How to hand hold telephoto lenses?

[zombiesniper]

I still lung it around all day. No issue.
I'm not saying it's not right for you or anyone else. I'm saying it's not right for me. I tried it, it made getting the shot 3 times harder so I don't use one. If you use it and it works then that's all that matters.

 

[zombiesniper]

Back to the OP.
The best you can do is practice. The more time you spend with the lens, the better you will become at getting a steady shot.
Pay attention to your body while shooting though. If your back/neck etc start to hurt, your not supporting the weight correctly.

 

[fmw]

I don't hand hold teles very well. If I can't shoot at 1/1000 or faster, I use a tripod.

 

[greybeard]

I shoot a lot of pistol from time to time. Believe it or not, it is a lot like shooting long telephotos. Hold your breath and release between heart beats.....lol.

 

[Derrel]

You need to support the lens well,and try to keep it steady, and level too, like this: 1000.jpg

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

I shoot a lot of pistol from time to time. Believe it or not, it is a lot like shooting long telephotos. Hold your breath and release between heart beats.....lol.

I can relate to that.

 

[Gary A.]

I have a friend who shoots cameras and firearms and he says that there is a lot of crossover technique. I can shoot about two to three stops under the Rule of Thumb. I hold the lens/camera so it is balanced in my left hand, smash the body against my nose and gently 'squeeze' the shutter release. Often when shooting with a long lens, you're shooting action, something moving, so you're watching, watching watching ... getting all tense keeping the subject in focus, waiting for some spectacular action. When the subject catched a ball or swoops up a fish, the photog get all excited and jams the shutter release ... no, no, no. Have the shutter release depressed to the point where it is just a gnat's hair away from 'firing' ... so, when you're ready all you need to do is a slight muscle twitch ... a squeeze with minimum effort and camera shake.

When shooting low shutter speeds I conscientiously try to calm and slow everything down, my breathing, my heartbeat (at least I mentally tell it to slow down), a mental relaxation. Normally I firmly grip the camera and lense, with low shutter speeds I loosen my grips just a tad, a physical relaxation. When possible I'll lean against something for additional support.

 

[table1349]

Since there is a segment of people that LOVES youtube videos here ya go.

 

[MSnowy]

I hand hold the 500mm I also use it with a gimbal head on a tripod. I also use the 500 with a monopod. For me it all depends on what I'm shooting. I love using the gimbal heading when I go hiking and plan to setup for anything over 3 hours. I find the keeper rate increase greatly when I use the gimbal head and the monopod

 

[Dean_Gretsch]

Some great info here. Thanks to the OP for the question and to everyone answering.