Working with an £11,000 lens
The leopard bounded across the dry Mwagusi riverbed. In attacking mode, its eyes were fixed on a target, not prey – a cheetah that had been nervously drinking from a pool of water. Cheetahs are the weakest and most vulnerable of the big cats; leopards sometimes attack and even kill them, a pre-emptive strike over territorial rights and feeding grounds. The slim female cheetah looked terrified as the powerful male leopard picked up its pace and bore down on her. It would not be an even fight…
A sighting of either of these big cats would be special. To have the opportunity to photograph a face-off between a cheetah and a leopard, though, was rare indeed. With the lenses I usually carry, maxing out at 400mm, I could have taken good pictures, but perhaps not quite as incredible as scenes like these deserve. But in Tanzania's wild Ruaha National Park I was carrying a special piece of kit, a match for such an occasion. It was a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens that comes with a staggering price tag of £10,899.
So what's it like to work with an £11k lens? Absolutely exhilarating. Such a powerful, high-quality lens opens up a world of creative possibilities, allowing shots that wouldn't otherwise be possible. It not only allows you to get closer, but also creates pictures with a sharpness, level of
