Canon 500mm IS lens and tripod use?

The instruction manual for the 500 IS is NOT correct. It dates from an earlier version of IS which didn't function well on a tripod. With the 500 IS and all its contemporaries (300/ 2.8 IS, 400/2.8 IS, 600/4 IS), or newer IS lenses, leave IS ON when using a tripod, beanbag, or hand-holding. It works MUCH better that way.

To convince yourself of this, just mount the lens on a tripod look through the viewfinder, and activate IS. You'll see the image steady down right away.

Incidentally, at reasonably high shutter speeds it's not hard to hand-hold the 500 IS, even with teleconverters, in terms of image steadyness (most of the flying birds on this page were done with a hand-held 500 + 1.4X. It does weigh a lot, however.

Dave, I'm a Nikon user and have no VR or IS lens. But I always wanted to buy the 500/4 IS lens, but cannot afford it. So staying with Nikon and Sigma 500mm lens. I was looking around to find out how much difference IS will make on a 500mm lens and put this thread a while back. Lots of Canonians responded
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=009TC5
I had a feeling that all new IS lenses has a tripod mode on it. Even if it's not there new lenses will work on tripod. Not sure if this lens has two different versions. If there's only one version I'm sure it will work on the tripod too. If it has two version and you bought a used old lens, then it may not. I'll watch for your findings...

Mark: Thanks so much, it made my day! I went to your site, by the way. Awsome birds in flight!!! My forte has been seascapes, but I am bitten with the bird thing. Dave www.modernpictorials.com

Dave: thanks for the kind words, and good luck with the birds! Another thing about hand-holding for flight shots: it's about the only way to get images of objects directly overhead -- I don't know of tripods that work well with a big lens pointed more or less straight up.

You're probably aware that you will definitely want a gimbal head for this sucker (for all those non-flight shots). There are a lot of threads on that topic. My recommendation: if you never want to use the head for anything but the 500, get the 'full' Wimberley head. If you do want to use the head for shorter lenses as well, get a GOOD ball head plus the Wimberley sidekick (that's what I use). And the appropriate lens plates as well... have you noticed that this little hobby isn't inexpensive???

Hi Dave, Thassa great lens, no? Anyhoo, it's true the manual that ships with it is dated and you can leave IS on all the time - I do. Mark's right about the gimbal head too. I putzed around with my old head for a while and finally bought a Black Widow by Jobu-Design. http://www.jobu-design.com The product and the company are great. If you don't mind the side-mount, it's less expensive than any of the competitors too. Good luck!

PS - You don't *have* to get the side-mount; it's just less expensive. I thought it'd be a bitch to hoist up but it's not. It works great and is easy to "hunker down".

Beau, I too have a 500/4 IS on order from B&H, and am now pondering on my tripod head choices (the tripod itself is going to be a Gitzo 1325).

How secure is the side-mounting on the Jobu ballhead - and have you perchance compared it to the Wimberleys? Generally speaking, I'd prefer the flexibility of a good ballhead + the Sidewinder, but I've heard enough stories about improper mounting leading to crashed 500/4s to make me nervous (I am not the most fastidious and process oriented person myself, and tend to forget little things).

The Jobu sounds interesting, as does the lower price tag -- but only if the side-mounting does *not* cause problems... especially when carrying the tripod+lens on the shoulder.

Would appreciate your thoughts on this.

Cheers, Vandit

stories about improper mounting leading to crashed 500/4s to make me nervous (I am not the most fastidious and process oriented person myself, and tend to forget little things).

Vandit, I think these are mainly (probably not entirely) urban legends. I've used a Sidekick for several years with no problems. You DO have to make sure the lens is properly mounted -- the same as with a 'regular' Wimberley head or anything else. Once it's secured in the clamp, it's not hard to adjust balance. Despite scare stories to the contrary, it is NOT likely to fall out of the clamp during balancing. If you were stupid enough to open the clamp wide during the balancing operation, then maybe -- but that's not necessary. Just loosen it a little, shove the lens with your thumb, and retighten. Wimberley plates have a couple of 'safety screws" that keep the rig from sliding out to the front or rear (if you're dumb enough to try to balance the lens with it pointing sharply up or down). I have a trick where I wrap the lens shoulder strap around the tripod foot, with enough slack to fit neatly over the Sidekick knobs for added 'drop' protection.

All that said, if you only wanted to use the tripod+head for the 500, get the regular Wimberley (roughly the same price and weight as a ballhead + Sidekick). It's simpler and possibly a bit easier to mount and balance the lens (I haven't tried it). The Jobu or Kirk King Cobra are also options (I've heard rumors -- unsubstantiated AFIK -- that the bearings on the Kirk aren't so good). Note that if you want to use the tripod+head for other lenses, you cannot use the Jobu or the Kirk -- they are obligate side-mounts only. The ballhead+Sidekick is your only option here.

One other accessory I like very much: the Gitzo leveling head. It adds about an inch and a pound, but it's extremely handy for smooth panning and it has a perfectly located handle that's much easier to use when carrying the rig over a shoulder. The 1325 is a very good choice. In cold weather, make sure you clamp the leg locks tightly (they seem more prone to slipping when cold).

One other benefit of the Gitzo leveling head: If you travel you'll likely want to remove the head from the tripod. The leveling head has a lever-clamp mechanism that's very secure but makes it A LOT easier to mount and unmount the head.

And, before I forget, the Wimberley folks are extremely nice and helpful, and will let you try their products for a month without obligation (or at least they used to and I assume still do). They make some good flash brackets also.