Utilizing telephoto lenses to zone in on the action, or monitor someone from a safe distance, is quite a thrill – and it can result in some excellent photos. However, zoom lenses and long tele lenses have high magnification, which tends to exacerbate camera shake problems resulting from your failure to keep the lens and camera completely still.
Further problems can also arise, due to the impact of heat waves, shaking or moving floors, the wind, or a hazy atmosphere. Camera mirrors create residual vibration when they flip up just before exposure, and this can be problematic too.
Are you fatigued, shivery or fond of stimulant drinks (cola, tea or coffee)? If so, then these beverages will make things worse, so stay clear of them whenever possible and keep smiling.
How to Get Started
Begin with a quick film of at least ISO 400, when handholding your lens and camera. This enables you to use better shutter speeds (of 1/1000 second and higher) and reduce the effect of shaking in a range of different lights. Assume the correct position: Arms tucked firmly into your body, elbows partly supported by the abdomen or chest, camera and lens balanced using the left arm and hand.
Rehearse holding and focusing the lens using the left hand, direct the camera just over the subject, breathe deeply, allow the view to fall to the correct composition while breathing out, then press the shutter gently.
To get support, locate a parked vehicle, folded coat or fence post. Put your camera on this or lean on this whilst shooting. Once you have this level of support, an exposure of 1/30 seconds is achievable, even using a lens of 500 mm.
You will be using slow shutter speeds more frequently than you want. The general rule, with regards to minimum shutter speeds for hand-holding long zoom or tele lenses, is the following: One over the focal length of the lens equals the slowest and safest shutter speed.
For instance, if you are working with an f/4 500 mm lens, the shutter speed for handheld shots is 1/500 second, at the proper aperture for decent exposure. This applies to a correctly positioned photographer, who stands on steady ground.
Monopod Or Tripod
Rifle stocks, chest braces, and other similar equipment are not as convenient as a lightweight tripod or monopod. Monopods can be carried easily, and these can be assembled virtually anywhere.
They will not enable you to set exceptionally slow shutter speeds while using a tripod. However, they will allow you to shoot safely — i.e without a big risk of image distorting shake — at speeds several steps slower than you would need to use if you were doing handheld shooting. That might make shooting in darker light possible, or make it feasible to use a finer grained, slower film.
Purchase a monopod that you can raise to eye level, that is fast and simple to assemble. If you do lots of vertical shooting, you might opt to include a decent swivel ball head to enhance maneuverability.
Tripods are the ideal devices for reducing the impact of vibration from zoom or long tele lenses. A solid tripod allows you to use lower ISO high res films and slower shutter speeds. If your tripod is shaky, fix a four pounds weight to its’ middle column for extra stability.
Tripod Mount Collars
Lengthy teles require tripod mounting collars so that the lens can be attached to the tripod at the correct fulcrum, instead of the camera. Also, you could use an additional support for your camera, such as Long Lens Support from Bogen. This is a telescoping brace that can be fixed to the legs of a tripod at one end with a universal clamp, and at the other end with a camera swivel ball head. It is harder to alter the camera’s position using the brace, however, it significantly reduces the impact of vibration.
Tripods are of no use if the ground is shaky. They will actually relay the motion straight to the camera and lens. It is better to grasp the camera, if a decent shutter speed can be set, and allow your body to quell the vibration.
Heat waves and atmospheric haze cannot be eliminated every time, however, using a polarizing or haze filter will boost the contrast and color saturation. Shade the lens or use the lens hood to reduce the chance of flare.