Lens weight management, handholding, etc.

[Mike Lee]

Howdy folks, this is my first post here. The reason I'm posting here and not in the "Introductions" forum is because I wanted to get some ideas on some related problems I have.


I've been interested for awhile now in travel and wildlife photography. I like to travel reasonably light to begin with, but I find that my hands are quite jittery even using the relatively minuscule 70-200/4 IS lens (currently my "long" lens). Furthermore, I found myself getting quite tired on a recent dolphin watching cruise. I had the camera up to my face for quite a while, because it was hard to anticipate when a dolphin might surface or jump. For a few years I've been waiting for the unicorn lens : Canon's 100-400 II. Now as I contemplate its purchase, I'm getting worried because the lens is over twice the weight of my 70-200.


I figure that the solution is likely some combination of technique, practice, and gear. However, I'm not sure where to begin. Sometimes when I realize that I'm tense and getting shaky, I can try to regulate my breathing and help reduce it, but it never goes away. I'm considering changing to a photo backpack because my shoulder bag got rather painful on some of our longer excursions, esp. when there's hiking involved. Hanging the lens from the backpack straps may help manage the weight when I'm not shooting, but that doesn't help when I am. Of course monopods and tripods can be an option at times, but that affects the whole "traveling light" goal while being less practical for certain situations (engine vibration and pitching deck on a marine mammal watching cruise for example).


In short, I'm looking for any sort of tips or advice that may help. I'm guessing a lot of people make it work without being musclebound superheroes, so my slim build is hopefully not the (only) problem here. When you're handholding with a tele or supertele, how do YOU manage the weight both when actively shooting and when waiting around for the perfect shot? If you used to have a much shakier grip while shooting, what helped you improve that? Thanks!


P.S. I'm shooting with a 70D, recently upgraded from a Rebel. I stayed with crop for reach, for budget, and for its relatively lightweight build.

[Don Lacy]

place your left hand under the lens near the mount tuck both elbows into your side and hold the camera and lens firmly but not tight give yourself a rest when needed. You will also learn to anticipate action so stay ready but you do not need to keep the camera to your eye all the time.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Don's offered solid advice. Yes, when handholding any camera/lens combo you cannot hold it up to your face for any "long" periods of time - that is the one major disadvantage at handholding. You will need to practice quickly bringing your gear up to your eye, finding the subject, and attaining focus. You also need to perfect finding good balance - if you simply stand fully upright with your shoulders, hips, and toes pointing straight ahead you will have big-time trouble staying steady and balanced. Tucking your elbows onto your sides (or with a super tele, at least the one from the arm holding the camera body) is a must. Smoothly pressing the shutter button, rather than jamming it down hard also helps. Lots of little details that become second nature with practice and experience.

When there is no action I simply either cradle the gear like a baby, or hold on to it to the side of my body (either by the body's grip, or by the 500mm's tripod foot (which I keep rotated pointing upwards for such purposes). If I am lying prone on my belly I get much better support with my elbows to the ground. With pauses in action I then simply let the end of the lens hood touch the ground while still holding on to the body (sometimes just letting the camera body rest on my hand that I've formed into a fist onto the ground), or I completely let the gear rest on the ground if it is not too muddy. With a shorter lens such as the 100-400 I sometimes simply let it hang in front of me - camera strap around my neck. Otherwise I just hold it to the side of my body with my "shooting" hand.

As for a bag, if you keep it on you then yes, a comfortable backpack would be much, much better than a shoulder bag...but even then it is best to not carry the extra weight on you if you do not need to.

BTW, even with super good technique I sometimes find myself in such an exciting situation that my heart beats so strongly that I can count my pulse in the viewfinder as the scene within it slightly moves with every beat!!

[Mike Lee]

Thanks for the tips! I guess I'll have to figure out some different options so I can distribute the load, be it my neck, my backpack harness, or my arms. I'm glad the answer isn't "stop buying long lenses" because I'm really looking forward to having some more reach. I see that many people here like the 300/2.8 II with the 1.4x III, but I simply can't afford the glass nor the physical space while traveling. I think the 100-400 II will still be my best bet.

Has anyone used the Peak Design Capture Clip with an over-200mm setup? Where do you clip it and what are your thoughts? They talk about using it with 70-200mm lenses but again even the 100-400 is twice as heavy. Pardon if this strays too far from the forum's intent. I was debating whether to start the thread under the General forum or the Gear forum, as it kind of belongs in both.

Thanks again!

[Grady Weed]

You don't say how old you are, if you take blood pressure meds or other "conditions" that might make it harder for you to use your set up as you might like to otherwise. I am 6ft 6, 290, take 6 different meds, some for BP, some for pain etc...I also have a slight sugar issue. So you as well? Keep some good snacks handy, some water or coffee is you can. Also focus your energies and try to clear your mind of all else while out taking images. Daniel has some very sound advice above. And yes I have improved greatly in the shaky nerves dept. Practice, a lot!

I use my Canon 5D, MK2n, 300 2.8 with a 2x, 100m macro. I also used the Canon 100-400 and a Tamron 200-500 for 3 years with a Canon 20d. It took time to get used to using either set up. Be patient.

[BobbyPerkins]

All excellent advice. With the mid-range telephoto rigs you may also like a rapid strap like the Black Rapid RS-7. Instead of a heavy rig around your neck (no thank you), you wear it around your left shoulder bolero style with camera at your right side. As stated, don't lift the camera until you anticipate action or ready to take a shot. For hand held technique learning to properly rest is an aquired skill. Holding/ cradling or setting the rig down beside you, or even setting the rig on a tripod when not shooting is good.

[Dennis Zaebst]

In addition to all the great advice above, I can second Bobby Perkins suggestion of the Black Rapid Strap. I bought one (about $60) a couple of years ago, and have used it with great success since with my 7D or 1D Mark IV and my EF 70-200 f/4 L IS lens. It makes it comfortable to carry for long periods while walking or standing, and it is extremely quick to bring up to the eye. Black Rapid's website has some videos to watch to help decide if this product is useful to you: http://www.blackrapid.com/products/Curve.

[Mike Lee]

Thanks again for the thoughts. Has anyone tried chest harnesses by Cotton Carrier etc.? It seems they'd hold a camera more stably and balanced across more of your body, and closer (vertically) to a "ready" position. I can think of some reasons why they're not as popular (make you look silly, hard to put harness on, takes up more space/weight). What are yours?

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Mike, I'm struggling with back problems and like to take all my gear on a hiking trip to be prepared for any situation. My gear consists of camera body, 16-85 zoom, 200mm macro lens (1.3 kg), 80-400 telezoom (also 1.3 kg). I used to carry this around in a Lowepro slingbag, to enable quick access to my gear. I liked the quick access, but because there is only one strap diagonally across your body, it resulted in problems for me after some time. I recently switched to a Lowepro Flipside backpack, which combines the advantages of a slingbag with the sturdyness and weight distribution of a backpack. I'm very happy with it. If you need access to your gear, you simply remove your arms from the straps, the bag will rest on the straps around your middle and you can turn it around to your front. The bag opens at the side that is normally resting on your back, so if you turn it in front of you, you have immediate acces to everything. If you are waiting for a better opportunity, you can simply put down the camera in the bag and pick it up when you need it.
If this is a bit difficult to follow, check out this demo video at the Lowepro website.
I choose the 20L Sport version, which also packs a waterbottle and leaves ample room for a picknick and a raincoat (unless you take more gear than I describe above).
Do try on the different versions. I found that the Sport version fit me very well, while the regular AW version didn't fit me at all (I'm 1.90 m). Also, it's slightly lighter. Both have a rain protection cover.

Frankly, I'm waiting for the mirrorless cameras to come up to par with the DSLR's regarding IQ and choice of lenses, because they are much, much lighter (both body and lenses). It's slowly getting there (Olympus and Sony), but I'm still not convinced. I started photography with a Panasonic mirrorless superzoom camera with some screw on lenses, which gave me the whole focal range I have now in a small package that weighed only 500 g. But as my skills improved I became more demanding and this camera simply did not comply anymore (slow repsonse time, clumsy manual focus, IQ, noise at already low ISO). I hope to be able to switch back one day soon!

[Mike Lee]

Thanks for the thoughts, Jerry! The Flipside series comes highly recommended from others as well, but I'm not convinced by the unshoulder-and-spin method of access. I've pretty much decided on the FStop Kenti, which allows double side access and seems faster to boot.

Regarding smaller kits, I anticipate small cameras getting better at a faster rate simply because the demand is there, but you can't break physics. Bigger optics and sensor sites will always win in IQ, all else being equal. And once you have a long lens, the camera is just a small part of the total kit. Anyway, here's to hoping!