Finding the subject with a long telephoto lens at DVinfo.net

Ofer Levy · October 26th, 2008, 10:43 PM

Hi all,

I am using the EX3 with a few Nikon still lenses. Very happy with the results.
Is there a way to make it easier to find the subject when using long lenses? It takes too long and I often miss the action by the time I manage to get the subject in the viewfinder.

I was thinking to attach a wider angle device on the lens like a small binocular or monocular which will be pre-adjusted so when something is in the centre it will also be seen through the telephoto lens.

Has anyone tried this? Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Ofer Levy Nature Photographer

Mick Jenner · October 27th, 2008, 01:12 AM

Hi Ofer,

I know some on here use a Ronsight that usesd to be available from Ronsrail but I don't think he is any longer in buisness. I may be worth doing a search of Ronsrail on google you may come up with a photo. I also believe Per uses one, but he hasn't been around on here lately, but a check of his site may help.

regards

Mick

Ofer Levy · October 27th, 2008, 05:09 AM

Thanks Mick !
Since this device is no longer available I will need to find an alternative.

Jim Michael · October 27th, 2008, 05:33 AM

Couple of ideas - Press cameras had a wire frame and a small fold-up eyepiece to view through; you could fashion a pair of wire pointers, sort of like a gunsight. Astronomers use an inexpensive device called a Telrad, which might be usable in daylight; it uses a beam splitter to project a target into the field of view. A rifle scope might be another possibility.

Steve Phillipps · October 27th, 2008, 05:53 AM

I know a few people that used to use a bit of wire as Jim described, lined up so that it coincided with the view from the lens, but I never thought it worked very well. No doubt about it, there is no substitue for having a zoom that you can rack out and back in again. Even my Canon 150-600 is a big help, as though it's only a 4x zoom range, you do of course get 16x the area at the wide end as at the tight end. But the big HJ40 and other long broadcast zooms are even better for this. Tricky.
Steve

Jim Cancil · October 27th, 2008, 06:08 AM

....Same issue. I've been working with skydivers recently on cheap video Grips, and while standing on the ground - I've tried to capture their landings with two different small HD cams. Bullsh_t ...NO WAY I am able to find them on those stoopid little wing-screens. I hate those things...

I made a an aluminum hood - to shade from bright Sun and water reflection - when shooting my friends kitesurfing ..but they were easy to capture because they moved - predictably - laterally along the horizon. These skydivers come in from different angles at different speeds.

I'll make up a Gun Sight like they used on WW1 biplanes .. and post it when I have something. Thanks for reminding me.

Jim

Ofer Levy · October 27th, 2008, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Phillipps

I know a few people that used to use a bit of wire as Jim described, lined up so that it coincided with the view from the lens, but I never thought it worked very well. No doubt about it, there is no substitue for having a zoom that you can rack out and back in again. Even my Canon 150-600 is a big help, as though it's only a 4x zoom range, you do of course get 16x the area at the wide end as at the tight end. But the big HJ40 and other long broadcast zooms are even better for this. Tricky.
Steve

Thanks for your input guys.

When I compare the image quality I get with my Nikon prime lenses with the quality I get using the Nikon zoom lens - there is no way I am going to use a zoom lens.

I will look into the suggestions try some options and will post my impression soon.

Cheers,

Ofer

Gordon Hoffman · October 27th, 2008, 08:35 AM

Hi Ofer
I mounted a Red Dot scope on the accesory shoe on my XL1 which works fairly good. I have to tilt my head over to look thru it but having a long eye relief and being only 1x you can pick the subject up quickly.
I'm really interested in the EX3 for wildlife. The XL1 is getting a little old.

Gordon

Steve Phillipps · October 27th, 2008, 09:42 AM

What zoom are you using Ofer? Things like the Nikon 50-300 ED, Sigma 120-300 etc. are all very good and comparable to primes for video work. Also the Sigma 300-800 is meant to be excellent, but rather large! Or if you really want to be crazy how about the Sigma 200-500 f2.8, weighs about 17kg I believe!

Steve

Ofer Levy · October 27th, 2008, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Phillipps

What zoom are you using Ofer? Things like the Nikon 50-300 ED, Sigma 120-300 etc. are all very good and comparable to primes for video work. Also the Sigma 300-800 is meant to be excellent, but rather large! Or if you really want to be crazy how about the Sigma 200-500 f2.8, weighs about 17kg I believe!

Steve

Thanks Steve,

I use the Nikon 50-300 ED. It is very nice but I can see the difference when using one of the prime lenses - in all aspects.

Steve Siegel · October 28th, 2008, 10:03 AM

Ofer,
Your suggestion of a monocular device aligned with the lens is exactly what I have been doing for years. It works perfectly. Try it.

Ofer Levy · October 28th, 2008, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Siegel

Ofer,
Your suggestion of a monocular device aligned with the lens is exactly what I have been doing for years. It works perfectly. Try it.

Hi Steve,
This is great news ! Thank you for sharing! Please can you share some details as to what model/specifications of monocular and how you mount it on the lens.

Thanks again,

Ofer

Dale Bohlke · October 28th, 2008, 07:17 PM

I film lots of birds in flight and what works for me is finding the birds early and in the lowest zoom setting to get them centered in the frame. After I have located them I zoom in to the max and track them, recording when they are finally in range. My FX-1 has a very slow autofocus, especially in dim light or with small fast birds, and I miss lots of opportunities. If you have this capability with your setup you might give it a try.
Dale

Ofer Levy · October 28th, 2008, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dale Bohlke

I film lots of birds in flight and what works for me is finding the birds early and in the lowest zoom setting to get them centered in the frame. After I have located them I zoom in to the max and track them, recording when they are finally in range. My FX-1 has a very slow autofocus, especially in dim light or with small fast birds, and I miss lots of opportunities. If you have this capability with your setup you might give it a try.
Dale

Thanks for your input Dale! What I am trying to sort out is how to do this with a fixed focal length lens rather than a zoom. I think the monocular idea should work as Steve suggested.

Ron Armstrong · October 28th, 2008, 10:48 PM

There may be one RONSIGHT available at ZGC. Contact chris@zgc.com tell her Ron sent you!

ronlarmstrong@msn.com
Previoulsly RONSRAIL

October 26th, 2008, 10:43 PM	#1
Ofer Levy Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sydney-Australia Posts: 443	Finding the subject with a long telephoto lens Hi all, I am using the EX3 with a few Nikon still lenses. Very happy with the results. Is there a way to make it easier to find the subject when using long lenses? It takes too long and I often miss the action by the time I manage to get the subject in the viewfinder. I was thinking to attach a wider angle device on the lens like a small binocular or monocular which will be pre-adjusted so when something is in the centre it will also be seen through the telephoto lens. Has anyone tried this? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks, Ofer Levy Nature Photographer

October 27th, 2008, 01:12 AM	#2
Mick Jenner Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: West Sussex England Posts: 843	Hi Ofer, I know some on here use a Ronsight that usesd to be available from Ronsrail but I don't think he is any longer in buisness. I may be worth doing a search of Ronsrail on google you may come up with a photo. I also believe Per uses one, but he hasn't been around on here lately, but a check of his site may help. regards Mick

October 27th, 2008, 05:09 AM	#3
Ofer Levy Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sydney-Australia Posts: 443	Thanks Mick ! Since this device is no longer available I will need to find an alternative.

October 27th, 2008, 05:33 AM	#4
Jim Michael Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 895	Couple of ideas - Press cameras had a wire frame and a small fold-up eyepiece to view through; you could fashion a pair of wire pointers, sort of like a gunsight. Astronomers use an inexpensive device called a Telrad, which might be usable in daylight; it uses a beam splitter to project a target into the field of view. A rifle scope might be another possibility.

October 27th, 2008, 05:53 AM	#5
Steve Phillipps Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wales Posts: 2,130	I know a few people that used to use a bit of wire as Jim described, lined up so that it coincided with the view from the lens, but I never thought it worked very well. No doubt about it, there is no substitue for having a zoom that you can rack out and back in again. Even my Canon 150-600 is a big help, as though it's only a 4x zoom range, you do of course get 16x the area at the wide end as at the tight end. But the big HJ40 and other long broadcast zooms are even better for this. Tricky. Steve

October 27th, 2008, 06:08 AM	#6
Jim Cancil Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Salisbury Maryland Posts: 161	....Same issue. I've been working with skydivers recently on cheap video Grips, and while standing on the ground - I've tried to capture their landings with two different small HD cams. Bullsh_t ...NO WAY I am able to find them on those stoopid little wing-screens. I hate those things... I made a an aluminum hood - to shade from bright Sun and water reflection - when shooting my friends kitesurfing ..but they were easy to capture because they moved - predictably - laterally along the horizon. These skydivers come in from different angles at different speeds. I'll make up a Gun Sight like they used on WW1 biplanes .. and post it when I have something. Thanks for reminding me. Jim

October 27th, 2008, 08:35 AM	#8
Gordon Hoffman Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pincher Creek, Alberta Canada Posts: 619	Hi Ofer I mounted a Red Dot scope on the accesory shoe on my XL1 which works fairly good. I have to tilt my head over to look thru it but having a long eye relief and being only 1x you can pick the subject up quickly. I'm really interested in the EX3 for wildlife. The XL1 is getting a little old. Gordon

October 27th, 2008, 09:42 AM	#9
Steve Phillipps Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wales Posts: 2,130	What zoom are you using Ofer? Things like the Nikon 50-300 ED, Sigma 120-300 etc. are all very good and comparable to primes for video work. Also the Sigma 300-800 is meant to be excellent, but rather large! Or if you really want to be crazy how about the Sigma 200-500 f2.8, weighs about 17kg I believe! Steve

October 28th, 2008, 10:03 AM	#11
Steve Siegel Major Player Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Posts: 840	Ofer, Your suggestion of a monocular device aligned with the lens is exactly what I have been doing for years. It works perfectly. Try it.

October 28th, 2008, 07:17 PM	#13
Dale Bohlke Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: New Ulm, MN Posts: 28	I film lots of birds in flight and what works for me is finding the birds early and in the lowest zoom setting to get them centered in the frame. After I have located them I zoom in to the max and track them, recording when they are finally in range. My FX-1 has a very slow autofocus, especially in dim light or with small fast birds, and I miss lots of opportunities. If you have this capability with your setup you might give it a try. Dale

October 28th, 2008, 10:48 PM	#15
Ron Armstrong Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kent, Washington, USA Posts: 113	There may be one RONSIGHT available at ZGC. Contact chris@zgc.com tell her Ron sent you! ronlarmstrong@msn.com Previoulsly RONSRAIL