Long lens photography is
not as easy as it may look like. This is caused by the vibrations of the
lens itself. These vibrations are caused by the shutter and by the mirror
hitting against the prism. This has a major impact on picture quality.
There are, however ways to eliminate vibrations. Below I would like
to describe a few ways to do so.
1. A sturdy support is absolutely essential when shooting with such
lenses as 300mm f2.8, 400mm f2.8, 500mm f4.0, 600mm
f4.0, 800mm f5.6. These
lenses weigh a minimum of 3,5
kg which gives a total mass of at least 5 kg with the body. So it's
very important to have a solid tripod with a solid head. If possible try
to avoid full expansion of the tripod legs in order to keep the balance point
as low as possible. This will improve the stability of the set. An
extended tripod is susceptible to wind and anything that will cause it to
shake. If a tripod is not available try to find an alternative. A
bean-bag will work very well.
2. As I mentioned the shutter starts vibrations that travel as a wave to
the front element and come back through the lens and cause the film plane or sensor
to vibrate. By placing the palm of your hand on the lens, above the tripod
collar, you can eliminate these vibrations. The weight of the hand is just
enough and no pressure should be applied.
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3. In addition, place your eye against the eyecup, again without too much
pressure. This action will further eliminate any other vibrations.
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4. Rest your finger against the shutter release button at all times when working
with the camera and just gently press it to take the picture. Applying delicate pressure to the shutter
release will make a difference in the final result.
5. Additional factors that will decrease vibrations and increase the
quality of your pictures may be; mirror lock-up (if your camera allows it),
using the self-timer or cable release. A combination of these can also be
used. Some lenses have a image stabilization system IS (Canon), VR
(Nikon), which also add to the quality of the final result.
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6.
Last but not least is practice. Knowing the theory
unfortunately does not grarantee anything. Don't get intimidated
by bad results which will come in the beginning.
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