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Shooting the long lens #39548
03/03/13 08:26 PM
03/03/13 08:26 PM
Joined: Jan 2012
WI,USA
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Paul Lueders Offline OP
Wanderer
Paul Lueders  Offline OP
Wanderer
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Joined: Jan 2012
WI,USA
How bout some tips on getting the most out of that big long pro lens you just mortgaged the house for. How to improve the image quality.


Paul Lueders
Re: Shooting the long lens [Re: Paul Lueders] #39549
03/03/13 09:17 PM
03/03/13 09:17 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
James Morrissey Offline
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James Morrissey  Offline
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Carpal Tunnel

Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
Hey Paul,

Do you have any specific questions, and perhaps a specific lens? Without knowing more, here are some basic ones that I can think of:

1. Attempt to shoot at 1/focal length for clear shots
2. Get a tripod with appropriate head
3. Use proper depth of field. ie just because you can shoot at 600mm f2.8 does not mean that you should in a particular scene.

James

Re: Shooting the long lens [Re: Paul Lueders] #39557
03/07/13 07:57 PM
03/07/13 07:57 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Nashville Tennessee
Durwood Edwards Offline
Old hand
Durwood Edwards  Offline
Old hand

Joined: Dec 2006
Nashville Tennessee
Everything that James said is important.
And the most important, Tripods:
Get a better tripod than you think you need. Don't settle for one that meets your minimal needs. They're not cheap, but you can spend a lot more working your way up to one that is really solid enough!


Durwood Edwards
www.joelton.org

"Never miss a good chance to shut-up!" - Will Rogers
Re: Shooting the long lens [Re: James Morrissey] #39611
04/02/13 11:26 PM
04/02/13 11:26 PM
Joined: Aug 2010
Yukon Canada
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Yukonica Offline
Wanderer
Yukonica  Offline
Wanderer
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Joined: Aug 2010
Yukon Canada
600mm @ f2.8?
eYoewzers! That lens must have cost you a pretty penny.


Yukonica
Re: Shooting the long lens [Re: Yukonica] #39633
04/15/13 11:01 PM
04/15/13 11:01 PM
Joined: Oct 2011
North Carolina's Crystal Coast
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Bob D. Offline
Tracker
Bob D.  Offline
Tracker
B

Joined: Oct 2011
North Carolina's Crystal Coast
Do a Google search for "proper long lens technique." There are some nice articles out there that can explain it better than I can here.

On the old trick of matching the minimum shutter speed to the focal length of the lens (400mm = 1/400, 500mm = 1/500, etc.), keep in mind that if you're using a camera with a crop sensor you should probably consider the "equivalent focal length," (400mm lens on a 1/6 crop body = 640mm = 1/640 shutter speed).

If you're shooting an OEM long lens (Canon, Nikon, etc.) you're probably going to be ok wide open if the conditions call for it. However, if you're shooting something like Tamron, Sigma, etc. you'll usually get sharper images if you stop down one or two stops. Stopping down is also true of using a tele-zoom, OEM or otherwise.

As previously mentioned, use a tripod.

Good luck.

Re: Shooting the long lens [Re: Bob D.] #39638
04/16/13 06:22 PM
04/16/13 06:22 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
James Morrissey Offline
I
James Morrissey  Offline
I
Carpal Tunnel

Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
"On the old trick of matching the minimum shutter speed to the focal length of the lens (400mm = 1/400, 500mm = 1/500, etc.), keep in mind that if you're using a camera with a crop sensor you should probably consider the "equivalent focal length," (400mm lens on a 1/6 crop body = 640mm = 1/640 shutter speed)."

Hey Bob,

I have heard that said before, but I never understood why having a smaller sensor would make the camera more prone to camera shake. Do you have any thoughts on that?

James

Re: Shooting the long lens [Re: James Morrissey] #39779
06/18/13 09:19 PM
06/18/13 09:19 PM
Joined: Jul 2006
Eden (no really!)
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jamesdak Offline
Old hand
jamesdak  Offline
Old hand
J

Joined: Jul 2006
Eden (no really!)
As others have said. A big sturdy tripod with a quality head are a big help. Then it possible use a remote to fire the shutter. You also want to look at ways to dampen motion. One way is to hang a weight from the center of the tripod. Lots of shooters will just hang their camera bag. You can also try laying your non-shooting hand on top of the lens to dampen motion. If your body has a live-view type feature you may be able to use that to fine-tune focus, especially if you are using a shallow depth of field or in my case a manual focus 800/5.6.


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