# monopods and telephoto lenses



## DavidR (Jul 30, 2013)

I am using a 5D2 and a 70-200mm f4 L IS lens with a monopod. I leave the IS switched on. Many of my pictures don`t seem to be as sharp as I expect. Any suggestions ?


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## Drizzt321 (Jul 30, 2013)

Not sure if the 70-200 f/4 IS has tripod detection on. Most lenses you need to turn off IS because otherwise it keeps trying to correct movement that isn't occurring. Some with the panning mode can be left on like that, which is especially useful for sports photographers or birders who are panning quite a bit.


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## samkatz (Jul 30, 2013)

Hi Davidr,

I've been shooting with various L series lenses and an monopod for years and always leave IS on. It hasn't been a problem. Even with a monopod there's a trace of movement, lateral and/or forward. I remember researching it somewhere and that Canon recommended it on for monopod.


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## jdramirez (Jul 30, 2013)

What's your shutter speed?


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## TexPhoto (Jul 30, 2013)

jdramirez said:


> What's your shutter speed?



Agree I do the same. IS always on with a monopod. IS should be on with a tripod as well if you are not locking the camera down.

Have you tried turning the IS off and seeing if the results are better or worse?


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## jdramirez (Jul 30, 2013)

Run a few tests... at noon on a cloudless day. Theoretically, the ambient light won't change too much over the 20 minutes that you are running the tests. Frame up your subject as comparable as you can so you can simply roll through the images and compare them all at relatively the same point. So if you are taking a picture of a barn, compose it so that the entire barn is in the frame with the top of the barn at the top of the image. Then start off by hand holding... then go to the monopod, then go to a tripod with a wired release... or a 2 or 10 second delay. Then compare with and without IS. I have my money on the tripod without IS engaged... but that should be a given. 

Also, sometimes you might be the deciding factor. If you are walking/hiking towards your subject, your heart may be beating to the point to where your entire body is shaking just a bit and while you may not notice it, it is recognizable in your shots.


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## DavidR (Jul 30, 2013)

hello again
I`m pleased none of the replies questioned the use of IS. 
I tried some experiments focussing on an aerial about 20m away. Keeping the ISO and aperature constant and only varied the shutter speed. 
At 1/100s there was a bit of a blur. At 1/200s it seemed fine. 
I thought that with the IS I could have got away with 1/100s but it seems not. I can definately see the image moving from side to side before I press the shutter.
Must be an age thing?
Any further comments would be most useful.


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## Hillsilly (Jul 30, 2013)

I've the same lens and occassionally use it with a monopod. I start to worry when the shutter speed falls to 1/60s as I know the chances of a sharp photo aren't that high. I sometimes keep IS on, sometimes it is off - this doesn't seem to make a noticeable difference. 

Most of my sharpness issue relate to the subject moving (ie my shutter speed not being fast enough to freeze the action). That's not your problem, too?

For around $15 you can pick up a tripod collar for the lens. I don't have one, but I've often thought the camera/lens combo would be more stable with one. Eventually I'll probably pick up one to see if it is of any use. At a minimum, it will at least confuse my friends - They'll be wondering if I have the f/2.8 but won't quite understand why it looks so slim.


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## sjprg (Jul 30, 2013)

I shoot some with a 100-400m +1.4 +2.0 TC. I always have the IS on. Don't be afraid to crank the ISO up, I use 1600 quite a bit to keep the shutter speed at 800 to 1200 at F8. Better for the noise which can be corrected easier than the motion blur.


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## DavidR (Jul 30, 2013)

The comment from Hillsilly made me think about a tripod collar to help the balance. After looking at reviews I decided to buy the Canon AIIW from Wex in the UK (much much cheaper than Amazon!!). Once I`ve tried it I`ll add my comments about its usefullness.


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## Halfrack (Jul 30, 2013)

DavidR said:


> The comment from Hillsilly made me think about a tripod collar to help the balance. After looking at reviews I decided to buy the Canon AIIW from Wex in the UK (much much cheaper than Amazon!!). Once I`ve tried it I`ll add my comments about its usefullness.



Ah, this may be the issue - the camera isn't balanced on the monopod. Use the tripod collar on the lens for your monopod - not the camera body. Let us know how it goes.


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## DavidR (Aug 20, 2013)

hello again.

I took up the suggestion of a tripod collar and splashed out on the genuine Canon model (tripod mount ring A II (W)). It has really changed the balance of the camera + lens and it makes it far easier to keep the combination steady. 
I also purchased a spare plate (for my Manfrotto 496RC2 head) to keep on the collar so I can easily mount the combination onto the monopod without taking the original plate off the camera.
After experiencing the ease with which I can now move the camera between portrait and landscape formats (just loosen the collar, turn the combination by 90 degrees and tighten the collar again) I purchased a collar for my 100L macro lens (tripod mount ring D (B)). This makes life much easier when changing between formats.

Conclusion: I would highly recommend the collar.

Many thanks to all who gave their posts, especially Hillsilly who suggested the collar.

Greetings from Argyll, Scotland,
DavidR


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## awinphoto (Aug 20, 2013)

Make sure the IS mode is on "2", not "1"


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## Dylan777 (Aug 20, 2013)

DavidR said:


> I am using a 5D2 and a 70-200mm f4 L IS lens with a monopod. I leave the IS switched on. Many of my pictures don`t seem to be as sharp as I expect. Any suggestions ?



Get 5D III. 5D II AF is :-\ :-[ :'( when shooting moving subject.


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## JPAZ (Aug 20, 2013)

sjprg said:


> I shoot some with a 100-400m +1.4 +2.0 TC.



Can you give us the camera and exposure info on this shot? The EXIF isn't showing up. I presume this was manual focus on the 100-400 with both TC's?

Thanks and, nice shot.


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## Chris Burch (Aug 20, 2013)

Keep in mind that IS and tripods only fix camera movement and have no effect at all on subject motion. If you're shooting a moving object, 1/100s may be too slow to capture a crisp shot that's free of motion blur.


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## Northstar (Aug 20, 2013)

Chris Burch said:


> Keep in mind that IS and tripods only fix camera movement and have no effect at all on subject motion. If you're shooting a moving object, 1/100s may be too slow to capture a crisp shot that's free of motion blur.



Chris makes a good point here. When you wrote about shooting at 1/100th, you didn't mention the focal length you shot at, I'm assuming that you understand that 1/100 at 70mm will give you much different results for sharpness as compared to 1/100 at 200mm? 

Anyway, try shooting at 200mm at 1/800th and see if the image is soft. If it is, then you might have an issue.


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## Northstar (Aug 20, 2013)

sjprg said:


> I shoot some with a 100-400m +1.4 +2.0 TC. I always have the IS on. Don't be afraid to crank the ISO up, I use 1600 quite a bit to keep the shutter speed at 800 to 1200 at F8. Better for the noise which can be corrected easier than the motion blur.




Very nice pic...i like the colors. Good advice too, except that at 1/800 or 1/1200, IS doesn't help your images. IS is for slower shutter speeds, and some (like myself) think that it actually has a small negative affect on AF when shooting fast moving stuff.


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