Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Massachusetts |
I haven't read through all the comments above, so previous posters, please excuse me if I repeat your advice. BACKGROUND: I've been using long lenses for a long time, starting with a 400mm f5.6 Piesker back in the early 1960's.
1) using long lenses is tricky - do not expect perfect results immediately, do not be discouraged by bad results because no matter how much experience you eventually get you will not be successful every time you use the lens.
2) NEVER TRY TO USE THIS LENS HAND-HELD, Use at the very least a sturdy monopod. I would recommend a carbon-fiber monopod with flip-locks with a Sunwayfoto or Sirui tilting head.
3) GET A STURDY TRIPOD! Sorry, but the weight of the lens is just the start. I can see quickly that this advice has been given by several already. LOOK ON EBAY FOR TRIPOD BARGAINS. My personal preference is for flip locks not collar locks, as the two tripods I've owned that had collar locks (a Gitzo that I still own, a Sirui that I sold), they were not reliable. Tripods I own that have flip-locks (Bogen/Manrotto, Slik, Sirui, Velbon, and Giottos) have all been 100% reliable - not one of them has ever slipped when extended, and some of them go back into the 1960's, are still in use, and are still 100% reliable.
4) For a tripod head I have found gimbal-style heads easiest to use; pan-tilt heads second, and ball heads third. With either gimbal or pan-tilt, it's best to level the tripod before starting to shoot. Not as necessary with a ball head, but with a ball head there's a tendency for a heavy lens to tilt right-left, you must grip strongly.
A) For a gimbal head, WImberly is everyone's favorite, but I have one made by Induro that is carbon-fiber and therefore lighter weight.
B) A much less expensive alternative (about $180 retail) is the Manfrotto Heavy Telephoto Lens Support. I also have one of these and it is every bit as satisfactory as the Induro gimbal head. It is a "U within U" system. You can flip the supporting "U" to the top, lens dangling under, then use the cross-bar of that "U" to attach a strobe. Why did I also get an Induro? The Manfrotto unit is wide and very difficult to almost impossible to use when shooting from a car (= it is too big to swing right-left without bumping into part of the car door). THIS IS THE SUPPORT TO GET IF AND ONLY IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO USE YOUR CAR AS A PHOTO-BLIND
C) I cannot recommend a pan-tilt head, although the Slik unit I use has some damping on both pan & tilt which makes it much easier to swing a long lens. I prefer the Slik to a much older Gitzo "Rationelle" pan-tilt head that I have.
D) For a ball head, without hesitation, will not accept alternatives, Sirui makes an outstanding product and their K-40X, rated at 77lb, is THE BALL HEAD to have for heavy lenses. The locking is smooth and progressive, ball movement is silky smooth. At less than $170 new, there is NO COMPETITION. I have one that I use below my biggest-heaviest lens & camera combinations, and it is an absolutely wonderful ball head.
5) If possible use a cable lease - - get your subject framed, lock the tripod head, take your hands away and make sure no part of your head is touching the camera, trip the shutter with the cable release. BUT, sometimes when following a moving subject you really must keep your right hand on the camera and trigger directly with your finger. Old advice to minimize body movement: take two fast deep breaths, then a third, exhale half and hold your breath, then squeeze the shutter release with your finger. It's the same advice, more or less, that's given for target-shooting with a rifle.
NOTE ADDED AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT: Obviously a major problem with long lenses is camera/lens movement or vibration that degrades IQ. I've commented several times that an outstanding photographer I know, an amateur who has won bushel-baskets full of prizes, has advised repeatedly that camera-photographer movement is the single greatest cause of poor image IQ. In connection with this, when using a long lens, the vibration tends to run down the long axis, from viewfinder out to the lens hood. You will find that no matter how massive the tripod and head, locked down as tightly as possible, a light finger tap atop the pentaprism or end of the lens hood will cause disturbing movement visible through the viewfinder. If using a beanbag, bracing on a tree branch, or maybe trying to steady the camera/lens when it's on a tripod, BRACE OR STEADY IT AS FAR FORWARD TOWARD THE LENS HOOD END AS POSSIBLE. With a tripod-mounted system, vibration induced by mirror-slap may be dampened by placing your left hand gently out as far as possible on the lens hood. You can get accessory long-lens braces that go from tripod leg up to the lens, and these always attach far out around the lens hood. I used a home-made brace of this kind when using 1000mm (500mm + 2X extender) to photograph a woodpecker nest. It's effective, but only practical when your subject always comes & returns to exactly the same spot. The rig is NOT for turning, swiveling, reframing.
Last edited by WPRESTO; 09-19-2018 at 06:18 AM.
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