of population is 1899 persons per sq.km, which is third highest in the country and cause of concern.
• It was said that the male to female ratio in these islands was in the vicinity of 1:1.2. However, as per the 2001 Census, in the Lakshadweep, the Females per 1000 Males is 948.
• For supply of electricity there are diesel run power plants located in 8 islands. The Islands are totally dependent on the diesel generated power for want of other forms of energy. Some of the options which could be tried out are the Ocean Thermal Energy, Wave Energy and Tidal energy, depending upon their potential in the Lakshadweep sea area
• Solid wastes are dumped on the narrow shore line, behind each house-hold. There is therefore an urgent need of proper solid waste management plan/system in the Islands. It is estimated that about 1.2 million litres of waste per day is generated at Kavaratti alone. Major issue concerning the disposal of solid waste is the absence of systematic sewerage system.
• Most households have constructed soak pits for disposal of latrine waste. Owing to acute pressure on the land, the soak pits have been constructed very close to the open wells. The soil being sandy and porous and the soak pits have been constructed rather unscientifically, fecal matter from the soak pits finds its way into the water in the open wells.
• The non-degradable solid wastes are dumped at one end of each island by the local bodies.
• Population pressure placed an enormous strain on the quantity of fresh water available, leading to saline water intrusion.
• Changing demographic pattern and lifestyle, coupled with resource harvest from the reefs have brought many reefs in the Lakshadweep to various degrees of stress.
• Coastal erosion is a serious problem faced by the islands every year resulting in loss of land. Maximum erosion observed over a period of 35-40 years were in the range 28 to 44 m.
• Degradation of lagoon and coral ecosystems (eutrophication) through developmental activities and land based pollutants.
• Stress on the lagoon and its resources, Unplanned and unmanaged fishing, tuna and bait fishing, reef walking, octopus hunting, shell collection, coral harvesting, tourism and related activities such as diving, snorkeling, operation of glass bottom boats, etc.
• Dependence on one desalination plant recently set up, for supply of safe drinking water.
• Diesel as the sole source of electricity generation.
• Poor Connectivity between islands and main land.
• Except copra and tuna fish sale the islanders have no other livelihood

Here are other 4 parts of this travelogue to Lakshadweep island.

• Nir-Laksha Dweepa Day1-Kochi
• Nir-Laksha Dweepa Day2-Kalpeni
• Nir-Laksha Dweepa Day3-Minicoy
• Nir-Laksha Dweepa Day4-Kavaratti

Check these blog articles on the same trip by my co-traveler and good friend GN Ashoka Vardhana.

• ಸಾವಿರ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಲಕ್ಷಗಳಿಸುವ ಯೋಗ
• ಕಲ್ಪನೆಯಿಂದೆದ್ದ ಕಲ್ಪೆನಿ
• ಲಗೂನ ಜಳಕಾನ ಮುಗಿಸೂಣ ಬಾ
• ಕಲ್ಪೆನಿಗೆ ವಿದಾಯ
• ಮಿನಿಕಾಯ್, ಕವರಟ್ಟಿ
• ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನೇ ಕಾದಿದೆ ಲಕ್ಷ ದ್ವೀಪ!

Also check this blog from Rukmini Mala who accompanied us

• ಲಕ್ಷ ದ್ವೀಪದಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿದ ಮೂರು ದ್ವೀಪಗಳು

and

• our team leader K Prasanna’s pictures at Picassa

First Glimpse of Kavaratti

Tossing and turning all through the night, I somehow managed to spend that night in that hot and humid ship cabin. Ship’s air conditioner was still not repaired. As the early morning sun peeped through the windows I went up to the deck and was greeted by a great sunrise together with nice sprinkle of clouds. Passengers Kavaratti already started disembarking from the ship.

Cloud Cover

Far away in the horizon we could see the island of Kavaratti. After breakfast we boarded the ferry which took us to the capital of Lakshadweep, Kavaratti. The water was crystal clear & we could clearly see the bottom.

Blue Sea

Boats at Kavaratti Harbor

Just like other islands everything started with welcome drink of coconut. The beach was again amazing with white sand. As we spent waiting for the tide to raise so that we can go in the glass bottomed boat ride, our team elders and kids had great time building castles & dungeons in the white coral sand.

Caves & Castles

Then it was time for a glass bottom boat ride. The water is absolutely crystal clear. You could clearly see the aquatic life and the corals from the bottom of your boat. There were live coral, marine ornamental fishes and associated flora and fauna all under us visible through that thick glass at the floor of the boat. Here are few photos (of the 1000+ photos) I took from the boat through that thick glass. Uneven thick Glass has resulted in distortion as well as chromatic aberration which I was unable to correct.

Corals from Glass Bottom Boat

More corals

More corals

Amazing Variety

Brain Coral

It was sight of our lifetime. Live coral species in the lagoon, besides shoals of different species of marine fishes, a large number of sea-cucumbers of varying size, turtles, sea anemones. Around 30% of the corals were live and the rest were dead corals. Patches of sea grass and sea weeds were seen in some shallow water zones.

Powder Blue Surgeon Fish

Corals

Black Surgeon Fish

In the lagoon area we could see patches of different coral species including live finger corals, Brain Corals, Porites sp., soft corals and other animals, besides the algal assemblages on dead corals. Everybody in the boat were screaming in joy at the sight of colorful fishes & corals and sea turtles.

Variety of Sea life

Finger Corals

Maldive Clown fish with Magnificent Anemone

Final part of the joy came in finding Nemo, the clown fish & sea anemone symbiosis. We could also spot different varieties of Surgeon fish among those corals.

Once back, we lazed on the beach again. Unlike in Kalpeni snorkeling was not free here. On payment of 200 bucks, you can get to go snorkeling. Initially I was reluctant to go snorkeling here because I had done it in Kalpeni, but the corals and marine life seemed better here, so took a shot.

The instructor Mr. Bashir was really helpful in explaining technique of snorkeling. We had great set of life jacket & snorkeling gear. Here snorkeling is in deep sea. He showed us how to do snorkeling in deep waters even though I was not a swimmer. The fascinating marine world really opens only after we learn how to do proper snorkeling in this deep coral filled sea. We were thrilled to see the colorful fishes, corals & fauna. They live their own sweet tiny little world. We saw fishes of all colors, shapes & sizes zooming past us. Amazing variety of sea life which I was unable to capture but my friend Prasanna who purchased Panasonic waterproof camera just for this trip has shot beautiful underwater shots which you can see in this Picassa album.

Life jacket helped me to stay afloat and correct technique of snorkeling he showed me it was breeze to learn and enjoy. The snorkeling at Kavaratti is a must-do. There were few from our group who went for scuba diving. Since I had opted for snorkeling instead of scuba I missed that. After an hour of snorkeling, I came out tired, then the lunch was served. The lunch was good here.

Folk Dance

Local Ladies

Post lunch, we had usual cultural entertainment in the form of folk dance. We also visited an aquarium and museum of Kavaratti. A large sperm whale skeleton, several shells and varieties of fish, sea creatures preserved in formalin were there for display. Marine aquarium featured of few reef marine life. We could spot some species which we saw in the morning during our snorkeling trip.

Yellow Box fish in Aquarium

Kavaratti is the capital of Lakshadweep. It is also administrative center for all the islands of Lakshadweep with several Government offices. The Island land area is around 3.63 sq.km, with a population of 10,113 (2001 Census). Kavaratti has a lagoon on the west coast, which spreads to around 4.9 sq.km.

Rock Lobster in Aquarium

Due to some unknown reasons we were not shown the following two must see attractions of Kavaratti even though they were mentioned in the web site. First was the desalination plant set up by the National Institute of Ocean Technology which is based on pressure and temperature differential in the seawater and not on membrane (RO) technology. The plant was the sole source of drinking water being piped free of cost to every household in the island.

Critically Endangered Hawk bill Turtle in Marine Aquarium

Second was Ujra Mosque is the most beautiful among the 52 mosques in , Kavaratti, the capital island of Lakshadweep. The Ujra mosque is known to have been built by Sheikh Mohammad Kasim in 1670. The skill of Kavaratti’s craftsmen can be seen in the Ujra Mosque, the most outstanding of the 52 mosques of this Union Territory. The ceiling of the mosque is made of driftwood and ornately carved and painted in complementary shades of green and red.

When we asked the tour conductor they said the present itinerary of the Kavaratti trip did not include those two items. Since the time was running out we decided not to take risk of venturing in the island on our own and decided to take ferry back to our ship after the mandatory group shot at the beach. That was last island of Lakshadweep Atolls we are supposed to visit in this trip.

Our group

With heavy heart and sleepless eyes we bid farewell to the beautiful island. When we reached the ship we were in for a surprise. Ships engineers had repaired the air conditioner and we sighed a sense of relief. As the sun dipped down in the sea near Kavaratti ship started to sail away. Sharp 8 PM dinner was served after which we settled in our cabins for a well deserved good night sleep.

Setting Sun

Peeping through the clouds

Goodbye Lakshadweep

We were to reach Kochi harbor next day to conclude our 5 day journey.

You can check the other parts of this series here.

• Nir-Laksha Dweepa-Day1-Kochi
• Nir-Laksha Dweepa-Day2-Kalpeni
• Nir-Laksha Dweepa-Day3-Minicoy