Imagine handholding a 600vr on a boat

[Randy]

I almost got a 600 but I am happy I got a 500 instead

The 500 is actually very nice to HH if you have a nice foot to use as a handle so you can hold it by the handle until you need to shoot it.
The 500's weight is so perfectly balanced it is almost as east to shoot from the boat as the 300. Yesterday I shoot the 300vr + 1.7 and the 500's shots from today are noticeably better.

2 shots from this morning, D300 + 500vr

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[TOLady]

Well done, Randy!!! I'm impressed. How was your arm after this? :biggrin:

 

[alexf]

Nicely done!

 

[cajun angel]

handheld?!WOW, you must have really strong muscles! Nice shootin, btw!:biggrin:

 

[Commodorefirst]

Agree Randy, most of my BIF with this lens are always hand held. Just easier than a tripod for flight shots.

 

[Russ_]

Wow! From a boat - Wower!

 

[Gary Irwin]

Very nice work Randy....but I know you still want that 600! ;o)

 

[five_oh_gold]

Nice.

 

[Mike Savage]

Excellent!

Mike

 

[Joseph]

The 70-200 probably felt like a kit lens after HH'ing a 500vr

Nice shots Randy, amazing feather detail!

 

[Harry Lavo]

Shots are really excellent, Randy. Must make all that weight-lifting in preparation worthwhile!:biggrin:

 

[Someguy]

Rany, these are great!

I can actually save money by buying this lens instead of going to the gym

 

[Bohdan]

very impressive Randy.
Any handholding technique tips to pass on to us who aspire to do half as well?

 

[TheCROW]

I'm imagining just seeing a 500, nevermind the 600 and a boat lol!!
Great shooting, great photos and great lens! grats!!!

 

[rdle]

I almost got a 600 but I am happy I got a 500 instead

Nice steady shot.

 

[SUN RA KAT]

Sometimes extra weight helps stabilize the image so handholding is feasable especially when the camera & lens combination balances well. Those great photos were taken at 1/2000 second so probably Randy could have gotten the same photos with VR tuned off.

An impossible task for me is hand holding the D300 and the 500 F8 reflex lens and getting a good photo handheld. The combination, even when prefocused, vibrates so much in my hands that it's hard to even keep up with the airplane at 30,000 feet...

...but I can hand hold my Nikon 50mm F1.2 at a shutter speed of 1/10 second and have half of my photos come out quite sharp, close to what I get when the same lens & camera are on a tripod.

 

[Randy]

Well done, Randy!!! I'm impressed. How was your arm after this? :biggrin:

thx Sandi....the arm held up well

Nicely done!

thanks Alex

handheld?!WOW, you must have really strong muscles! Nice shootin, btw!:biggrin:

thanks Dianne

not so much

Wow! From a boat - Wower!

thanks Russ

Very nice work Randy....but I know you still want that 600! ;o)

thanks Gary...yes I do, maybe latter this year

Nice.

thanks

Excellent!

Mike

thanks Mike

The 70-200 probably felt like a kit lens after HH'ing a 500vr

Nice shots Randy, amazing feather detail!

thanks buddy

Shots are really excellent, Randy. Must make all that weight-lifting in preparation worthwhile!:biggrin:

thanks Harry:smile:

Rany, these are great!

I can actually save money by buying this lens instead of going to the gym

thanks

very impressive Randy.
Any handholding technique tips to pass on to us who aspire to do half as well?

thanks

1. find the bird way before you shoot. The field of view at 500mm on dx is very tight in that viewfinder.
2. shutterspeed will fix almost any movement of the camera/lens so go fast.
For 500mm try for 1/2000 or faster even if it means more iso. The problem with big birds is you need to stop the lens down so you get more dof and get those big wings in focus. So you have 3 opposing forces, ss,aperture and iso. You need fast ss, small aperture while trying to keep iso as low as you can.

I'm imagining just seeing a 500, nevermind the 600 and a boat lol!!
Great shooting, great photos and great lens! grats!!!

thanks

Nice steady shot.

thanks

Sometimes extra weight helps stabilize the image so handholding is feasable especially when the camera & lens combination balances well. Those great photos were taken at 1/2000 second so probably Randy could have gotten the same photos with VR tuned off.

An impossible task for me is hand holding the D300 and the 500 F8 reflex lens and getting a good photo handheld. The combination, even when prefocused, vibrates so much in my hands that it's hard to even keep up with the airplane at 30,000 feet...

...but I can hand hold my Nikon 50mm F1.2 at a shutter speed of 1/10 second and have half of my photos come out quite sharp, close to what I get when the same lens & camera are on a tripod.

thanks....no vr at those ss-s except sometimes active vr
the 300vr is the perfect wt, the 500 is too much and any wind or boat traffic out there and the 500 becomes unusable

 

[colincarter]

great shots Randy

i tried handholding Mike's Canon 600 yesterday and its possible for 30 seconds or so then it gets too heavy. I wouldnt like to track fast moving birds with it, if you turned too quick the inertia would spin you around - lol.

Nikon's 600mm is 500grams lighter but i would think the same applies.

on a moving boat it would be impossible.

on a tripod the extra weight is irrelevant apart from carrying the thing to the location. Ive decided on the 600, we need all the reach we can get for our little birds and the 600 on the d3 (without TC's) will be a great combo, at f4, in our bad light.

in good light, the d300, 600VR and 1.7x TC will be awesome.

 

[Randy]

great shots Randy

i tried handholding Mike's Canon 600 yesterday and its possible for 30 seconds or so then it gets too heavy. I wouldnt like to track fast moving birds with it, if you turned too quick the inertia would spin you around - lol.

Nikon's 600mm is 500grams lighter but i would think the same applies.

on a moving boat it would be impossible.

on a tripod the extra weight is irrelevant apart from carrying the thing to the location. Ive decided on the 600, we need all the reach we can get for our little birds and the 600 on the d3 (without TC's) will be a great combo, at f4, in our bad light.

in good light, the d300, 600VR and 1.7x TC will be awesome.

thx colin

i think i'll wait on the 600 until i can no longer hold the 500