Tripods for those huge f/2.8 lenses

[kenpossum]

One of the drawbacks of the fast f/2.8 lenses is that they are large and weigh a lot. Combined with the matching tripod such as a Gitzo with a large ball mount, you have some serious weight to carry.



The set-up that Jason (below) was using at Reifel weighs in at 18 kg or approx 40 lbs (camera, lens and tripod).



Not everyone can carry that weight for any distance. I did hear of one fellow at Reifel carrying his f/2.8 kit in a golf cart. Whatever works eh!

For that reason, many photographers choose Plan B which is to hand-hold. This is an understandable option considering the prospect of acquiring lower back pain every time you go to birding.

Can you still take clear, sharp images with any camera / lens hand holding? The answer is found in the posts in this web site. Many experienced photographers hand hold and take spectacular images given the right light conditions. When the conditions are not cooperating, photo trade-offs start to play such as higher IS0 settings, increased noise, and yes, a higher percentage of discarded images due to motion blur.

What we would find useful is some guidance from those of you who do hand hold at times. How do you take those spectacular shots? Minimum ISO and shutter speed settings?

My next post is all about my limited experience hand holding when the wind was so strong I could not use my tripod as there was too much wind vibration on the legs. (The wind was so strong on Sumas Prairie the other day, it caused Dave P to be knocked to the ground by my car door. Fortunately, he was ok, but I missed the shot of him taking a header. )

[oldfulica]

I went to MCC and picked up one of those three wheel baby carts that joggers use. ($35) I tried it out for the first time the other day for hauling my junk. It works beautifully for long walks. It carries camera, lens, 2 tripods, scope and binoculars. The big wheels allows it to travel over some rough terrain. You also get people peering into to it to see what your baby looks like ;D Dian said we should get one of those lifelike dolls to put in it.
I am not one to give advice on settings with my limited experience but I can tell you that I put my ISO on auto and only worry about the shutter speed and exposure compensation. That is because my subjects usually aren't hanging around to let me fiddle around with settings. I don't know if that is the right thing to do or not. Maybe I should adjust the ISO and put the shutter speed on auto but I think I would miss a lot of action that way.

[kenpossum]

I think the cart is a great idea and will look into it. I have use of a regular two wheeled cart if my wife doesn't figure out where her golf clubs went. MCC is ..?

Never have put my ISO on auto but the tremendous success you have with your images warrants serious experimentation with that setting. Whatever you do is "the right thing to do', if it works for you. I use the shutter speed priority plus exposure override for other nature projects ie moving water, but will try it for birds now as well. I admit, straight manual settings don't allow for fast changes and photographing birds requires new bags of tricks in your skill-set. That's part of the challenge.

Your comments and suggestions are very appreciated Len

[ysmum]

MCC is a thrift store...there's one here in Mission and one in Abbotsford

[Gord]

I made a shoulder stock for my camera out of wood. It's all home-made and the bolt to attach into the camera is one from the hardware store. It does help steady the camera a little more and is very light weight as well. I wouldnt carry the camera by it as it isnt that firmly put together, but it does well enough to steady things a little bit more.

[theanimal]

I personally have three jogging strollers. Two singles and one double. Yes, I had the fortune of my beloved wife having two kids an year and 3 months apart. Hence the reason why we got the jogging strollers. When the youngest starts walking, the jogging strollers revert to Daddy's use and I'll throw whatever primes and GT5541LS that I've acquired by then into the double jogger and head down to Serpentine, which seem to be my favorite hangout. However I have made plans to visit Reifel ONE of these days.

My favorite spot however seems to be this:

, an easy 15 minute walk from where I live. Ideal for the jogging stroller situation. Note the long winding trail through the scrub under the High-Tension Electrical wires.

I've seen red-winged blackbirds and red-tailed hawks at that location...not to mention a solitary Great Horned Owl which unfortunately at 7:30PM at night on a cold December, pitch black...not the time to be shooting owls with a camera. And if you do it wrecks their night vision (gotta balance care for the environment with your desire to shoot; got that RAW file in my memory...that's good enough).