Long lens hand holding support

[O]

I have tried many approaches over the years but alway find that a monopod with the right kind of head works out the best. I can wrap a leg around the monopod and have much more support for a heavy lens. I use a special head that only tilts in one direction, like the Benro DJ90. With the 600mm lens I always use a tripod or a bean bag for support. On a boat the monopod works the best even when using a lens like the 500mm PF is am also using a TC-14 teleconverter as well.

I learned with a heavy lens and camera to not hold it up any longer than was necessary to get the shot. I use a compact pair of binos to spot subjects and then get into position and start shooting. After a couple of minutes I lower the camera and lens and relax my shoulders and this is much easier on my body.

I found it awkward to have a heavy lens on a tripod and to sling it over a shoulder to move to a new location. I bought the Kirk SS-1 Security Strap and clamp it onto the foot of the lens and then let the well padded strap support the weight while steadied by one hand and then grab the legs with the other hand and easily make my way to the new spot. For me this works much better.

Like it
Oz down under, I like a very light small head on a very light mono pod, I also have the one way head on another.
Oz down under

 

[Ken Miracle]

Hi, there are some people that find it hard to hand hold for a while long lenses lenses like a 500 f4 600 f4 even the 200-500 F5.6 etc, ok this is not everyone's cup of tea but I find this is just one concept that works very well for those people not built like the Rock Dwain Johnson.
There is an image of the standard mono pod carbon fiber, its really ok but more suited to resting the foot in the waist strap holder. I use it often on my 300 2.8 vr II.
The lighter low cost one is my preferred riffle stock support, it fits under my armpit like I am holding a riffle etc you sorta get the drift.
I tighten things just enough to allow some smooth drag giving movement.
Also this helps with people that have shaky hands etc , yes i know VR helps.
I use this light cheap monopod (for the small light ball head) even on a 14-24 50mm 70-200 regardless, I always get nice steady sharp shots especially form my Non VR lenses on a FX camera. I find its best to start on smaller lenses then work your way up once you have the nack of it, its especially good for manual lenses as well.
Hey I know there are alternatives like VR etc etc and higher shutter speeds, I find with this simple little tool I can drop my SS reduce my ISO hold a lens all the time............its second nature for me in most applications.
A friend of mine has an health issue his hands shake like he has Parkinson's but he hasn't got it, its something else, he was going to quit photography, he now has success hand holding his camera and lens using the underarm rifle like stock.

OZ down under.
View attachment 17210View attachment 17211View attachment 17212

Hi, there are some people that find it hard to hand hold for a while long lenses lenses like a 500 f4 600 f4 even the 200-500 F5.6 etc, ok this is not everyone's cup of tea but I find this is just one concept that works very well for those people not built like the Rock Dwain Johnson.
There is an image of the standard mono pod carbon fiber, its really ok but more suited to resting the foot in the waist strap holder. I use it often on my 300 2.8 vr II.
The lighter low cost one is my preferred riffle stock support, it fits under my armpit like I am holding a riffle etc you sorta get the drift.
I tighten things just enough to allow some smooth drag giving movement.
Also this helps with people that have shaky hands etc , yes i know VR helps.
I use this light cheap monopod (for the small light ball head) even on a 14-24 50mm 70-200 regardless, I always get nice steady sharp shots especially form my Non VR lenses on a FX camera. I find its best to start on smaller lenses then work your way up once you have the nack of it, its especially good for manual lenses as well.
Hey I know there are alternatives like VR etc etc and higher shutter speeds, I find with this simple little tool I can drop my SS reduce my ISO hold a lens all the time............its second nature for me in most applications.
A friend of mine has an health issue his hands shake like he has Parkinson's but he hasn't got it, its something else, he was going to quit photography, he now has success hand holding his camera and lens using the underarm rifle like stock.

OZ down under.
View attachment 17210View attachment 17211View attachment 17212

I could not find the Marshall Electronics CVM-17 Pro-Style Monopod Extension Pole any where else and B&H said it was backordered with no predicted available date. So ordered a similar but slightly more expensive Slik Lighty pod https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/469630-REG/Slik_618_719_Lighty_Pod_III.html the rod holder for option B coming from Amazon both should be here tomorrow.

 

[Ken Miracle]

Here's a quick shot of my rig. 600E with D850 and RRS foot on the 600 and RRS Long Lens Support. Tripod is not my usual one for this rig, way too small. The regular one has a Wimberly with the RRS lever QR.
View attachment 17016

Ordered from Amazon they showed 1 in stock and it shipped from Adorama ... arrived this afternoon ... my replacement foot shipped from B&H and supposed to be here tomorrow. Looking forward to putting it to use.

 

[O]

Ordered from Amazon they showed 1 in stock and it shipped from Adorama ... arrived this afternoon ... my replacement foot shipped from B&H and supposed to be here tomorrow. Looking forward to putting it to use.

Hey that's the one, like I sent in the photo, its good especially with smaller lenses from 50mm to 14-24 to 70-200 200-500.......if you find with your 600 its not strong enough a normal light weight mono pod one way head is also excellent, at least you having a go, its a works for many and doesn't work for many thing.

 

[Ken Miracle]

Here's a quick shot of my rig. 600E with D850 and RRS foot on the 600 and RRS Long Lens Support. Tripod is not my usual one for this rig, way too small. The regular one has a Wimberly with the RRS lever QR.
View attachment 17016

I used the long lens support today for the first time on Wimberly Gimbal. D6 with the 1.4 TC Kirk replacement foot it made balancing the gimbal a breeze ... thanks again for the tip.

 

[Midway]

My search brought this thread up as one of the only search hit results. I'm looking for a better way to use a super telephoto lens on a boat. In my case either the Nikkor 180-400 TC or a 600 f4. I find that by hand holding I get by far the best results. The problem is I am many decades past the burly college wrestler I once was and my left arm gets too fatigued. I use a monopod when I can't hand hold any longer but it is much harder to keep on target from a rocking boat. A short monopod supported like a fishing pole doesn't seem any better than just using a monopod. The Whimberlyy monogimbal head might help a little.

If I could find a way to rest my left elbow on something I think I would retain the mobility while taking some stress off my left arm by bracing the weight. Possibly something as simple as an arm sling, something like what you might wear to support a broken arm.

Has anyone come up with a solution along those lines? Thanks.

 

[Anjin San]

My search brought this thread up as one of the only search hit results. I'm looking for a better way to use a super telephoto lens on a boat. In my case either the Nikkor 180-400 TC or a 600 f4. I find that by hand holding I get by far the best results. The problem is I am many decades past the burly college wrestler I once was and my left arm gets too fatigued. I use a monopod when I can't hand hold any longer but it is much harder to keep on target from a rocking boat. A short monopod supported like a fishing pole doesn't seem any better than just using a monopod. The Whimberlyy monogimbal head might help a little.

If I could find a way to rest my left elbow on something I think I would retain the mobility while taking some stress off my left arm by bracing the weight. Possibly something as simple as an arm sling, something like what you might wear to support a broken arm.

Has anyone come up with a solution along those lines? Thanks.

One thing I've done is use the monopod collapsed and stick it into my belt instead of on the deck/floor/ground…that takes a lot of the weight off of my hands/arms and puts it down on my hip. I've seen people using one of those belts with the cup in the front that flag bearers use as well. For me…the monopod in the belt with the Wimberly monopod head helps with the weight while still being reasonably easy to keep on target…and if one is on foot it's easier to move around or duck down or whatever.

 

[Ken Miracle]

I never used my 600 f/4E out of a boat. I tried a lot of the supports but never found them convenient for a run and gun bird photographer. I used it with the aftermarket tripod foot resting in the palm of my hand target rifle style and in target rifle stance.

The short monopod into a salt water fishermans rod belt was quite effective but still in the way for my style of photography.

I have a Wimberly mono gimbal and it works and a FlexShooter Pro Lever Black Ball Head on my tripod again not a good fit for me at this point.

I no longer have the 600 f/4E having sold off all of my DSLR gear and gone to Z9 and Z800pf as my primary birding rig.

 

[fcotterill]

The Steadify hip monopod works fairly well

Home | steadify

Free yourself from the clunky tripod: The Steadify is lighter, more flexible and more compact! Experience unimagined freedom in photography.

steadify.de

Supporting heavy lens

Hand-Holding heavy lens has become beyond me for more than a few minutes, so I cobbled together a method to take the weight for most of the time. It would be better to be over both shoulders to even the load out, but this is how far I have got so far. Rather than try and explain it, I have added...

bcgforums.com

 

[DougC]

Way back when, before all the expensive straps, carriers, etc., some people used flag harnesses in conjunction with a monopod. Much like the fishing rod harnesses previously mentioned.

 

[Anjin San]

I’ve also used my bride’s shoulder…more than once…probably more than 100 times over the years. Spouses are also really good for getting the other lens out of your backpack and providing an extra hand when needed…and that goes both ways…although she won’t carry a heavy lens so I never have to worry about her using my shoulder…her response is always “you’ve got the super tele…I don’t need one because I will just tell you to get the picture“.

 

[PhD69]

her response is always “you’ve got the super tele…I don’t need one because I will just tell you to get the picture“.

That reminds me of something

 

[agrumpyoldsod]

One "unexpected" impact of the "extra" controls on the new Z-mount super telephotos is the fact it is easier while shooting handholding to grab the lens in positions that include a control ring. For example, as a result of grabbing the lens control ring on a recent shoot I inadvertently changed the aperture from wide open to f/22 and since I had auto-iso set (unrestrained) I did not notice I was up at ISO 25,600 until after the bird had flown and I was looking at the shots.
Good news -- all these shots were OK, while quite useable as 8x10" sized prints but significantly poorer quality than had they been correctly exposed when shot wide open. So no wall sized prints using these images. [only 30 out of 4000 were impacted and I learned my lesson].
BUT -- in the meantime I have allocated NONE to the lens control ring AND taped over this ring and the 2 switches on the side of the lens (with studio/gaffers tape). The Lens Fn ring now justs steps up and down EV by +/-1 increment per move.

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[7News]

Here's a solution from a well-known Florida wildlife photographer:

 

[Ken Miracle]

Here's a solution from a well-known Florida wildlife photographer:

Looks good just ordered one already have the monopod and monogimbal and not used because just not as portable as I want and never gets used this looks like it could be worth a try. There are times on search for a particular bird that I stay in one general area far longer than normal.

 

[Midway]

Looks good just ordered one already have the monopod and monogimbal and not used because just not as portable as I want and never gets used this looks like it could be worth a try. There are times on search for a particular bird that I stay in one general area far longer than normal.

I'm considering ordering this as well. I did order an inexpensive flagpole harness and have tested it along with a Wimberley MH-100 holding a Z 9 and Z 600mm TC on a boat last Wednesday and from a sandy beach Thursday. The Speed Shooter Harness just looks like a heavy duty version of a flagpole harness customized for holding a monopod with convenient accessories like padding for the shoulder straps, a chest strap, a safety strap and options to attach small storage bags on the belt. I would have just ordered this but wasn't aware of it. Seems since it is made to order and he may be away on a tour, delivery times can be a wait.

A challenge I had on a boat with a monopod was with the monopod resting on the deck, the monopod would move with the boat in one direction while my body would move in the opposite direction to keep my balance. With a flagpole harness the monopod moves in sync with my body and while still difficult, it is much easier to follow the whales in the viewfinder. It makes holding the lens for an extended time a breeze. Odd that while my left arm doesn't get fatigued, my right arm now does a bit. I expect that will get better in time as I learn to trust the support and let my arm and hand relax. It also worked well while sitting. I image it would be a benefit if in a moving vehicle on safari.

On the beach, anchoring the monopod in the sand was not as stable. The harness worked great and I was able to move around to reposition with ease. Overall I am sold on the setup. I can now handhold for short periods, anchor the monopod on the ground when practical, and use the harness when appropriate and the MonoGimble works very well.

 

[Roaring 40s]

Sometimes I add a grip to the lens foot. It helps transfer weight to my left hip. It's just an Amazon cheapie screwed into an A/S thumbscrew clamp.

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[Ken Miracle]

I'm considering ordering this as well. I did order an inexpensive flagpole harness and have tested it along with a Wimberley MH-100 holding a Z 9 and Z 600mm TC on a boat last Wednesday and from a sandy beach Thursday. The Speed Shooter Harness just looks like a heavy duty version of a flagpole harness customized for holding a monopod with convenient accessories like padding for the shoulder straps, a chest strap, a safety strap and options to attach small storage bags on the belt. I would have just ordered this but wasn't aware of it. Seems since it is made to order and he may be away on a tour, delivery times can be a wait.

A challenge I had on a boat with a monopod was with the monopod resting on the deck, the monopod would move with the boat in one direction while my body would move in the opposite direction to keep my balance. With a flagpole harness the monopod moves in sync with my body and while still difficult, it is much easier to follow the whales in the viewfinder. It makes holding the lens for an extended time a breeze. Odd that while my left arm doesn't get fatigued, my right arm now does a bit. I expect that will get better in time as I learn to trust the support and let my arm and hand relax. It also worked well while sitting. I image it would be a benefit if in a moving vehicle on safari.

On the beach, anchoring the monopod in the sand was not as stable. The harness worked great and I was able to move around to reposition with ease. Overall I am sold on the setup. I can now handhold for short periods, anchor the monopod on the ground when practical, and use the harness when appropriate and the MonoGimble works very well.

I have used it a couple of times to try it out and it worked great. I got it to be ready for a boat, long static stake out or just because I am getting older. So far it has sat in my closet because the getting older is the only thing happening and at this point hand holding Z9 and Z800PF and using a black rapids strap if I need both hands free for awhile is still my preferred run and gun birding option. I will be 75 this year and I work out 3 times a week so I can keep on keeping on and so far so good.