Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Glen M. Robinson said: > I have not used my Canon 75-300 mm IS lens in a helicopter...... > > Well I haven't used my Leica or my Canon glass in a helicoptor, however during my last African trip I did use the Canon 75-350mm IS in an Ultra-light craft whilst hovering over Victoria Falls. It was a cloudless and hot day with extreme gusty winds at altitude, and we were constantly buffetted and bounced around. Added to this the general wind abrasion from hanging out the side of the craft gave the IS technology a serious run-for-the-money, to which it rose and surpassed my best expectations. The conditions were really extreme, and I had some concern that I may be damaging the lens (or least the lens-mount). Happily camera and lens were ok, and around 85% of images were successful. Maybe the added weight of a Leica 280/2.8 may have given more resistance to the wind, but there is no chance that I could have controlled the 'bounce' without some stabilisation technology -- and the weight of the lens and body might just have dragged me out of the Ultra-light. Well that would have been a 'novel' way of going over the falls!