Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In a message dated 7/30/00 12:01:34 AM Eastern Daylight Time, tedgrant@home.com writes: << Excuse me? Me old son you're messin' with the wrong guy big time. I speak from 50 years experience and a well published track record and it doesn't take some smart ass making light of another's years of experience with the theory drivel you have been pushing. >> I have never heard of either Ted Grant or Miro Jurcevic, which is *not* to imply that they're nobodies. But regardless of their qualifications these two individuals have both temporarily lost their objectivity on what consititutes a productive discussion and might consider taking a brief time-out to regain perspective. I am not a well-published photographer, but I do belong to NANPA and I've met a large number of big-name well-published wildlife and nature photographers who use 35mm SLRs and long lenses and though they disagree about many things they all cite from their combined years of experience that some form of steady camera support is essential to obtaining the sharpest publishable images. Judging by the number of monopods (and some tripods) I've seen on the sidelines at sports events, it looks like those pros (the other group of long-lens users) generally prefer some form of support for long lenses also. Mirror lock-up and cable release are tools many landscape and macro photographers use, but few wildlife photographers find practical, as would seem to be the case with sports. Most of those pros believe from experience that even with a support, some body contact is a help in absorbing those vibrations, and advocate keeping the left hand resting on the lens/tripod axis and the face pressed into the camera. It could be possible for some individual to have such a well-developed, well-balanced neuromusculoskeletal system that he could handhold a long lens with no disadvantage over an inanimate support. Perhaps Mr. Grant is one such individual. I do wonder if he could maintain this supportive posture for an hour or two waiting for a subject to strike just the right pose. That's what wildlife photographers are often faced with.