Black Shouldered Kite Tiger Railroads Silhouette

Toggle Background Color

Just imagine, with a 600 f/4 you no longer have to get close to photograph wildlife. Everyone who sees you will 'just know' you are serious about photography and that somehow your photos must be better than theirs. With the monster lens you can probably waltz into your choice of NFL stadiums any Sunday and get the VIP treatment while basking in the anticipated worship of lesser mortals for the great shots you will be getting of Elway, Young and Favre. When word gets out among your photo crowd, you will be the instant expert. The object of adoration and envy from those now relegated to the lower plane of 'just photographers' while you are instantly elevated to near God status. All this with a modest cash outlay somewhere between $4000 to $79,000.

Yep, instant immortality in the photo world can carry a steep price tag. But, once you have this great big piece of glass you will be much better. Right???

Reality rears its ugly head in spades with the super-tele lenses. The image is magnified in direct proportion to the focal length and the attendant problems are magnified in geometric leaps and bounds. I am not here to talk you out of buying one if your heart is set on it. But before taking the leap you need to know what you are in for.

First, these super-tele lenses demand technical excellence from the photographer. Whether manual or autofocus you first have to be able to put the subject in the viewfinder. What was relatively easy with your 135 or 200 now becomes nearly impossible for many with a 600. A much smaller angle of view means a corresponding increase in your technique to compensate. Yes, you magnify everything, especially your mistakes and poor technique. Following a race car going 180 mph on a track isn't really difficult. Keeping the head of a bronc rider in the frame, or the eyes of a pitcher sharp from the first base dugout photographers well is no piece of cake. The race car is very predictable and smooth while the herky jerky motion of many other subjects will give you fits. The closer the subject the harder it is.

Now try it with a monopod from the sidelines(remember, your dream of waltzing into NFL stadiums comes with the price of NO TRIPODS ALLOWED). You have to balance 16-25 pounds of money in the form of polished glass and unwieldy size, keep the chosen players in the viewfinder, in focus, as they move-run-jump-dive coming at you, away from you and past you. All this while composing an image for maximum impact and sharpness and keeping your other eye out for 200 pound players running out of bounds right at you at full speed while at the same time balancing depth of field concerns with a level horizon and trying to balance a very top heavy camera on your monopod.

OR, to play it safe, you go to the wildlife refuge where it is less crowded, much more quiet and you can learn how to operate the thing in quiet conditions, bothered only by the occasional mosquito and the no-see-ums. And the dust, wind, rain and brush that can scratch your lens all conspire to slow down your rush to glory. But you are alone and can finally start learning how to use the thing.

So, what to do now?

First, the weight. The large apertures of super-telephoto comes at the price if weight and size both. The comparison to a bazooka is apt. The lens is big, heavy and attracts a lot of attention as it takes awhile to get comfortable with it. You will be clumsy at first and it will make you more visible to animals just as you are visible on the sidelines of any sports venue. You quickly discover why so many who use big lenses put padding on their tripod legs. You also discover almost any big lens requires a bigger tripod than you are probably used to. Then, there is the camera body to consider. The very small, lightweight bodies don't balance as well on very big glass. But coincidentally the F5, F4 and F3(with motor drive) Nikons and the Eos series with big motors balance very well, almost as if they were made for each other. Manual or autofocus, the heavy duty pro bodies match the lenses and smooth handling by quite a bit. More expense. Yes, the smaller bodies work fine but the heftier bodies impart a smoother, more comfortable way of working for most of us as they have a better feel in completing the whole package.

The package handles well but it is still big, bulky and heavy. That takes some getting used to. Putting it on the tripod can be a major undertaking for some. 17 pounds or so balanced in one hand while wrestling with a tripod head with a tortuously small thread attachment is a nightmare. Especially if you didn't practice at home without the pressure of actually having to take photos with the setup. I solve this one with a Linhof quick release plate. I find it works very well and has for years. Other brands will probably work well also, just remember the amount of weight you are holding on the head. Slung over a shoulder there is a lot of pressure on the small tripod screw. As you start walking away from your vehicle to actually try taking photos you will have visions of the screw breaking and your investment bouncing off a rock and breaking. It does happen, but seldom to those who buy a tripod and head strong enough to hold the load.

With practice you will get the hang of what works best for you in carrying the package so you can quickly set up when a photo opportunity presents itself. The bigger the lens, the more practice is needed. In the field you will quickly discover all your dreams of sitting waaaaay back and getting frame filling images are just that. Dreams. To fill the frame with a small duck you still have to be within 25-30 feet. Things are magnified, but not nearly as much as one might think. The problem that arises for many in first using big glass is that of looking through the viewfinder and settling for subjects that are too small on film just because they are shot with a super-tele lens. It is a case of the mental image overwhelming the actual image you see in the viewfinder. You have to separate the two and re-tune your vision once again to fit the lens in use. A grid screen can be a big help here as it gives a linear reference to compare your subject to. A goose or quarterback that only fills 1/3 of the screen still has to be blown up quite a bit to make a frame filling photo at 8x10 size. If you want to fill the frame you will have to be close enough to do it and this demands fine tuning your photo skills to match the big lens. By not filling the frame you negate the sharpness of the lens. So get in the habit of handling the weight, composing on the fly and putting the subject where you want at the size you need for best results. Get it on film the way you want at the time of shooting and you will save a lot of headaches later.

The problem of relying on the power of the lens to get the subject closer while not actually getting close enough for the shot you want is common to new users of big lenses. After all, you bought the lens so you could sit back and shoot and fill the frame. Finding out this isn't really going to happen all the time can be disheartening. All that money-all that weight and you discover you have to work harder with a big lens than you did before! No one told you about that one.

The answer lies in actually learning to use the lens for the images you want. To let its strengths allow you to hone your technique so you are comfortable with it. Do so and your results will improve greatly. It is like going from a 68 VW to a Formula 1 race car. The F-1 will go faster, but to such a degree that you may not be able to handle it for even a practice lap without preparing ahead of time.

So, learn to use your new toy, whether you bought, borrowed or rented it.

One big problem we all face with really big lenses, especially with sports photography is that with all this power we are now too close to some of the action. A football game that is 90% head shots isn't worth it. So, you find yourself working further downfield than before. You discover your shooting angle is becoming more critical. A difference in a foot of elevation can have a real effect on whether you are looking right into the subjects eyes or down at it. With wildlife you discover a bit more working distance for many animals. In Yellowstone in the fall with the Elk this translates directly to photographer safety. You can sit back much further and photograph an idiot walking right up to an elk or bison and get great shots of him getting gored without endangering yourself in the process. Yes, you stick out like a sore thumb with the big lens but you can shoot dangerous subjects from a greater distance. From rattlesnakes to bighorn rams, greater working distance can be a real advantage. But now you discover a real need for a second camera body with a shorter lens attached. In football and other sports you gradually pick up the habit of switching bodies when the action gets closer. You learn how to balance the very top heavy monopod as you switch. If you are like me the learning curve involves some bruises and hard jerks from a camera strap when you let go too soon, before the camera is resting comfortably. You will soon get your own method. And NO, laying the camera and monopod on the sidelines isn't a good one. As soon as action comes your way you will trip over it or someone else will step on it or you will discover you just learned a foolproof method of locating defective sprinkler heads. You hold the gear and learn to shoot with the smaller lens while balancing the big one at the same time. The same thing is true for resting it on rocks in the field. Spend a few more seconds making sure it is safe or watch as it tumbles downhill toward a heretofore undiscovered pool of quicksand.

Using the really big lens for portraits works very well. You can shoot interior linemen in football, managers and sideline players in all sports and coaches in all sorts of situations. You can get very good portraits of wildlife in all seasons. With the addition of a teleconverter you can get even more power, and again, more headaches if you don't practice using it before something important comes up.

Okay, big & heavy & unwieldy are a given and can be overcome with practice. But how about framing, focus and following the action? Tripods here will be a great help. A Wimberly tripod head may be an advantage for many as it allows a more comfortable way of working, much like twin AntiAircraft guns with a shoulder mount gun turret. Whatever way you end up with, smooth operation is one of the biggest helps to good images. A tripod head that is balky or jerky will screw up more images than almost anything. One that is smooth and works for you, no matter what anyone else uses is the way to work. Using very big lenses will quickly show you the shortcomings of various tripod and head combinations. When you find them the only acceptable answer is to get what works-another expense. But working uncomfortably with a tripod and head that demands an uncomfortable crouch will show up in your images. Get what works for YOU. With big lenses this usually means bigger tripods and more solid heads. One real plus in having a solid head is in using the long lens for longer exposures you can't get any other way. The magnification allows you to pick & choose compositions available no other way. Frame, lock the mirror and shoot away in marginal lighting. If you never try it you will miss some great opportunities.

Now you go out and practice the most important skill you will ever use with a super-tele lens: Keeping the subject in the viewfinder.

I use two main methods to sharpen my skills on this one. Little league and kids sports, and flying birds. The kids are larger and I can get to a park and follow focus as well as compose in the viewfinder. They practice baseball, football or soccer and run in predictable lines and at varying speeds. First I back off a bit and try to keep the player in the viewfinder. After some practice I am able to do it alright, if not as good as I may want. If I haven't used the big lens for a bit-20-30 days or so, I will go out and practice to keep comfortable. The next step is to move a bit closer and keep the upper body in the viewfinder, framed for a good image. All the while keeping sharp and in focus what is most important in the image, usually the eyes. Even with autofocus this isn't quite as easy as it sounds. Shoot a football player and try to focus on the eyes and you may discover the autofocus locks on the cage on the front of the helmet that protects the players face-and the eyes aren't razor sharp. The only way to correct this is by fine tuning your technique so your particular lens and you work well together. NO excuses will work-such as "I wanted the eyes unsharp". Learn to get the focus where it needs to be for the best image possible. This is often complicated by the compositional imperative of having the eyes off center. Learn to tweak your focus on the fly or you will have more trash can images than you need.

After you get comfortable with the upper body shots you can move in closer. Try a little league baseball diamond, sitting just past first base. Focus on the batter and shoot as their hips start to move, signaling the swing of the bat. Remember, with most SLR cameras, if you saw it you didn't get a picture of it. Watch the player as they bolt for first base and keep the face framed in the viewfinder all the way to the base. Do this with a number of players to reinforce the learning. Then, focus on the batter and alternate with the pitcher. Then go from the batter to the catcher, then to the pitcher and second baseman or shortstop. Get comfortable changing focus and composition. Then try it vertically and get away from shooting everything horizontally. After a bit, put film in the camera and shoot a roll or two and see how you are actually doing, not just how you think you are doing. The results may surprise you-both good and bad. Herky-jerky results with the face partly out of the frame will happen. So will some pleasant surprises. Even if the results are terrible, learn from them. And learn by answering any questions others ask with a 'just fine tuning the camera' response rather than boasting of how great the results will be. Remember that when learning you might be learning just how many mistakes can actually be made. Even experienced photographers know disaster can strike. Besides, what if the lab screws up the film?

Whatever you do, practice a lot to get used to the big lens. I use birds in flight for a lot of fine tuning. Autofocus is good for them as long as you can work within its limitations. It will generally get you more keepers on a roll of film but can be fooled also. At our local wildlife refuge we have terns and seagulls that fly in pretty regular routes. So, I pick them up with the lens and follow focus as they fly toward and by me. I work diligently on keeping the eye in focus as they come at me up to the close focus distance on my lens of about 25 feet. The up and down motion made by the wing beats makes for more of a challenge, but it helps sharpen technique at a rapid rate. It takes practice but can but can be done. I just try to make sure I am comfortable as I practice as it makes more of a difference than most think. Framing, focusing and following a bird moving at 10-25 mph isn't the easiest thing to do but sure gets you familiar with your lens quickly.

The ones that drive me crazy are the terns that dip and dart all over the place. They fly generally in a pattern, usually an extended figure 8 when feeding. When it is windy I try to shoot with them coming into the wind as it slows them down a bit while increasing the darting. With my manual focus lens I have one technique that helps a lot. I prefocus on the distance needed to fill the frame with the bird at the size I want. Then I check the area I need the bird in to have it against the background that will set it apart-give more life to the images. I pick up on the out of focus bird quite a ways away. I follow it as it moves through the air, getting the unfocused image as a pattern of movement. It gets closer and I have a better concentration on its movement as it starts to get into the zone of sharp focus. Then, just before the bird is right where the sharpest focus is, I hit the shutter release. I know from experience(trash can images) that if I wait until I see the bird sharply I press the shutter and he is out of the zone of sharp focus and I lose a good image. After I shoot the bird the first time I keep panning and quick focus ahead a bit and repeat the scenario. Or, I will follow focus, trying to keep the eye sharp. I try and make sure I keep panning with the bird as I shoot. Many tend to hold the camera still when they press the shutter button. This assures many fine photos of the tail feathers going out of the frame and, with slower shutter speeds, no subject part sharp at all. It is a lot like leading skeet with a shotgun. Similar techniques with more lead in using a shotgun and more compositional difficulties with the lens.

A word on autofocus camera here. Too many with autofocus cameras will rely totally on it without realizing they may still need to fine tune the plane of sharpness. Often I see images with a very sharp wingtip but the rest of the bird is soft. Big lenses don't have a lot of depth of field to allow for mistakes in focus. Even if you have to bullseye, get the eye sharp unless you have a specific reason to focus on another part of the body. With magnification and slow films you won't have much depth to begin with so don't waste it or get the idea that you don't have to develop your skills. You have to learn to get the image sharply on film, composed in the viewfinder as the subject is moving and at the size you want. Anything else is a waste of film even if you do sometimes get some happy accidents. Learn to control the camera for good results rather than becoming a 'point & pray' photographer.

Practice makes perfect, or at least as close as we can come. Liken the use of extremely powerful telephoto lenses to moving into the big leagues of Sport. On the lower levels almost any result is OK. Mom & Dad are happy for you when you make the Jr. level team. But move up to college level and you have to be very good. Even there, there is a big difference in playing football at Nebraska as opposed to Crabtree Corners Teachers College. The star at a very small school may be great but unless challenged by other great players they won't really know it. Then, move up to the NFL and you discover talent means little if not accompanied by a lot of work. Everyone is talented. Just as everyone can buy the very same super-tele lens, body and supplies you can. There is no magic film, lens or combination that will set you apart from the crowd. That is your vision, experience and talent. And with really big glass, experience can't be faked. Unfamiliarity with the gear and fumbling while trying to photograph will guarantee disastrous results when the film comes back. When a Quarterback puts the ball in the air, three things can happen and two of them are bad. When a photographer uses a really big lens there are even more things that can guarantee lousy results.

Now that you have a way to work with big lenses it is time for some of the other negatives. Pull one out near a crowd and you instantly become the center of attention, both good and bad. Some will want to look through the lens and bother you while others will want to look and see where you keep the lens and how attentive you are when it isn't in your hands. In some areas you will be stopped and asked if you are a professional photographer and at times may be prevented from photographing. No matter that anyone can buy a big lens, some won't care, they just interfere. Besides, the fact that one is a Doctor or a housewife doesn't mean they aren't even better than the most seasoned pro photogs out there. But pull out a super-tele and the presumption is that you are 'serious'. It does get attention, so be prepared. Really learn to use the lens and you will constantly improve.

Then you may find yourself shooting less at times simply because the gear is so heavy and cumbersome. Stop the car, draaaaaaaaag the darn thing out, set it up on the tripod...maybe it is easier to let this shot go this time? Or, it is very hot or very cold and the lens is sooooo heavy.

You get the picture. Not all is sweet & easy with a heavy, bulky and very large piece of equipment. Kind of like taking a Peterbilt to the drive-in for a milkshake. At times it is overkill.

But if you get your hands on one of these lenses and it fits your vision and style, you will find yourself making opportunities to use it. No matter the shortcomings there are a great many images that can be captured no other way. Combine a 600 with a good teleconverter and a close up tube or two and you get a lens that will shoot dragonflies and marsh wrens from 15 feet away and get frame filling images nearly impossible to get any other way. Canon, Nikon or another brand doesn't matter. Use the best technique possible and work with your lenses at their optimum apertures and you won't be disappointed.

Now comes a biggie. You decided to get a big lens: but which one?

Few photographers start photographing and wish for a smaller telephoto lens. For heavy duty wildlife and much sports I would go with a 500 or 600. Personal preference based on how I work. A 400 f/2.8 gets a lot of votes but I prefer the 600, mainly because I have used one for 15 years and am comfortable with it. When shooting with smaller glass I often find(or invent) the need for more power. It is seldom the other way around.

Next is the question of what glass to get? ED and L series are basically 'exotic' glass lenses. Given a choice between the exotic glass formulas and the standard glass lenses of the same focal length it is a no brainer. Buy the exotic glass lenses every time. They perform better wide open. They have better contrast characteristics. When I can shoot a football game with the lens wide open at f/4 and get sharper results(that can be seen on the negs right out of the developer-still wet) than the photographer next to me who is shooting with a normal glass lens of the same focal length-shooting two stops down, I have an advantage. Then, if I stop down to where he is I am still better off. I stop down for creative reasons, not because I have to for a sharp image. Buying higher quality in the form of ED or L(or whatever Pentax, Minolta and others call theirs) series lenses pays off every time and you will be glad you did so for as long as you have the lens. Quality is worth it. But, don't take this to mean you cannot get good results with regular glass tele lenses. You can. But when working on the edge of light and pushing the envelope you are better off with the best you can get.

Then comes the inevitable for some photographers. You bought it, have tried using it and just don't like it. You don't enjoy it. You can't get comfortable with the big thing. Your vision doesn't match the power.

Whatever.

If you are uncomfortable your images will show it. If you have photographed very long you will have a lens or camera that just "doesn't make it". Even if everyone you know raves about it, if you don't like it or are uncomfortable with it then the lens isn't for you. It really is that simple. I assume here you actually made a good faith effort to learn the lens and work with it. Also that you aren't just worrying about carrying $8000 or so around in the field. If you really don't like it, sell it and get what you want. Just because I or someone else uses the things doesn't mean you have to. Sometimes we get a lifelong dream and it isn't what we thought it would be. Sell the lens and enjoy what you want. If you are comfortable your images will be better. You may lose some money or may sell it for more than you paid, but at least you won't pass by your camera shelf every morning silently cursing the damn thing.

As you leave this month, remember a few things. The lens won't make you better unless you work at it. Just as some people can jump higher or run faster than others, so do some have a better, clearer or more refined 'vision' in their photography than others. But even those blessed with natural talent have to work at it to keep it honed. Not everyone likes handling a big, heavy and cumbersome lens, while others take to them right from the start. Everyone has the same number of sunrises and sunsets each year. Some just get out more often and shoot. If you buy a really big lens you still have to use it. Talking about pictures isn't taking them, and if you take them, show them. Keep shooting and learn from your mistakes. Most really good photographers own big trash cans and know when to use them. They show you and I their better work, not pictures and then stand by our elbow trying to explain away the images shortcomings.

And, you still have to have the credentials issued by the teams and the NFL to get into the games to photograph. Just looking the part with a big lens doesn't do it.

Attached images:

If you follow the bird around in its feeding area and pay attention you can catch it in hovering mode. Then you quickly focus & shoot, varying shutter speeds for creative amounts of wing blurring. One difficult part is the rapid side to side head movement. Many hovering birds have the head almost rock still while hovering. This one's movement makes it the head blur if you use too slow a shutter speed. So, you compromise. If you can't come back again after shooting and then processing the film to check results, you shoot at a faster shutter speed to stop the head blur. But if you can process and then come back with the knowledge of approximately when the blur starts affecting your image then you can get a bit more creative rather than just bracketing and hoping for a good result.

TIGER IMAGE: Shot with 600 and 1.4 teleconverter at the Los Angeles Zoo(that & San Diego are very good for big lens work on animals you often don't see in the wild).

Zoo locations are often less than optimum due to living conditions for the animals.(LA and San Diego both have many very good enclosures that allow relaxed shooting with clean and uncluttered views). Chain link fences, cement and other man made objects really intrude. A long lens is the only way to get close images of many animals. (If you do shoot there, please give credit to the zoo and let others know it is a Zoo image.) If you arrive right at opening and go to the areas you really want quickly you will get many animals at their most animated, just finishing breakfast and wide awake. If you go in the rain you will get many images most never take and soft lighting that allows detail into shadows.

RAILROAD IMAGE: Shot with the 600 mm lens, no attachments. Shooting directly into the sun with a large image gives a great sunball(but watch your eyes or you can burn them out-literally). Shooting early and late helps as you have more atmospheric haze to shoot through. If you shoot in smog or dust you will get even softer light, greater color saturation with less contrast and silhouettes with a bit better edge detail. But, shoot with more in mind than just a big sunball. Here the reflection off the tracks and the semaphore help keep this from being just another boring sunset. The 600 ED glass helps in keeping flare levels down, tho I do have a bit in the image. If you focus on the foreground subjects to keep them sharp the background goes out of focus a bit, but then, who can tell a sharp sun in the haze anyway.

By learning how your lenses react in these situations you improve your creative control. If you don't try these techniques because someone told you "don't do it", you won't ever know why or if you can break the 'rules' with success. Don't be afraid to experiment.

But, a word of caution. Big lenses magnify the sun immensely. So much so that the sunball focused on a titanium shutter in a Canon F1 had a hole melted through it and the film melted against the pressure plate in the camera. Looking into the sun with a big lens is asking for trouble. If you do it, use a sheet of Xray film, look at the image off axis and from the side, stop the lens down to view or 'guesstimate' a bit by looking away. Don't risk your eyesight for the sake of a photo.

shooter@brigham.net