> Will a gyro stabilizer work for shooting with a 600/4 from a boat? > The ability to shoot from my Zodiac inflatable with the 600/4 is > extremely tempting. I've only once succeeded with it and that was > in complete calm waters.
Sounds interesting, P�l. I've used the lighter A* 600/5.6 on boats, but not on a choppy little zodiac - it's been on 85 foot and 100 foot aluminum whale watch boats. (I guess they're about 25 to 30 meter boats - <g>.) However, the light has to be fairly bright for a fast shutter speed, and the boat's motion has to be not too severe at the time. I think one of the biggest problems you'd have with the 600/4 would be simply supporting it, i.e., just simply holding it up for very long. I guess the 600/4 weighs about twice as much as the 600/5.6 (which is tiring enough for me to hold in front of my eye for more than a short time). I've found the Novoflex 600/8 to be much more practical for boat use. Of course, it's a stop slower than the 600/5.6 (which in turn is a stop slower than your 600/4), but it's capable of being used in dimmer light than a hand-held 600/5.6, simply because of the excellent support provided by the Novoflex follow-focus shoulder-stock mount. > The 600/4 is impossible to hand-held and a solution probably include a > monopod bolted to the boats steering console with the gyro involved in some > way between the lens and tripod head. Is this a viable solution? I am dubious of using any monopod on a boat, where the up-and-down motion of the boat would be transmitted to the camera, even if a gyro were used to keep the camera and lens from tipping up-and-down or sideways. Once in a while on a whale watch (or on a pelagic bird watch) I've seen a passenger attempt to use a monopod with a long lens, but usually he gives up after a few minutes of struggling with it. Actually, it's my feeling that the photographer's body is best used to compensate for boat motion by holding the camera body and lens stiffly against the torso, but using legs slightly bent at the knees to dynamically hold the torso (and camera) steady, even as the boat platform moves underneath. The only possibility I can see where a boat-mounted monopod might be feasible would be if it were mounted at the boat's center of motion, which might or might not be at the console, depending on where the console is on the boat. But, I'm still dubious... Fred - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
