Dogs vs Coyote

SangmortSangmort
edited September 2008 in General
I've been trying to decide on which lens I want to buy for my next hike on Sunday, & consequently have been looking for reviews.

I stumbled upon this while doing so. The photographer followed a coyote who got onto some farmland in which a dog successfully defended! The pictures aren't the best quality, but I thought the lab was pretty brave :)

I thought it was interesting anyway ;)


[ btw; any one have suggestion on which lens to get...$260 canon 55-250mm vs $560 70-300mm USM? It's a battle I'm having with myself, like the coyote & the lab ;) ]~

Comments

  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    Well what do you want to do with the lens?
  • baantonbaanton
    edited November -1
    Very cool pictures of coyote; and doggie encounter. Would be interesting to know what area of the country this is. That coyote looks well-fed, and actually very tranquil about the whole "defending and being chased off" the farm thing --- seems to just saunter off after being chased under the fence. Almost looks like it could be a daily game/ongoing ritual between doggies and coyote, rather than a chance encounter. I would expect it to be more fever-pitch and both dogs to join in if these animals were seeing each other for the first time.

    Thanks for sharing...

    Sorry, have no knowledge of camera lenses, but I'm sure from the photos I see posted here that several of the regular posters will have good thoughts for you. Enjoy the new camera and lens, and can't wait to see the results.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Wow, nice find Osy. Those are some really good pictures of that coyote, and the sequences tells an awesome story.

    As for the lenses, I'm not particularly familiar with either of them. I will say that for the most part you get what you pay for. Have you read any reviews on the digital picture? I found that to be a great resource when I was shopping for lenses.
  • ddowdemersddowdemers
    edited November -1
    Bev makes a good point. The coyote does not appear to be that threatened by the lab.
    We have a coyote here that visits a large dog (lab?) on a regular basis and they have a chasing game.
    The coyote often will take dog toys from the yard to instigate the chase.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    That was a neat little story - nice find Osy!
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    Very nice find, Osy. It was a very cool photo report.

    About the lens, if you want the lens to do his kind of photo, I'd say the more telephoto the better. So, if you can, go for the 70-300USM. You won't loose much on the wide side (and 55 isn't wide to begin with) and gain a good amount of reach on the 300mm side, that on your 1,6x crop sensor will give you a handy 420mm. Not to mention the 70-300 is probably a bit better in quality.(not sure here)

    I'm guessing that you have the 18-55mm kit lens, so you'll be covered. There will be a gap between 55 and 70, that shouldn't be much of a problem. I'd suggest you'd look for a 18-70mm lens, or a 24-70, and getting a 12-24 or something like that, it would cover a wide range of focal distances.
    A site suggestion : www.photozone.de
    Hope this helps
  • diggahdiggah
    edited November -1
    I really thought it was cool that the lab stopped right at the fence; while the coyote was more or less oblivious as far as what a fence is and why we bother to build them.

    Score one for domestication.
  • jikjakjikjak
    edited September 2008
    that was a cool thread! thanks for sharing.

    as for the lenses i think more telephoto will definitely be better. i have a 70-200 2.8IS, i takes great shots but sometimes i find it doesnt go far enough.
    im thinking to get an extender for it though instead of getting an even bigger and pricier lens that i will be able to use only occasionally.

    try reading some reviews on the various canon lenses on this site. it should help u on making your decision.

    *OOPS i forgot to post the link! Sorry!
    here it is

    http://www.the-digital-picture.com/
  • StaticNfuzzStaticNfuzz
    edited November -1
    Ditto thanks for sharing.... They got some really cool shots!

    Looks to me the dogs and coyote have met before... Seems like a game they play as a form of entertainment. Given the proximity and chase, if they wanted to do harm they would have. Interesting the fact the dog pissed on the area after the coyote left though.

    Snf
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    I had that feeling too Patrice - also it appeared that one of the Coyote's ears may have been a bit torn. So maybe the Coyote has had a few encounters.

    Truthfully, if either of those animals wanted to do harm to each other it certainly would have happened.

    ----
  • brandon_wbrandon_w
    edited November -1
    It seems pretty standard that the lab would mark his territory after the encounter. Both Nemo and Whizzer pee on something immediately after we walk past another dog on the sidewalk.
  • StaticNfuzzStaticNfuzz
    edited November -1
    Here is a feel good one with a Polar bear and Husky. So I guess anything is possible between animals and play. : )

    http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=9826


    OK have to get back to work(LOL).

    Snf
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    lol - that is CUTE! Man that was cute. lol

    I think the husky was even snuggling a little in one of those pics.

    Thanx!

    ----
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    That's great! That's a very lucky husky :-)
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Terrence: Make sure you do your research on extenders. From what I've read, they make autofoucs non-functional and can wreak havoc with the image stabilizer.

    ----

    Snf, that was amazing! There is something really breath taking seeing such a "ferocious" and wild animal being so playful and just enjoying life. That put a smile on my face. :-)
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    I mainly want to shoot wildlife with it :o & maybe some Macro...though the 18-55mm kit isn't so bad with macro. I think I'm going to go ahead with the more expensive 70-300mm & later on get a 18-70 or 24-70 as Rui suggested to compliment it. [ & then the 100m fixed macro & I'll be set! moihahaha ] I'm really just tired of missing shots. There was an awesome eagle flying overhead the other day, but the kit didn't have enough reach. Then there was a moth on the ceiling on the balcony...but of course, not enough telephoto to get to it. I'm tired of missing shots haha

    I've personally held both the lenses at work, The USM $560 is MUCH much better build quality than the 55-250mm for $260. You can really feel the weight of the glass & the mount is also metal [ vs plastic. ] Thanks for the links & advice guys, it was really helpful! <3 [ as always :D ]

    ---

    I just thought it was cool that the dogs didn't continue to chase the coyote, that's what I had thought they would've done anyway. [ all in all, I thought the encounter was very light, notice there was no teeth bared or anything ]


    The pictures of the husky playing with the polar bear are amazing :) ~
  • jikjakjikjak
    edited November -1
    i guess that polar bear was lonely!

    i did some reading and asking around before. the IS will still work normally but the AF will be slowerand u lose about 2 stops. the review says "the Canon 2x makes a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS Lens into a 140-400mm f/5.6 IS lens" so i think it should still work out well and its much cheaper than getting a big telephoto.
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited September 2008
    Osy, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that lens isn't going to prevent you from missing shots. You'll just miss different shots. There really is only one solution to not missing shots and that is carrying two bodies with vastly different lenses on them. :-/

    ---

    edit: Actually, I take that back. Sigma does make one lens that is like a 50-500 zoom, but from what I've read the quality suffers. Its a tradeoff I guess.
  • asiaasia
    edited November -1
    Osy - good find on the lab and coyote pics. They were very close to what it was like on the farm I grew up on. If coyotes were around, the dogs were great at watching the perimeter and protecting the house, but they would also stay out all night and howl with the coyotes too (as long as the coyotes stay on their side of the fence). There was never any real damage to anyone, but the dogs did deter the coyotes from getting on our land. Coyotes are everywhere out here in Kansas - and are about that size.

    Sorry I don't have more any advice on the lens...
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    Dave, good point. ;) I've also heard the 50-500 has horrible quality. I know canon is coming out with a new lens that will be 18-200 or some such & I don't think the quality will be all that great either :\ In life...You can't win. I'm sure even if I had two bodies, I'd miss shots switching between the two. Hell, I miss shots just because I can't get the settings right fast enough [ I haven't mastered them yet haha ] but at least I'll be able to get some telephoto pictures in my collection :)

    That's pretty cool Amber! It's like, they have a certain respect for each other :) ~
  • jikjakjikjak
    edited November -1
    my friends with nikons always rave about their 18-200mm lenses and i always hear canon users complaining about canon not making one. if done right perhaps it could turn out to be great and versatile lens!

    what would happen if a coyote attacked a shikoku? is the shikoku big and strong enough to fight it off and win?
    i sometimes hear stories of coyotes attacking smaller dogs and eating them. i know my akita would be fine but im sure the shiba would be in trouble if that were to ever happen.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    I think a Coyote could probably do a number on most Shikoku. Not sure one could do much to Ahi, but she is not a normal Shikoku. A Coyote could mos def take out Loa.

    Around here the issue is that Coyote pack together in small groups [3 - 5] - that is were the danger is. Sure most dogs can run off a loan Coyote [or even 2 Coyote], I mean they are not tamed animals and therefore their flight threshold is way higher than a dogs. But when you mix them into a group they strengthen and become more bold, and that is when the average lab or Akita is in trouble. IMHO.

    ----
  • jikjakjikjak
    edited November -1
    its a good thing u have a pack of your own over there!
    is ahi is a very tough shikoku?
    share some stories!

    i guess most coyotes are a bit bigger than most shikokus huh.
    ive seen some running around the city or on the golf course a few times in the past but i havent seen one in a long time.
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    The coyote I have seen are definitely bigger than my Shikoku at least. Miko is formidable, but I still would not like to see her encounter a Shikoku.
  • BradA1878BradA1878
    edited November -1
    Ahi is tough as nails...

    In this she is still recovering from knee surgery:




    She is up for anything, not many dogs would be able to play with that many dogs at one time w/o freaking out.

    Another example:




    [sorry to go off-topic]

    ----
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    Brad, you know I don't mind Nihon Ken [ especially Shika <3 ] spammage :)


    I also picked up the 70-300mm today...I have NEVER experienced so much zoom in my life! I almost died of shock when I could zoom in on a moth 5 feet away & get the detail of a macro lens. :O ~
  • jikjakjikjak
    edited November -1
    ooh nice!! grats!
    post some pics!
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