ann_mester Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 I just got a new 80-400 zoom lens and am looking forward to trying it out in Florida next week. It's a Tokina AF so it's fairly lightweight, but unfortunately I will not be able to get a lightweight tripod in time. Also, I just hate hiking with a lot of _stuff_. I know that we will be in car or near railings for some of the hikes (i.e., boardwalk trails at Corkscrew, drive at Ding Darling) so I made myself a bean bag support out of a pair of (new, thank God) tube socks. I also will bring some fast film and shoot fast shutter when possible. and lean on my son's head, etc. What other tricks are there to help minimize shake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gannet___ Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 Monopods, practice, walk closer. There're really no magic techniques, unfortunately. Hence the popularity of the new image stabilizing lenses. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_haykin Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 RIGHT!!! Use the fastest possible shutter speeds, and holdVERY still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_goldfarb Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 The beanbag support for the car, railings, and other such supports is a good start. ISO 400 film or faster (I like Provia 400F slide film) will help as well. My wife is sufficiently shorter than I am, that I sometimes support a 300/4.0 or 400/4.5 lens by resting my left elbow on her shoulder and cradling the lens in my left hand, but you can't borrow my wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gauthier Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 Holding still is next to impossible at 400 mm, so your best option is to use fast film (Fuji NPZ, 800 ISO) to get short exposures (1/500, 1/1000 would be even better). Even with fast film, you'll have a hard time getting these speeds in shadows or seriously overcast weather if your lens is slow (f5.6 or above). Improvised camera support can be almost anything: a table, a chair, a car hood... Use your closed fist or a small object to provide a firm support for your lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_lofquist Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 I try to find something that doesn't move, to brace myself and camera. This can be a tree, a lamppost, a wall, or anything else that is stable. (This can be a bit of a problem in California, however.) Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted December 19, 2001 Share Posted December 19, 2001 Shooting from the car I often use a beanbag with a 500mm lens. I can get perfectly sharp shots down to 1/125 pretty much all the time and I've a good chance of sharp images even at 1/60. No need for super fast film under clear skies. I typically shoot ISO 100. If the beanbag is good and supports the lens well, a car roof or window makes an excellent substitute for a tripod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 I hate to say this, but a good tripod is something you should have owned even before you got the 80-400 zoom. If I were you, I would still try to get one before the trip. Otherwise, a good monopod would be my second choice. If there had been other workable alternatives, people wouldn't have spent all this money on those very expensive carbon-fiber tripods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tda Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 A big strong clip !!! Think there are some photo specific versions around, but I used a welding clamp, added a nut (not the user) for the threaded post for a small benbo ball head and wallah. With a piece of felt it was perfect for car windows, tree branches, fence posts anything stationary really. A velcro strap around it will further aid the "tension" as well. Also I have seen a small tabletop tripod which folds to form a brace with velcro straps to wrap around objects (fence posts etc) but dont know how stable it would be under a 400mm lens ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann_mester Posted December 20, 2001 Author Share Posted December 20, 2001 Thanks! All good suggestions. Maybe I'll try to rent a tripod when I'm out there. If I get anything worth posting I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahaohio Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 How about trying this: carry a sling that you can use around your feet and your back to support yourself. Then prop the lens on your knees. Not as stable as a tripod but easier to carry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee_shively Posted December 20, 2001 Share Posted December 20, 2001 I know it may sound like a given but be sure the engine is turned off in the car when you brace yourself on it or use your beanbag on the window. Be sure no one is bouncing around on the railing when you use it for a brace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_jean1 Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 You may need some of these non-tripod techniques for the boardwalks (Corkscrew, Anhinga Trail) even if you get the most expensive carbon fiber Gitzo. Those boardwalks seem to vibrate when a heron lands on a railing. I once saw a guy who suspended his long lens from a handy overhanging tree branch. He had a strap attached to the tripod mount. Seemed relatively effective if somewhat limited in application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinesisphotogear Posted December 21, 2001 Share Posted December 21, 2001 FYI, our bean bag called the Kinesis <A HREF="http://www.kinesisgear.com/r.html"> SafariSack? </A> works flat on the ground and on a automobile door. We recently improved this product by adding a non-slip fabric on the base for use on vehicles. A review of this product can found on this <A HREF="http://www.photo.net/photo/nature/safarisack.html"> static page</A> on photo.net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markci Posted December 22, 2001 Share Posted December 22, 2001 If you don't mind getting dirty, simply laying the lens on the ground, resting on its mounting foot, makes for a really nice perspective sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stemked Posted December 24, 2001 Share Posted December 24, 2001 I use a gunstock myself with a 400 f5.6. Works very nicely. Doug Stemke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabriziogiudici Posted December 27, 2001 Share Posted December 27, 2001 Sometimes I take some photos with my 300f4 from my car. There's no way of using a tripod, of course, and I tried clamps with no luck. So I just use a home-made beanbag, the release cord to reducing camera shake at shoot time, speed-priority mode to about 1/250s (and then I accept the smallest aperture the camera suggests). If there's no enought light for my 300f4 I push the Provia 100F to 200 and/or underexpose by 1/2 or 1/3 stop (sometimes this also makes for more saturated colors, and however I think it's better a slightly underexposed photo that a moved one). I did some preliminary test with Provia 400F - it seems fine, of course worse than 100F pushed to 200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry_carter1 Posted December 28, 2001 Share Posted December 28, 2001 Fabrizio, I don't know what you're driving, but I use a Bogen 3221/AS B1 combo in my Ford Explorer. I place two legs between the door and seat on the driver's side and extend the third leg to where it is on the arm rest of the passenger door. I've used beanbags so I know this setup provides better stability and you're not having to lean down to the camera. Two things should be obvious though! (1) You can't have someone riding shotgun, and (2) I don't advocate cruising at highway speeds with this setup spread across one's lap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabriziogiudici Posted December 28, 2001 Share Posted December 28, 2001 Terry, I'll try that setup on my next trip - but my car is a Rover 25 :-) and is quite smaller than a Ford Explorer... And usually I take another person during my trips so (s)he drives and I take photos, therefore there's not really room left inside... PS. Taking another person is quite useful out of the car too, to carry along the tripod and other stuff ... ;-) The problem with other persons is that they usually get bored when you're waiting 2/3 hours for the proper light to come... :-(<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann_mester Posted January 8, 2002 Author Share Posted January 8, 2002 Thanks so much. The trip to Sanibel was wonderful. Great light on Christmas morning, especially. My son and I shot 19 rolls of film. I've started a folder (Sanibel 1) here to post the shots I like the best (not nec. the most technically adept but) and would love feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 9, 2002 Share Posted January 9, 2002 Ann, so how did you support your long lens? Obviously in some occasions you can shoot from a vehicle with a bean bag, for example, but generally speaking, you really should have a good tripod to go along with your long lens. Looks like you got some decent images there. The sunrise looks a little underexposed and so do the heron shots. Another thing to pay attention to is merger/overlap among animals. That is frequently a problem when you have several birds close to one another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yadayadanoonecares Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 This works reasonable for me, to stretch the 1/<focal length> to about 1/<focal length/2>. Takes practice, and so far, this got me acceptable pictures about 2 out of 5 shots with 300mm at 1/60 under really bad light. <a href="http://trapagon.com/temp/HoldingLong4102.jpg">Look here</a> Note that the picture is not mine, but Ron's, I saw it at the Nature forum at steve's digicam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueform Posted May 10, 2002 Share Posted May 10, 2002 new monopod soon to be launched.4 STOPS more stability, allows night photography, self portraits. forget i.s. lens and expensive wide apertures. no need to uprate film, or obliterate pictures with flash. my 9 year old son uses my nikon fm + 400mm lens with sharp pictures @ 1/60 sec. this is the support we have all been waiting for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_segal1 Posted May 11, 2002 Share Posted May 11, 2002 How's that, again, James? What, specifically, are you talking about? (More verbs might help my poor understanding.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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