Re: [Leica] Re: Focusing a 280 F2.8???

[Ted Grant <tedgrant@home.com>]

Miro Jurcevic wrote:
> 
> A monopod or tripod is required at any focal length. The whole idea of
> hand-held photography is vastly over-rated and the single greatest factor in
> low performance images.

Hi Miro,

Sorry my friend not at all, as there are assignments many of us work on
that it's completely impractical to use any kind of support.  And our
pictures are as sharp as any you might do with a monopod or tripod.

In fact if your shooting any of the international sports events, tripods
are not allowed, certainly when you have 1400 photographers vying for
photo positions at venues.

Of course our experience helps with hand holding, but then Leica's are a
hand holding camera.  Why anyone feels they must resort to "every shot
being on a tripod" to make a sharp picture is beyond me. 

> A good hand held shot can make a $6000 photographic system look very cheap and nasty.<<<<<<<<

Only if you do not spend the time to learn how to hold it correctly. It
has everything to do with  handling technique of the photographer as
many here n the LUG can attest.

And as Roy Zartarian expressed:
> > I confess that I am still learning to use my 280/2.8 (400/4 with the 1.4 extender).<<<<<<

The elimination of support comes with experience and practice, sure
there are times when one is working with slow shutter speeds when a
support is necessary or preferable. But it's more important to learn
"how to hold it perfectly" without support, so you don't blow an image
because one has the attitude...."it's too heavy to hand hold sharply!" 
Nor have they practiced hand holding it and making sharp images. 

For some folks it comes very easily as in handling any camera gear, but
if you don't work at it then you'll always go around lugging a tripod in
fear of not being able to shoot sharply because it's a long lens. And
that can become a big pain in the butt!
ted