Hi

I am soon ( taking me a bit to commit the huge chunk of change) going to get a 500mm and up to now have mainly hand held shots and know very little about tripods/and monopods and the mounts and plates to go with. Can anyone give me some suggestions for a good set up does not have to be top of line but of course never want to have to worry about it collapsing. I am mainly going to be using it for bird and wildlife photgraphy.

I am sure this has been discussed some where in here but I could not find it. Thanks in advance for the help.

Although I don't have this setup (yet), the Wimberley is supposed to be the ultimate gimbal type head for birding and wildlife. Gitzo makes some fine tripods. Both can be viewed here:

http://www.naturephotographers.net/gs.html

Michael has a review on the Wimberley here: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/...wimberley.shtml

Dave

so would need the sidekick something like the p20 or p 40 quick release plate, something like a arca ball head and a tripod is that correct .... sorry i have never relly had much use for tripods is my photogrpahy and really starting from scratch here

Keep in mind this is not inexpensive. The 500mm f4 may be pushing it for the Sidekick, the Wimberley Head(V2) is a complete unit just requiring an Arca Swiss style plate for attachment. The P20 or P30 should do, and a solid tripod ( a review search should help ).

Dave

one more question if decide to go with a monopod insted what kind of head if any do you use with a monopod?

Also consider the Jobu Design gimbal head. I use the Black Widow Gimbal heavy duty head with my 500mm lens on top of a Gitzo tripod. None of this lot is inexpensive but well worth the investment given the movements possible.

Thanks for the info. My wallet is trying to talk me out of it right now lol but I know I wont be happy if I get the lens and just try tohand hold it all the time

You simply will not be able to hand hold for very long at all; it's big, heavy and cumbersome... but brilliant!

Go for Wimberly's sidekick. It's more than adequate for Canon's 500 f:4, and far more portable that the full size Wimberly head or its equivalents. I've owned the 500 f:4 for about 5 years, and initially I mounted it on Kirk's "King Cobra" head, which is a very smooth but heavy gimbal head that commits your tripod to using it only for long lenses. I tried out the sidekick, and now the King Cobra is gathering dust. It's extremely solid and beautifully machined, small enough to fit into the side pocket of your long lens pack, and copes with the 500 mm lens without difficulty if you have a solid ball head. It isn't enough to handle the 600 f:4, but the 500 mm lens only weighs 8.5 lbs. so it works just fine. And you can still use the same tripod for shorter lenses without having to replace the entire head.

I wouldn't want to use a monopod with this lens. It'll work well enough to support it for a few minutes if you're following, say, a football drive down the field. But the whole time you'll be worrying about dropping the thing. And trying to swap out a full CF card? Yikes. That's why those Sports Illustrated guys have assistants.

You can't hand hold a 500/4. You just can't -- trust me. Unless you are built like Gov. Schwarzenegger.

A monopod will take the weight when you need to be extremely mobile *and* you are willing to give up absolute sharpness for mobility. (Sports photography, for example.) The big Gitzo carbon fiber is solid and light. One generally doesn't use a head with a monopod, though there are exceptions.

For careful composition and sharpness, you need a solid tripod with a good ball head. A Gitzo 3530 or 3540 is a good start, with an RRS BH555 ball head or equivalent. If you need smooth panning (for shooting birds in flight, etc.), something the Wimberley Sidekick should work, though the full gimbal head might be needed.

you haven't mentioned what you're planing to use the 500 for

i thought long and hard about buying a 400DO, then rented it from lensrentals.com. this is a lens i will use about one month a year. really glad i rented it and have no intention of buying

i strongly recommend renting before buying if there's any question about how you'll use it

Wimberley used to have (and probably still does have) a very reasonable trial plan for their products

Main use will be wildlife mainly birds. With some occasional sports

Cheating solution involves one of those leather fishing belts with a support for the base of a rod, and a monopod, it's mobile and your waist supports the weight.

I just use a quick release on the momopod, but then the largest tele I own is a 400/5.6 at about a third of the weight of the 500/4.

Dave

Have a look at the RSS high capacity monopod solution it may be what you are looking for it is rated for 75 lbs. I use it with an Acratech quick release clamp attached to the monopod. I can quickly remove the RSS MH-01 LR Monopod Head when I travel or for storage.

http://reallyrightstuff.com/tripods/04.html

I have a 500 f/4 EF L (IS) lens. The support system that I use for it is a C414 Induro 8X carbon fiber tripod with a Wimberley II head. This support system works well for wildlife photography and photographing high level motorsports (American LeMans Series sportscar racing etc).

Mr. Reichman used an Induro tripod on one of his photography trips to Antarctica and give that unit a very favorable evaluation.

Best regards,

Roma

FWIW, I have collected, and updated somewhat, a fair amount of monopod lore, specifically for the 400 f/2.8, in this thread. Any support system that is adequate for the 400 f/2.8 will be plenty for the 500.

Also FWIW, I frequently use my 400 on a Wimberley Sidekick, and it works just fine. Particularly if you already have an adequate ballhead, the Sidekick would be a good choice for your 500.

Nill

I cover the NFL, so my equipment tends to be on the long/heavy side. I currently use a 400 2.8 on a Manfrotto 681B monopod with the RRS clamp and head. After reading your reply as to what the use would be, I think you have to decide which to you is more important. If you what to do birds and such, then a good tripod and head should be looked into. If you want to do sports, a monopod will be the better choice. Most sporting events won't allow for the use of a tripod anyway for safety/insurance reasons both for you and the participants. Doing sports means you have to be mobile and a lot of times that means moving very fast. As in getting out of the way. Also the ability to move to various locations quickly as the action progresses. If you want to do both, get both a tripod and a monopod. The monopod I use is a solid performer, collapses small and is rated for about 60 lbs. but at only $60. Carbon Fiber would be nice(because of weight) but I can't justify the cost for my use. As I said, you have to decide on your uses, weight, desired mobility, and cost. You're spend a lot for a very good lens, so make sure of your decision on how you are going to support it.

I own a 500 and you will need a very good tripod and gimbel head to support the 500 while shooting wildlife or anything else for that matter. I use a Gitzo GT3530LS carbon fiber tripod along with a Jobu Black Widow gimbel head. This combination works very well in the field and is quite easy to carry. The other combination I use a lot is the 500 mounted on the BWG-LW mounted on a ground-pod from Naturescapes that looks like a freezbee on steroids. This is my favorite setup for getting down close to the ground for those eye-level-eye catching captures. This allows me to sneak up on wildlife while pushing my 500 with camera mounted on the ground-pod in front of me while crawling along. Also, This assembly is easily carried with the strap on the 500 slung over one shoulder and across your chest while the camera and assembly rides at your side not unlike carrying a hunting rifle with a sling.



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