At 04:05 2/8/01, Ray Moth asked:
John Lind wrote:
(Snip) . . . It was during this series I noticed that moving the
cable release around caused noticeable jarring of the image in the
viewfinder, and put it on the self-timer for prefire. . . (snip)
===================================================================
I note that Olympus suggests, for long lenses: "When using a tripod,
hold the camera steady with both hands and press the shutter release
with the ball of finger, not with the cable release." (Source: Hans's
SIF site, URL http://members.xoom.com/_XMCM/veluwen/om-sif.htm). Has
anyone done tests, comparing Olympus's recommended hand-held method
with the use of cable release or self-timer, to see which gives the
most reliable stability?
Holding the camera down to the tripod this way works for the shorter
telephotos. However, with 600mm focal length combined with the size and
mass of it, trying to do it that way caused quite a bit of image jiggling
in the viewfinder.
I just went back through the section about super long and ultra short
lenses in Andreas Feininger's "The Complete Photographer." A sturdy, rigid
tripod alone will not work reliably (and I know this from
experience). What is required for extreme stability is separate lens
support. One method is the type of special super-telephoto brace made by
Bogen (Manfrotto) that hooks onto one of the tripod legs. I believe Gary
Reese uses one of these, or something similar, for the longer lens
tests. Bogen's number is "3252" in the U.S. and Manfrotto's is "359" used
elsewhere. An alternative is a separate support (perhaps smaller and
lighter) near the front end of the lens. Feininger mentions using a
separate, light weight, collapsible light stand for this.
I believe all that's needed is something for added stability to keep the
camera from rocking on the single mounting point a traditional tripod
provides. Support done using either of these methods doesn't allow for
rapid movement of the camera to track or pan with a moving subject . . .
again providing a real challenge for the nature photog who wants to use a
super long lens.
-- John
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