Bigma handling

[Hellashot]

My Bigma just arrived today. Such a large heavy lens. Someone told me with a lens of such weight, if I handle my camera as if a normal lens were mounted that the Bigma would break the mount off the camera.

How do any Bigma users handle it? Monopod/tripod into the lens? supplied strap onto the tripod mount and always carry the camera&lens by the tripod mount?

Thanks.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Hand Held:
With any lens of size your right hand should be holding the camera, and your left holding the lens. The left hand is supportting most of the weight.

Hand Holding the Bigma for more than two shots or so is pretty much folly though :lol:

When I used this lens I had it pretty much permanantly attached to a monopod.
It helps to handle and control the weight of the lens.. and helps with shutter speed and image sharpness.

[khiemluu]

Hand Held:
With any lens of size your right hand should be holding the camera, and your left holding the lens. The left hand is supportting most of the weight.

Hand Holding the Bigma for more than two shots or so is pretty much folly though :lol:

When I used this lens I had it pretty much permanantly attached to a monopod.
It helps to handle and control the weight of the lens.. and helps with shutter speed and image sharpness.

I will second that, after trying to take about 10-20 shots with the BIGMA hand held i found my left arm (supporting lens) a bit jelly like (hehe that could just be that i need to work out more).

A monopod is highly reccomended, think of it as your manual OS (or IS for you Canon purists).

Khiem.

[CyberDyneSystems]

That's funny.. I allways call it the "Poor Man's IS" :lol:

[Mitcon]

I carry it with my left hand or cradle it in my left arm like a baby while still holding it by the tripod mount. I'm shooting with my Bigma handheld for the most part still as I'm trying to get used to a monopod. My arm is killing me today though after a 9km hike handholding it.

But you do get more used to it each time out with it. Can't wait till I get better with the monopod though so I can lower the iso some. Still I'm loving every minute of using it :D

[condyk]

I always just carried it hanging off the camera using my handstrap, no problem with the mount mbut I wouldn't start swinging it about either :lol: :lol: I would also use the build it tripod mount and carry handle. I assume this is a standard fitment: maybe it's an extra!! The tripod mount plate is longer than normal with finger cut outs. Makes carrying easy. It's pretty obvious ... unless it is an extra!

[CyberDyneSystems]

No.. the tripod collar is definitely included.. and is the perfect carrying handle.
Hats off to Sigma for the design on that one.. it is one of the only zooms that has such a handle built into to the collar. (it's very common on big primes though)

But carrying and shooting are two differnet things.. when shooting hand held with a lens of this weight.. I have a hard time using the left hand to do anything other than feild the weight.

this is of course a bad state of affairs should you need to actually adjust your lens while shooting.. such as manual focus,. zooming,. etc.. if your left hand is occupied holding all the weight.. how does one adjust the lens quickly?

With ther monopd.. you take no weight on at all while shooting.. your own and held vabration is cut by at least 95% I'd say.. and your left hand is now totally free to zoom, focus, or futz with limit switches etc. and even adjust the camera... while your right hand obviously remains on the shutter release.

[ScottE]

If I am shooting my 50-500 handheld I swing the tripod mount to the top so it is out of the way. In that position it also makes a good carrying handle for lens and camera.

When shooting the lens rests on the palm of my left hand with by thumb and index finger on the zoom ring so I can control framing with the zoom. The upper left arm rests against my rib cage so most of the weight of the lens is born by pressure against the ribs. The right hand points the camera and presses the shutter, but does not really carry any of the weight.

If I am shooting sports such as cross country ski racing it is usually not possible to use a tripod or monopod because the leg(s) sinks in the snow. For greater stability I often use a kneeling position with the left leg ahead and the forleg perpendicular to the ground. The left elbow rests on the left knee so that the foreleg and forearm form a straight line, like a monopod. This takes the weight of lens off the arm and shoulder muscles.

When I was young I used to do marksmanship competition and had to learn to shoot in prone, sitting, kneeling and off hand (standing) positions. I still use all these techniques now that I do my shooting with a camera.

Scott