I just bought a Canon 135L for my 5D but am finding that it is really hard to handhold it with shutter speeds less than 1/135 (I know my technique isn't great too). Has anyone had similar trouble? I really wanted a long prime but I feel like I can't handhold it effectively. Of course with my 50/1.4 I can hold for 1/40 even. Any tips/advice would be appreciated. Thanks. On a similar note, is the 100 f/2 significantly more handholdable given its lower FL? I have no problems holding my 70-200 f/4 IS but of course that is due to the IS.
Tej Phatak wrote:
I just bought a Canon 135L for my 5D but am finding that it is really hard to handhold it with shutter speeds less than 1/135 (I know my technique isn't great too). Has anyone had similar trouble? I really wanted a long prime but I feel like I can't handhold it effectively. Of course with my 50/1.4 I can hold for 1/40 even. Any tips/advice would be appreciated. Thanks. On a similar note, is the 100 f/2 significantly more handholdable given its lower FL? I have no problems holding my 70-200 f/4 IS but of course that is due to the IS....Show more →
Did you tried to bump ISO to get faster shutter numbers? 5D does shots well on high iso.
Edited by Breitling65 on Jul 25, 2008 at 08:56 AM GMT
Any non-IS lens will be difficult to hand hold with SS's less than 1/focal length and the 135L is no exception. Open up the lens (it should be quite sharp even wide open) or bump up your ISO so as to increase your SS. You should see a very noticeable improvement in your pics. Hope it helps.
Well, congrats, you have just discovered the 1/focal length rule of thumb Of course a longer prime is more difficult to hand-hold than a shorter one. In fact, I try to keep at 1/2 x focal length, to be on the safe side.
It does get harder the more telephoto you go. The rule of thumb isn't exactly a law of physics, but just something to keep you aware. It's much easier to hold a 50mm for 1/25s than it is to hold a 300mm at 1/500th.
1/135 is good to go with. Yes, it is difficult to handhold, but I just crank the ISO up to 800 or 1600 and it's usable under most conditions, even indoors. On the 5D even 1600 isn't a big problem. I find that with the 135L, the image always looks better than you expect it to.
Thanks for all the friendly replies - I tried cranking ISO up to 1600 but for the type of work I was doing indoors (that I had used my 50/1.4 and 70-200 IS for), I was finding the 135L much more difficult. I just wanted to see if others had similar experiences. I hadn't realized that I would need a shutter speed even faster than 1/FL as the FL kept increasing. Thanks again.
Part of the difficulty is that the 135L is relatively short and light weighted. So the balancing weight (like an anchor) of longer and heavier lenses like the 300, 400, 500 and such is missed here. I get sharp pics maybe at 1/100 with the 5D + 135L, but with the 1Ds3 + 135L I need at least 1/250. I guess because it has a higher pixel density, smaller pixels and lots of them
I think the 135/2 is very balanced relative to other longish lenses. The 85/1.2 is shorter, but heavier and tends to "pivot", the 70-200/2.8 is just bigger and heavier. I really like the 135/2 on the 5D w/grip. None of my lenses have IS so I can't really compare my long-lens technique with regards to hand-holding, but I don't think I'm that steady.
I too find the 135 harder than it should be - the 85L I don't think twice about and my 300/2.8 seems very easy to hand hold (for a while at least), the 135 I always tend to err on the side of caution with shutter speed
As Daan and Fluff have implied, I also find that a part of the handholding difficulty with the 135L is in its lightness while having a rather narrow FOV (135mm).
Especially when mounted on a light camera, the frequency of handshake may be quite high and unattenuated.
My way of coping with the difficulty is obviously a higher shutter speed than the 1/FL rule would suggest. In addition, I am using the lens on my 1 series camera only which have a stabilizing effect with its additional weight.
I'm always bracing on fences, trees, rocks, etc., when hand holding a tele. If you must free stand, work on becoming like a human tripod. I use a wide stance, brace my elbows against my chest and hold the body snug against my face. With a slow exhale and gentle squeeze of the shutter I can easily beat the 1/FL rule. Also, for me, the heavier the camera body, the easier it is to keep steady.
lexvo wrote:
I find the 135/2 in combination with a 1-series very handholdable. Somehow this combination is very balanced IMO. This was taken at 1/125:
PetKal wrote:
As Daan and Fluff have implied, I also find that a part of the handholding difficulty with the 135L is in its lightness while having a rather narrow FOV (135mm).
Especially when mounted on a light camera, the frequency of handshake may be quite high and unattenuated.
My way of coping with the difficulty is obviously a higher shutter speed than the 1/FL rule would suggest. In addition, I am using the lens on my 1 series camera only which have a stabilizing effect with its additional weight.
I agree, if you are not having a problem with the weight already I suggest adding the grip to help with stability. I always found the 135L pretty well balanced to begin with but I recently added the grip and now it feels even better and the effect is much more pronounced with heavy lenses like the 85L. Also pay attention to the advice posted here on technique such as tucking your elbows and placement of your left hand.
I am pretty shaky but have had fairly good success even below 1/FL speeds however once the sun sets I find it hard to get even half that and generally move to smaller & faster lenses.
Here is one wide open sans grip at ISO1600 and 1/50s after USM which is plenty sharp for my needs. The left eye is just outside of the DoF causing it to be slightly blurry. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2515454046_0b484ba7aa.jpg http://www.flickr.com/photos/7d7/2515454046/
Of course a longer prime is more difficult to hand-hold than a shorter one. In fact, I try to keep at 1/2 x focal length, to be on the safe side.