Telephoto lens - Stabilised or not?
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Turning base leg
Age: 65
Posts: 4,717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TtT. Unfortunately dust is just a fact of life with DSLRs. Many nowadays have sensor cleaning which discharges them and "shakes" the sensor clean. Even these, though, are prone to the odd speck. For old cameras you can get a liquid cleaner that is applied with a sterile swab (don't use blowers!). It can all be rectified in Photoshop or a similar package. Don't lose heart.
Regarding the shutter speed I'd never go below 250 for general shooting. That gives a moderate to good amount of clarity. In the end it is all about practice and learning technique. The great thing about digital is that you can do that over and over wthout cost!!! Good luck. RR
Regarding the shutter speed I'd never go below 250 for general shooting. That gives a moderate to good amount of clarity. In the end it is all about practice and learning technique. The great thing about digital is that you can do that over and over wthout cost!!! Good luck. RR
Guest
Posts: n/a
Warch out for IS (Image Stabilisation).
It should be called CS. Camera Stabilisation.
It only works if you are trying to hold the camera still.
If you use it when panning, it actually makes your pix worse!
Also, at higher shutter speeds, the IS has insufficient time to operate. I use Olympus stuff and at speeds of 1/1000 sec. or better, IS is no help at all.
I've learned this info in the hardest possible way.
It should be called CS. Camera Stabilisation.
It only works if you are trying to hold the camera still.
If you use it when panning, it actually makes your pix worse!
Also, at higher shutter speeds, the IS has insufficient time to operate. I use Olympus stuff and at speeds of 1/1000 sec. or better, IS is no help at all.
I've learned this info in the hardest possible way.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Manchester
Posts: 891
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tenor
The reason I mentioned shutter priority was so as to override the cameras desire to give compromise settings when on auto. If you are trying to get sharp images with telephoto lenses you need high shutter speeds unless using a tripod. an aperture of f20 (small hole) will give a good depth of field (bigger area in focus) but if you have a shutter speed of 160 sec you will get camera shake. Aim for about 500th sec and f8 that will give a good balance between aperture and shutter speed.
Also a very important thing to consider when shooting aircraft is the light reading. If you are pointing at an aircraft in the sky there will be a lot of the image that will consist of bright sky, the aircraft will be darker against the sky and if the camera works out exposure for mainly sky, the aircraft will be underexposed and darker in the resultant picture. To get around this use the exposure compensation dial +1 should be sufficient. Inversely if the background is dark such as storm clouds and the aircraft brightly lit by sunshine you will have to do the opposite and set the compensation to -1 or the aircraft will be overexposed.
The reason I mentioned shutter priority was so as to override the cameras desire to give compromise settings when on auto. If you are trying to get sharp images with telephoto lenses you need high shutter speeds unless using a tripod. an aperture of f20 (small hole) will give a good depth of field (bigger area in focus) but if you have a shutter speed of 160 sec you will get camera shake. Aim for about 500th sec and f8 that will give a good balance between aperture and shutter speed.
Also a very important thing to consider when shooting aircraft is the light reading. If you are pointing at an aircraft in the sky there will be a lot of the image that will consist of bright sky, the aircraft will be darker against the sky and if the camera works out exposure for mainly sky, the aircraft will be underexposed and darker in the resultant picture. To get around this use the exposure compensation dial +1 should be sufficient. Inversely if the background is dark such as storm clouds and the aircraft brightly lit by sunshine you will have to do the opposite and set the compensation to -1 or the aircraft will be overexposed.
BB
Warch out for IS (Image Stabilisation).
It should be called CS. Camera Stabilisation.
Nope its Image Stabilisation in the Canon range and works in the lens' not the camera body. Some Canon EF lenses incorporate an image stabiliser to prevent camera shake from spoiling the shot. This is particularly useful on close-ups or at slow shutter speeds, in situations where a tripod camera cannot be used. Optical shake is detected by gyro sensors which provide data to neutralise the shake.
BB
It only works if you are trying to hold the camera still.
If you use it when panning, it actually makes your pix worse!
This is rubbish, neither statement is true, though it may be if specifically applied to Olympus products.
BB
Also, at higher shutter speeds, the IS has insufficient time to operate. I use Olympus stuff and at speeds of 1/1000 sec. or better, IS is no help at all.
I've learned this info in the hardest possible way
If you bought Olympus then yes, unfortunately you did learn the hard way, the same refers to the earlier comments regarding Olympus glass being arguably the best, it'd be a short argument as it isn't. Canon and Nikon have rightly got a significant part of the market for these types of cameras and lens' as their IS and higher end DSLR's are by far the better performers. This is why most of the serious amateurs, semi pro and pro snappers use them, they get results. This has been the case for many years back into the 35mm days.
MAN777 has provided some good tips, I'd throw in another, look for a higher spec lens second hand from a good shop like Mifsuds ( no connection, satisfied punter). With clever buying you can get far more bang for your buck.
Warch out for IS (Image Stabilisation).
It should be called CS. Camera Stabilisation.
Nope its Image Stabilisation in the Canon range and works in the lens' not the camera body. Some Canon EF lenses incorporate an image stabiliser to prevent camera shake from spoiling the shot. This is particularly useful on close-ups or at slow shutter speeds, in situations where a tripod camera cannot be used. Optical shake is detected by gyro sensors which provide data to neutralise the shake.
BB
It only works if you are trying to hold the camera still.
If you use it when panning, it actually makes your pix worse!
This is rubbish, neither statement is true, though it may be if specifically applied to Olympus products.BB
Also, at higher shutter speeds, the IS has insufficient time to operate. I use Olympus stuff and at speeds of 1/1000 sec. or better, IS is no help at all.
I've learned this info in the hardest possible way
If you bought Olympus then yes, unfortunately you did learn the hard way, the same refers to the earlier comments regarding Olympus glass being arguably the best, it'd be a short argument as it isn't. Canon and Nikon have rightly got a significant part of the market for these types of cameras and lens' as their IS and higher end DSLR's are by far the better performers. This is why most of the serious amateurs, semi pro and pro snappers use them, they get results. This has been the case for many years back into the 35mm days.
MAN777 has provided some good tips, I'd throw in another, look for a higher spec lens second hand from a good shop like Mifsuds ( no connection, satisfied punter). With clever buying you can get far more bang for your buck.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Cork, Ireland
Posts: 1,625
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
MAN777, a result! Big rush up to Cork yesterday to nab the Heliswiss Super Puma hired for some heavy lifting up the mountains around the County Bounds between Cork and Kerry. This time had more time to compose the technial aspects of the shots in the manner you so kindly suggested so set up Shutter Priority correctly and wound the dial to 1/640th giving me f4.5 of an aperture and the shots of an RE ATR42 came out sharp as anything. Am really pleased about that though unfortunately, the Puma pulled a sneaky one and did 07 take off from the 17/35 intersection with 25/07 so it called for me to run like hell to one of the long term car parks which ate into composure time to set up the shots of the AS332. The shots achieved were better than last Sunday and one is just usable so all in all am happy at Wednesday's improvement.
Thank you. Not as discouraged now.
Thank you. Not as discouraged now.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Manchester
Posts: 891
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tom
So glad you have got an improvement.
Now - Lets just put a spanner in the works
When shooting aircraft with props and rotors, you will quickly realise that your high shutter speeds are freezing all the action giving the impression that helicopters are falling out of the sky and prop jobs have stopped engines, neither of which does much for the photo.
Solution ? Drop the shutter speed below 100th sec and practice "panning"
that is a technique of SMOOTHLY following the aircraft through the lens before, during and after the exposure, if you get it right the aircraft will still be sharp but the props/rotors will appear lifelike ie turning. Experiment with the shutter speeds for best effect. When panning you also get rid of distracting backgrounds as they become a blur.
Simples
Have Fun
So glad you have got an improvement.
Now - Lets just put a spanner in the works
When shooting aircraft with props and rotors, you will quickly realise that your high shutter speeds are freezing all the action giving the impression that helicopters are falling out of the sky and prop jobs have stopped engines, neither of which does much for the photo.
Solution ? Drop the shutter speed below 100th sec and practice "panning"
that is a technique of SMOOTHLY following the aircraft through the lens before, during and after the exposure, if you get it right the aircraft will still be sharp but the props/rotors will appear lifelike ie turning. Experiment with the shutter speeds for best effect. When panning you also get rid of distracting backgrounds as they become a blur.
Simples
Have Fun
Tom,
Good advice from MAN777, but keep it simple to start off with. For props try 1/320th or slightly lower. For rotors try 1/200th or 1/250th . Anything higher will give you that frozen look. With practice you can then drop your speeds lower to 1/100th and below. Try experimenting with various shutter speeds on taxiing prop and rotors.
TJ
Good advice from MAN777, but keep it simple to start off with. For props try 1/320th or slightly lower. For rotors try 1/200th or 1/250th . Anything higher will give you that frozen look. With practice you can then drop your speeds lower to 1/100th and below. Try experimenting with various shutter speeds on taxiing prop and rotors.
TJ
Dir. PPRuNe Line Service
Another way of being able to use a faster shutter speed is to turn up the ISO. However, higher ISO = more noise. That's where something like Noise Ninja helps.
PPD (Taking photographs since 1973... started with a Kiev 4A and a Zenith-E, now using a Canon 5DM2. I still have the Kiev...!)
PPD (Taking photographs since 1973... started with a Kiev 4A and a Zenith-E, now using a Canon 5DM2. I still have the Kiev...!)
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: London
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tom
Glad you are making progress.
I am very lucky in that I spend most of my time in Africa where the light is usually pretty good. But despite that I operate almost exclusively on ISO400. With that you can usually operate on a reasonably fast shutter speed (never below 1/500 and ideally above 1/1000). Aperture although secondary to shutter speed is also important. My lenses (all excellent Minolta G ones) seem to be crispest at F8 or higher (smaller aperture = using middle flatter part of the lens so depth of field is less critical - ie both nose and tail might be in focus at the same time!).
With the modern digitals just experiment with different settings but above all get used to your camera. I have taken some 30,000 pics with my digital bodies and know it inside out etc. Vital as things sometimes happen fast.
Re a speck of dust on the sensor you will need to consult the manual re cleaning but advice learnt the hard way is only change lenses in a reasonably 'dust free' environment. In other words not outside at an airfield in high winds and dust everywhere!
T24
Glad you are making progress.
I am very lucky in that I spend most of my time in Africa where the light is usually pretty good. But despite that I operate almost exclusively on ISO400. With that you can usually operate on a reasonably fast shutter speed (never below 1/500 and ideally above 1/1000). Aperture although secondary to shutter speed is also important. My lenses (all excellent Minolta G ones) seem to be crispest at F8 or higher (smaller aperture = using middle flatter part of the lens so depth of field is less critical - ie both nose and tail might be in focus at the same time!).
With the modern digitals just experiment with different settings but above all get used to your camera. I have taken some 30,000 pics with my digital bodies and know it inside out etc. Vital as things sometimes happen fast.
Re a speck of dust on the sensor you will need to consult the manual re cleaning but advice learnt the hard way is only change lenses in a reasonably 'dust free' environment. In other words not outside at an airfield in high winds and dust everywhere!
T24
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Cork, Ireland
Posts: 1,625
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the updates and the tips about panning. I will looking forward to trying that out in the near future but for now I will stick with the easier shots like just when the push back tug gets unhooked from the aeroplane! Really simples! Good day again today when an Aer Lingus clad RE ATR-72 posed nicely for me. Today I used the manual focus option as a little bit of me is anxious about trusting the autofocus system on my value 70 mm - 300 mm lens. Value or not though today's results were again very satisfying.
Tom.
Tom.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 1,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
MAN777,
Firstly, good point about metering a passing aircraft, not the sky behind it; in the old days the trick was to take a meter reading of one's hand held out in the prevailing light, and set manual exposure to that; if really shooting upwwards at an aircraft I'd meter off a dark bit of ground nearby, or as you say set compensation but that's trusting the camera to react quickly enough.
I have used a Canon with IS at an airshow ( I usually try to be alongside aircraft, airshows are rarely much good; though I do have terrific admiration for those who shoot fast jets from hilltops, some fabulous results ) - I didn't think much of the IS, but it may have been more use air-air.
I do feel you are possibly a little confused about ' fast lenses ' however.
A large aperture lens's main advantage is that as it lets in more light, one can SEE a brighter image.
If you go around shooting with the aperture fully open all the time, sure you probably will get high shutter speeds, but what about depth of field ?!
On a large aperture tele' lens the d of f will be a very short distance range anyway.
This is fine as long as you focus / point at the right bit of the passing aircraft, there should be JUST enough depth to cover it.
The byproduct of a blurred background is usually desirable, but sometimes one definitely needs the background, and if using full aperture on a bright day a modern camera may achieve a VERY high shutter speed, freezing the background despite panning; I'd always use a compromise and either shutter priority or pre-set manual exposure.
I was going to say I can count the number of times I've used a fully open lens for an action shot on the fingers of one hand, but thinking about it the answer is once, when I was stuffed on an air-air shoot of a Sea Harrier by my pilot staying under cloud cover ( he was well paid and couldn't give a toss about my task ) - result, grey aeroplane against grey background, when the whole point of the exercise had been to get above cloud to illuminate the AMRAAMS under the fuselage; I was not a happy bunny !
DZ, BAe Photographer 1979-93, various other airborne stuff since.
Firstly, good point about metering a passing aircraft, not the sky behind it; in the old days the trick was to take a meter reading of one's hand held out in the prevailing light, and set manual exposure to that; if really shooting upwwards at an aircraft I'd meter off a dark bit of ground nearby, or as you say set compensation but that's trusting the camera to react quickly enough.
I have used a Canon with IS at an airshow ( I usually try to be alongside aircraft, airshows are rarely much good; though I do have terrific admiration for those who shoot fast jets from hilltops, some fabulous results ) - I didn't think much of the IS, but it may have been more use air-air.
I do feel you are possibly a little confused about ' fast lenses ' however.
A large aperture lens's main advantage is that as it lets in more light, one can SEE a brighter image.
If you go around shooting with the aperture fully open all the time, sure you probably will get high shutter speeds, but what about depth of field ?!
On a large aperture tele' lens the d of f will be a very short distance range anyway.
This is fine as long as you focus / point at the right bit of the passing aircraft, there should be JUST enough depth to cover it.
The byproduct of a blurred background is usually desirable, but sometimes one definitely needs the background, and if using full aperture on a bright day a modern camera may achieve a VERY high shutter speed, freezing the background despite panning; I'd always use a compromise and either shutter priority or pre-set manual exposure.
I was going to say I can count the number of times I've used a fully open lens for an action shot on the fingers of one hand, but thinking about it the answer is once, when I was stuffed on an air-air shoot of a Sea Harrier by my pilot staying under cloud cover ( he was well paid and couldn't give a toss about my task ) - result, grey aeroplane against grey background, when the whole point of the exercise had been to get above cloud to illuminate the AMRAAMS under the fuselage; I was not a happy bunny !
DZ, BAe Photographer 1979-93, various other airborne stuff since.
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Manchester
Posts: 891
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Double Zero
No confusion whatsoever, read all my posts fully, especially post 11, where depth of field is mentioned. Could go into the science of focal points and exposure but feel it would be a bit out of place on these pages
My history
Trained by the RAF, British Institute of Professional Photographers, 30 years later still 'In' photography with my own photography business.
No confusion whatsoever, read all my posts fully, especially post 11, where depth of field is mentioned. Could go into the science of focal points and exposure but feel it would be a bit out of place on these pages
My history
Trained by the RAF, British Institute of Professional Photographers, 30 years later still 'In' photography with my own photography business.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 1,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
MAN777,
I'm back but with very little time...
Suggest you read my background, telling amateurs what to do is one thing...in any association or group one comes across people only too willing to say " you shouldn't do it like that, do it like this "
Shutter priority or better, manual exposure and the best lens possible is still the way to go, however software now comes into the equation, and kit that one can work naturally without peering at readouts is one of the paramount factors - as this is an individual thing all I can do is very strongly recommend potential buyers ' try before buy '; certainly not full open aperture just because it gives a high shutter speed.
As I say, for professional purposes Depth of Field Preview is worth it's weight in gold.
The best ground to air ( a regime I hate, usually guaranteed crap unless in the case of the aforementioned people on hilltops ) I ever took was at 250th, F 5:6, VPS rated at 125 ASA, John Farley flying past Dunsfold ATC; even rivals agreed it was the best G-A shot they'd seen, but that was entirely thanks to John's flying; he did 4 passes of which I got 2, using a standard 80mm lens ( similar to but better through physics to a 50mm on a 35mm camera ) on a Hasselblad 500CM, NC90 viewfinder ( no motor drive 5FPS on a Hassel, unless one counts the ELM which was utterly unreliable, and at best gave brief glimpses through the viewfinder before settling itself down to contemplate taking the next exposure !
My boss using the Nikon F4 35mm wet film with 80-105 lens & motor drive only got wingtips, John was that close, but all calm & smooth completely drama - free.
Digital cameras make shots unimaginable in those days free to anyone willing to put in the money - and skill, not least in knowing where to be -available to a lot more people ( I know someone who's a keen & good photographer, also ex-Test Pilot & racing driver with a Ferrari Daytona & top of the range Porsche turbo, but even he regards the digital Hasselblad prices as laughable )...
Each to his own, and I'm certainly not being paid to say this ( I wish ) but I'm a Nikon fan personally.
This is despite knowing most if not all digital camera 'chips' come from the same source ( Sony ) and I found a couple of 'Gotcha's' working with the F4,
A, a black LCD readout in the viewfinder is sod all use in low light - ie a lot of professional situations,
B, what idiot chose to make the ( wet film ) 35-105 lens zoom & focus twist one way, the 80-200 the other !
If that's not asking for a cock-up, I'd hate to see what is; we didn't fall for it, but it took valuable spontaneous milliseconds - or in my case, minutes.
Try before buy, if buying expensive kit the salesman might well be happy to come along on an interesting shoot.
NB some compact cameras are now running at 24megapix, so unless mad or in a real hurry I'd wait before buying current 'top of the range' kit, though there is the increasing problem of transferring large files.
DZ
I'm back but with very little time...
Suggest you read my background, telling amateurs what to do is one thing...in any association or group one comes across people only too willing to say " you shouldn't do it like that, do it like this "
Shutter priority or better, manual exposure and the best lens possible is still the way to go, however software now comes into the equation, and kit that one can work naturally without peering at readouts is one of the paramount factors - as this is an individual thing all I can do is very strongly recommend potential buyers ' try before buy '; certainly not full open aperture just because it gives a high shutter speed.
As I say, for professional purposes Depth of Field Preview is worth it's weight in gold.
The best ground to air ( a regime I hate, usually guaranteed crap unless in the case of the aforementioned people on hilltops ) I ever took was at 250th, F 5:6, VPS rated at 125 ASA, John Farley flying past Dunsfold ATC; even rivals agreed it was the best G-A shot they'd seen, but that was entirely thanks to John's flying; he did 4 passes of which I got 2, using a standard 80mm lens ( similar to but better through physics to a 50mm on a 35mm camera ) on a Hasselblad 500CM, NC90 viewfinder ( no motor drive 5FPS on a Hassel, unless one counts the ELM which was utterly unreliable, and at best gave brief glimpses through the viewfinder before settling itself down to contemplate taking the next exposure !
My boss using the Nikon F4 35mm wet film with 80-105 lens & motor drive only got wingtips, John was that close, but all calm & smooth completely drama - free.
Digital cameras make shots unimaginable in those days free to anyone willing to put in the money - and skill, not least in knowing where to be -available to a lot more people ( I know someone who's a keen & good photographer, also ex-Test Pilot & racing driver with a Ferrari Daytona & top of the range Porsche turbo, but even he regards the digital Hasselblad prices as laughable )...
Each to his own, and I'm certainly not being paid to say this ( I wish ) but I'm a Nikon fan personally.
This is despite knowing most if not all digital camera 'chips' come from the same source ( Sony ) and I found a couple of 'Gotcha's' working with the F4,
A, a black LCD readout in the viewfinder is sod all use in low light - ie a lot of professional situations,
B, what idiot chose to make the ( wet film ) 35-105 lens zoom & focus twist one way, the 80-200 the other !
If that's not asking for a cock-up, I'd hate to see what is; we didn't fall for it, but it took valuable spontaneous milliseconds - or in my case, minutes.
Try before buy, if buying expensive kit the salesman might well be happy to come along on an interesting shoot.
NB some compact cameras are now running at 24megapix, so unless mad or in a real hurry I'd wait before buying current 'top of the range' kit, though there is the increasing problem of transferring large files.
DZ
Last edited by Double Zero; 31st Mar 2010 at 21:22.
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Auckland, NZ
Age: 79
Posts: 722
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
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.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: West Sussex
Posts: 1,771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flightless Parrot,
We must have gone to different colleges on photo' 744 courses...
The shutter speeds you quote are VERY low, for generally hand-held let alone for air-air or ground -air; the exact opposite of MAN777 !
I'm sorry to say your monopod / elastic idea won't work, one has to hand hold & pan far faster than that would allow.
I'm sure the hilltop types would agree - now's the chance for one of them to comment, pretty sure they must have been watching this thread, though like me they generally post on the military aircrew or aviation history sites.
DZ
We must have gone to different colleges on photo' 744 courses...
The shutter speeds you quote are VERY low, for generally hand-held let alone for air-air or ground -air; the exact opposite of MAN777 !
I'm sorry to say your monopod / elastic idea won't work, one has to hand hold & pan far faster than that would allow.
I'm sure the hilltop types would agree - now's the chance for one of them to comment, pretty sure they must have been watching this thread, though like me they generally post on the military aircrew or aviation history sites.
DZ
Guest
Posts: n/a
Jumpseater.
I know that the IS is in the OLY body as opposed to the Lens in CaNikons.
However, the principle is the same in both.
The IS tries to prevent camera shake, so both systems work really well for shots where you are trying to hold the camera steady. Low light, low ISO, long lenses etc.
For panning shots, both systems work best in IS2, do they not?
My point is, for moving subjects, turn the IS OFF! Otherwise it thinks (whether OLY or CaNikon) that your attempt at panning (or other movement) is 'shake'. (apert from IS 2 when panning).
Also, whether you agree or not, the IS benefit is reduced as conditions improve. So a big help in tricky low light, 'slow' conditions, but above 1/1000 sec..
1. You should not need it so much, and
2. It has so little time to act that it can make little or no difference.
Ask me how I know.
I know that the IS is in the OLY body as opposed to the Lens in CaNikons.
However, the principle is the same in both.
The IS tries to prevent camera shake, so both systems work really well for shots where you are trying to hold the camera steady. Low light, low ISO, long lenses etc.
For panning shots, both systems work best in IS2, do they not?
My point is, for moving subjects, turn the IS OFF! Otherwise it thinks (whether OLY or CaNikon) that your attempt at panning (or other movement) is 'shake'. (apert from IS 2 when panning).
Also, whether you agree or not, the IS benefit is reduced as conditions improve. So a big help in tricky low light, 'slow' conditions, but above 1/1000 sec..
1. You should not need it so much, and
2. It has so little time to act that it can make little or no difference.
Ask me how I know.
Double Zero wrote
Concur with this. A lot of low level flying snappers use a well known make of shoulder mount for panning work and especially at slower shutter speeds. I won't post a link as that would be breaking the advertising rules on here.
These are great for the hills, but extremely dodgy, in my opinion, to be using around the periphery of an airfield. The last thing you want to be doing is to spook the aircrew and security with camera and long lens mounted on a military style trigger operated shoulder mount. They do come in various colours such as bright orange, but still look like a grip stock for a military weapon. I've seen people using them at RAF Lakenheath and they certainly got the attention of the on-base security.
I'm a Nikon user and I love the image stabilisation on the 300mm f/2.8 VR and especially for panning work. Nikon call it VR (Vibration Reduction).
These landing Eurofighter Typhoon images were taken hand held from the top of a ladder at RAF Coningsby. I used 1/30th of a second. I experimented with stabilisation on and off. Without image stabilisation (VR on) I just couldn't achieve the same results.
Links to images
Photos: Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon FGR4 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
Photos: Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon F2 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
Photos: Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon F2 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
TJ
I'm sorry to say your monopod / elastic idea won't work, one has to hand hold & pan far faster than that would allow.
I'm sure the hilltop types would agree - now's the chance for one of them to comment, pretty sure they must have been watching this thread, though like me they generally post on the military aircrew or aviation history sites.
I'm sure the hilltop types would agree - now's the chance for one of them to comment, pretty sure they must have been watching this thread, though like me they generally post on the military aircrew or aviation history sites.
These are great for the hills, but extremely dodgy, in my opinion, to be using around the periphery of an airfield. The last thing you want to be doing is to spook the aircrew and security with camera and long lens mounted on a military style trigger operated shoulder mount. They do come in various colours such as bright orange, but still look like a grip stock for a military weapon. I've seen people using them at RAF Lakenheath and they certainly got the attention of the on-base security.
I'm a Nikon user and I love the image stabilisation on the 300mm f/2.8 VR and especially for panning work. Nikon call it VR (Vibration Reduction).
These landing Eurofighter Typhoon images were taken hand held from the top of a ladder at RAF Coningsby. I used 1/30th of a second. I experimented with stabilisation on and off. Without image stabilisation (VR on) I just couldn't achieve the same results.
Links to images
Photos: Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon FGR4 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
Photos: Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon F2 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
Photos: Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon F2 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
TJ
Well BB, as someone who does a bit of sport photography, and heavier than air machines, I'm always keen to learn wot I'm doing rong, particularly as my experience seems to match TJ's, albeit with Canon gear.
BB
My point is, for moving subjects, turn the IS OFF!
My point is, nah, think I'm 'managing' ta very much. Handheld 400 2.8, 1/64th, I look at what's coming and choose shutter speed to suit 99% of the time, depending on what I want from the finished shot. My background includes working alongside news snappers, where you have to get the shot or its goodnight Vienna. None of TJ's strapons either, though having seen his work elsewhere, I'm very very tempted ...
Best I turn this IS thingy off ...
BB
My point is, for moving subjects, turn the IS OFF!
My point is, nah, think I'm 'managing' ta very much. Handheld 400 2.8, 1/64th, I look at what's coming and choose shutter speed to suit 99% of the time, depending on what I want from the finished shot. My background includes working alongside news snappers, where you have to get the shot or its goodnight Vienna. None of TJ's strapons either, though having seen his work elsewhere, I'm very very tempted ...
Best I turn this IS thingy off ...
Last edited by jumpseater; 3rd Apr 2010 at 17:59.