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STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

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STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby dalelpaq » Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:44 pm

Using my cam with a X2 tele-converter gives me some powerful enlargement but an unbelievably shaky picture. The built in optical image stabilization does little if anything and the lit recommends turning it off when panning. (I use a Panasonic GS400.) In watching TV, especially PBS's Nature and Discovery HD's Planet Earth, somehow the pros take exceptionally steady telephoto shots which are amazing and, in my opinion, must be hand-held (not sure how to use a tripod for birds in flight, for example). Does anyone know how they do this? Stabilized lens? Stabilized mount? In post using something like After Effects. Guess the bottom line is I'd like to do some nature shots as well but they seem to be beyond my capability at the moment.
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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby jackfalbey » Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:09 pm

My guess is that the shots you mentioned probably are from a tripod, a very slick professional tripod with a fluid head. Manfrotto makes some of the best, but for that kind of fluid motion you'll spend at least $300 and maybe closer to $1000. You could use a body-mounted stabilizer like the Varizoom Aviator but it's not really designed for taping birds in flight and it's a heck of a lot more expensive than a good tripod.

There's also motion-tracking software in After Effects and other apps, but it's not as good as a steady shot to begin with.
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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby Chuck Engels » Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:16 pm

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2. Cybertron PC - Liquid Cooled AMD FX6300, 6 cores, 3.50ghz - 32GB DDR3 - MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 4G, 4GB Video Ram, 1024 Cuda Cores.
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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby Chuck Engels » Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:34 pm

Then there is the Jib or Crane, lots of great shots you can get with that :)
From close up to far away an with a lot of zoom, still getting great motion and steady video all at the same time.

A small version
http://www.bargain-camera.com/store/pro ... 275&page=1

This is pretty cool
http://www.blackdogjib.com/

I get to use one of these for our church services on occation
http://www.jonyjib.com/jonyjib_pics.htm
We use a 24' boom, that is a lot of fun to work with \:D/
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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby Paul LS » Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:49 pm

Talking of steadying shots, Mercalli expert software is going for 50% off at Digital Juice.
http://www.digitaljuice.com/products/pr ... sp?pid=591
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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby Chuck Engels » Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:57 pm

Wow, great deal Paul. I knew I was forgetting something.
There is another stabilizer software program that I can't think of anymore either, but I think it is the one that Doreen uses.
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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby RJ Johnston » Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:34 pm

Here's an example of Mercalli I posted a while back:

[wmvvideo]http://muvipix.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10181/Rock_Climber.wmv[/wmvvideo]
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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby rolawren » Thu Jul 24, 2008 11:24 pm

Thanks for this post. I will keep this in mind as well, as I am hoping to improve on my bird shots and about to post a Q's about camcorders that might be suitable for my budget and the sort of things I want to do with a video. Will definitely bookmark this topic.

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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby dalelpaq » Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:15 am

Thanks for all the input. Mainly I saw tripods and other such devices, and software. First a question about software. Is this really what the pros use as their primary means of stabilization? I really don't know, but in my still photography world, fixing is post is always considered the last resort - in other words, get it as close to right in the cam before thinking about post. As regards tripods, booms, etc., perhaps that's the key. I have to admit I have difficulty seeing many of these devices hauled out into the wilds of Patagonia in someone's backpack. Perhaps. I was thinking the pros focus more on sophisticated stabilized lens systems though I would think this would interfere with random pan and tilt shots when following a moving animal. I'm looking forward to any other thoughts out there. Does anyone know a good book on shooting animals in the wild? Dale
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Re: STEADY TELEPHOTO SHOTS

Postby jackfalbey » Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:50 am

You're right, fixing it in post with stabilization software is a last resort. Those programs are designed primarily to fix poorly shot video. Your best bet is a tripod with a fluid head; that's what the pros would use. A good head will allow smooth panning and tilting through a wide variety of angles. That's really the best way to shoot long-zoom birds in flight. The one that Chuck linked in his post is a good example of what you'd need. As far as portability, many pro tripods will collapse down to 3' or less, and weigh under 20 lbs. And as with any piece of gear, practice makes perfect.
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