EF 70-200mm f4 L

[chunchma]

Is it just me or does anyone else have a hard time holding this lens completely stiil to take a photo? Do I need a tripod or do I just need to get use to using the camera with this lens?


Thanks!

[chunchma]

Damn, Damn, Damn! Sorry posted in the wrong area!

[mrclark321]

What settings are you using???
This is a tac sharp excellent lense!!!

Dan

[darren h]

Is it just me or does anyone else have a hard time holding this lens completely stiil to take a photo? Do I need a tripod or do I just need to get use to using the camera with this lens?


Thanks!

i find that the f4L is fine hand held with no tripod, f2.8 is a heavier lens and i use a monopod with it quite alot but not with the f4

[rudgej]

I got one a few weeks ago, and spent the whole day going round Edinburgh Zoo (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=93327) hand-held without problem. I basically tried to keep my shutter speed no lower than 1/200 sec, and didn't find a problem with it. :)

[Keiffer]

What kind of problems are you having? Because Likw Rudgej said, and which applys to all lenses, Watch your shutterspeed.

[condyk]

Some people have more hand shake than others. As Keiffer says a higher shutter sheed is important to minimise the effects. A super light monopd will help some people. I like Feisol.

[foxbat]

[...]Do I need a tripod or do I just need to get use to using the camera with this lens?The short answer is you need both. Every lens/person combination has a shutter speed where it becomes too hard for the person to hold it still and still get results that they consider acceptable.

[jimlp]

Is it just me or does anyone else have a hard time holding this lens completely stiil to take a photo? Do I need a tripod or do I just need to get use to using the camera with this lens?


Thanks!

I had this lens and I had your problem, I needed to keep the shutter speed at 1/400th of a second or higher to get a good number of keepers. It limited me to much as an f4 lens will not always get you there. I always seemed to be shooting this lens wide open so I took the plunge and bought the f2.8 IS version and it has solved my problems. For me the 1.6x crop makes this lens to long to handhold as it is pretty light and does not have the weight to help steady it. I am sort of an "old fashioned" shooter in that I don't like to shoot above ISO 400 regardless of how good the grain is, I guess I am just stubborn. I think I have more hand shake than a lot of people and the f2.8 IS helped me but I realize that lens is not an option for all people. As stated above a monopod my be the best/cheapest way out.

[Wavy C]

If you can keep the shutter speed about 1/200sec or above you shouldn't have too many problems hand-holding this lens. Try turning the ISO up, or lean on fences/walls etc to get a steadier shot.

[Bob_A]

I have the lens, and typically use 1/250s or higher when handheld. If you use the lens to shoot candids, or anything that may have a slight sudden movement, 1/250s is a good minimum shutterspeed anyway ... even if you were using a lens with IS or a tripod.

[I Simonius]

Is it just me or does anyone else have a hard time holding this lens completely stiil to take a photo? Do I need a tripod or do I just need to get use to using the camera with this lens?


Thanks!

How you hold te lens also helps.
Personally I hold it right at the end, to minimise the jiggles as much as possibule.
Shutter speede does need to be a 300 minimum, becaue although itsya 7-200 on the lens actually its a 112- 320 on any 1.6 crop camera.

So really 300 shutter speed, not 200, should be the minimouse

In other words it's a difficult lens to use inless you have good light, but with good light it's light and easy to travel with

[Aleksly]

Shutter speede does need to be a 300 minimum, becaue although itsya 7-200 on the lens actually its a 112- 320 on any 1.6 crop camera.

So really 300 shutter speed, not 200, should be the minimouse

In other words it's a difficult lens to use inless you have good light, but with good light it's light and easy to travel with

1.6 is a crop factor, not a zoom factor... so 1/200 sec. (1/focal length) is okay ;)

[I Simonius]

1.6 is a crop factor, not a zoom factor... so 1/200 sec. (1/focal length) is okay ;)

Not sure that's right in practice
Perhaps there's anexpert that can better explain the techy stuff
The fact is though that if you look through a FF camera with as 200mm lens then piut it on a 1.6 crop camera you WILL be looking closer to the subject, and terefore camera shake will be that much more amplified.

I don't really understand the full technicalities , but It does mesan you need a higher shgutter speed to allow for it.

I stand by what I said above as it does apply for all practical purposes

[Andy_T]

Not sure that's right in practice


I'm sure it isn't.
The 'rule of thumb' translates to 1/300 here.

A longer focal length and a higher enlargment because of the crop factor (what you need to get the same sized print from the same motive) have the same effect ... they increase visible camera shake.

Of course, if your images are sharp at 1/200 ... then that's no contradiction ... you have steadier hands than others.
Experiment yourself what kind of shutterspeed you can safely handhold with the focal length.

Best regards,
Andy