Treated myself to a new lens

[kazuyar]

i have this slight obsession with the moon, i love photographing it, over the years ive been getting closer and closer, my closest was with a 500mm mirror lens with a 2x tele, not great results as you can imagine.
my best photos to date are from the nikon 70-300vr with 2x tele.

so i was looking at telescopes and couldn't decide, i mean at the end of the day they are just mirror lenses and would i be disappointed again, in the end i thought, what the hell and splashed out on the sigma 150-600 contemporary (not the sport i'm not made of money), it seems pretty good so far, only done a few test shots and did try it with the 2x tele and was very impressed, it doesn't auto-focus with that tele on but i always manual focus on the moon anyway so that's fine, so now i'm really looking forward to the next full moon

ill also be using it for things like shooting birds & motorbike racing as well hopefully, and never having used such a big lens before has anyone got any tips for me?
do you recommend using a mono-pod and whats the advice about OS on a mono-pod do you still leave it on?
ill be using it on a Nikon D7200
any advice will gratefully accepted

ps when it arrived it was like that scene from jaws, i took one look and thought, im gunna need a bigger bag

[bje07]

do you recommend using a mono-pod and whats the advice about OS on a mono-pod do you still leave it on?

I'm not really a specialist but I read a lot.
For me you can or you should use a monopode (it depends of your musculature) especially if it is to follow a motorbike racing for hours or so on.
You should let the OS "ON"
For the moon I suggest you to use a tripod, OS "Off", I'll get sharper images.

[Saorsa]

A monopod on big heavy lenses takes the weight off your arms and neck when you are not shooting. Properly adjusted for something like motor or bike racing it will work well too. Nature shots are easier but with birds in flight just pick the whole thing up to track. When walking with it I often put the lens over my shoulder pointing backwards and hold the monopod.

Nothing beats a good tripod though for times when you can use it. For example, if you are watching a particular corner during a race the tripod means you don't even have to have your eye to the camera.

[kazuyar]

I'm not really a specialist but I read a lot.
For me you can or you should use a monopode (it depends of your musculature) especially if it is to follow a motorbike racing for hours or so on.
You should let the OS "ON"
For the moon I suggest you to use a tripod, OS "Off", I'll get sharper images.

yea i always use a tripod for the moon and turn OS off
its more the birds and motorcycles i was curios about, it does appear to have 2 types of OS, one for normal hand held and one for panning
im ok holding it, but i can imagine it getting heavy after a few hours

[Craigie]

I recently bought the Sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens.
For me it is an excellent lens for bird shots moving or stationary.
It does get heavy after a few hours.
One thing I would advise you to purchase Sigma Dock USB for a Nikon (there is different ones for different cameras), they cost about £40.
OS 1 is for hand held, on stationary subject.
OS 2 is for hand held, for tracking moving subjects.
Not sure about using 2x tele on this lens, for shooting birds in flight. I would find it impossible to manual focus and follow the birds, not to mention changing the FL if needed.
Hope this helps.

[Shadowman]

How did the mirror and 2x tele combo work?

[NorthernFocus]

It's all been said. You can't beat a good tripod and gimbal head if you're set up in one location for a while. And you can't beat a monopod of your mobile. I'd think for shooting the moon neither is necessary for a shot or two. Leaning on a car roof etc. should suffice.

I shoot a D7200 also. It's an awesome camera and should serve you well with that lens.

[rpcrowe]

The 150-600mm lenses out there (Sigma or Tamron) seem like they are pretty good values - especially the Sigma Contemporary.

I would definitely consider a monopod as part of my kit if I were planning to shoot with this lens or any other lens of comparable weight.. I would combine the monopod with a swivel head because I like to have my monopod perpendicular beneath my rig when I shoot. The swivel head allows me to shoot up or down at an angle with the pod standing straight. I don't like ball heads on my monopod.

I use a Kirk Mark II Arca Compatible swivel head on a sturdy Calumet Graphite monopod. This Benro head is also Arca Compatible but, is less expensive than (about half the price) the Kirk head. I cannot recommend this head because I have never used one. However, I have heard good reports about other Benro products.

The monopod also allows me to rest the camera/lens when I am not actually shooting. I also carry the lens and camera over my shoulder attached to the monopod.

I shoot with the Canon 100-400mm f/4L IS II lens, very occasionally with a Canon 1.4x TC Mark I with which my 7D Mark 2 can auto focus, if I use the center spot.

I suggest that you leave your stabilization ON when shooting with a monopod. Whether you leave your stabilization on when shooting with a tripod depends on the lens and camera. I tend to leave it on with my Canon cameras when I am shooting with later issued lenses. However, I often do not lock my tripod head down when shooting moving subjects with a tripod so the lens stabilization is probably beneficial. At least it doesn't adversely impact my imagery but "MAY" cut down my battery life. Since I always carry 2-3 extra batteries, battery life is not a problem for me!

If you carry your camera/lens over your shoulder at the end of the monopod, like I do, I would suggest that you ensure that whatever mount you use is sturdy enough to support the strain that would entail. I used a Manfrotto swivel with a Kirk A/C clamp on a monopod for years. The Manfrotto was O.K. but, I didn't really trust it all that well. I decided to get a Kirk head after I left my monopod with Manfrotto head on a bus in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

[kazuyar]

How did the mirror and 2x tele combo work?

not good, the images were so soft and there were something like dust marks all over (that were not their without the tele)
i got much better results with the 70-300 and cropping

[kazuyar]

I recently bought the Sigma 150-600mm contemporary lens.
For me it is an excellent lens for bird shots moving or stationary.
It does get heavy after a few hours.
One thing I would advise you to purchase Sigma Dock USB for a Nikon (there is different ones for different cameras), they cost about £40.
OS 1 is for hand held, on stationary subject.
OS 2 is for hand held, for tracking moving subjects.
Not sure about using 2x tele on this lens, for shooting birds in flight. I would find it impossible to manual focus and follow the birds, not to mention changing the FL if needed.
Hope this helps.

i looked at those might get one later on but i think i read there were not many options available on the contemporary but more on the sport
and i don't think id even try shooting a bird with the 2x tele lol i find it hard enough tracking/finding a moving subject as it is

[Shadowman]

not good, the images were so soft and there were something like dust marks all over (that were not their without the tele)
i got much better results with the 70-300 and cropping

The mirror lens is a challenge to work with, needing so much more light than your 70-300mm. I've used a mirror lens with a UV filter attached and it did seem to provide more contrast to my captures. I haven't had a chance to try the Sigma yet but got some good captures with the Tamron 150-500mm.

[kazuyar]

does anyone know why the instructions says you can only use a sigma TC with this lens?
it seemed to work as expected with the kenko one

[tclune]

does anyone know why the instructions says you can only use a sigma TC with this lens?
it seemed to work as expected with the kenko one

Because that's the only one Sigma makes any money on?

[kazuyar]

Because that's the only one Sigma makes any money on?

that was my thoughts
although i know some nikon lenses dont work on some TC's because the rear elements protrude to far out so it got me thinking

[Shadowman]

I read that TCs also might not be compatible with cameras that don't support f/8 autofocusing.

http://www.nikonusa.com/en_INC/IMG/A...omp_chart.html

[billtils]

do you recommend using a mono-pod ... ill be using it on a Nikon D7200

Kaz, I bought a monopod to go with my D7200 and 600mm Tamron specifically to ease the physical burden of the gear when taking BIF shots. In my hands it was a disaster - it was far too cumbersome to use in the hide when tracking the flying birds. Conversations with others at the site revealed the same story.

I have used it in other settings where it was OK, but would agree with the comments here on using a tripod.