PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Telephoto lens - Stabilised or not?
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Old 2nd Apr 2010, 07:08
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FlightlessParrot
 
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Some kind of image stabilisation should help with camera shake. A rule of thumb is that with 35 mm cameras, the slowest shutter speed at which you have a good chance of a sharp image without stabilisation is the reciprocal of the focal length in millimetres. So, 1/50 of a second with a 50mm lens, 1/200 with 200 mm and so on. This, by the way, doesn't guarantee sharp results; if you want really sharp, use a tripod, if you can. The maximum aperture of a lens is not an index of its quality, but a fast lens can be useful to enable a fast shutter speed at a reasonable ISO rating. Using a tripod for ground to air is pretty implausible, unless you know the flight path, have plenty of room, and a good cine tripod. OTOH, a monopod could be of use, and a makeshift would be to tie a cord round the camera or lens, step on one end and hold the camera taught against it--it will seriously reduce movement in one dimension, though you may look a bit of a twit. There used to be chains you could screw into a tripod socket to do the same trick in a more elegant looking way. If it were me, I'd go for a decent lens with stabilisation over a super-good lens without; you need ideal circumstances to get the most out of the best optics.
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