I'm debating between buying a 500VR and a 600VR. I'd prefer the 600, but I've consistently heard that its weight "feels" much farther from the body, reducing handheld stability (due to greater arm effort) and accelerating fatigue. Given that a lot of my efforts are in aviation, where handheld is required, this is a huge factor for me. But I can't find any answers, and I don't own these lenses so I can't do the homework on my own.
Could you (yes, you) please try to balance your Nikon lens and let me know how far from the front element its point of equilibrium feels to you? The more accurate your answers, the better... but even the roughest guesstimate is better than nothing. I'll start compiling a lens list with balance information and then post it on my website as a resource, just in case it ends up being useful to someone else.
Any lens is welcome and I'll put it in the list, although my primary interest is in the "long guns": 200/300/400/500/600 primes and the 200-400 zoom. Of course, if you know of somewhere this has already been posted, let me know!
When I use the 600VR handheld I always take it at the foot (a RRS replacement foot) and put my elbow to my chest.
A little bit like firing a riffle. But I can only do this for a few minutes. The 600VR is a real tri/monopod lens.
What is the use of such list with lengths? You never balnce a lens alone(I think) but always with a camera behind it. And it matter if this a D40 or a light film camera or a D700 with grip. Normaly when I take a long lens and camera, or something completely different, I guess where the balance point is, start lifting it there and you feel immidiately if you have to go to the front- or backside. I always try to lift it with the 'heavy' side to the body, so when something goes wrong it drops to your body and not on the ..........
hjanssen wrote:
What is the use of such list with lengths? You never balnce a lens alone(I think) but always with a camera behind it.
True. But creating the list of lenses with their own balance point is the only way to then match up the lenses with the weight/size of each camera to find the balance point of the combo, if that's what you prefer to know. And if that information is useful to you, then it's very easy for me to put the functionality on the website to let you pick a lens, then pick a camera, and see how they balance together. But you need to have the data for each lens first (cameras are much easier).
I am personally interested only in comparing how far out I have to extend my left arm to hold up the weight of one of the big lenses, and thereby figure out how well I believe I can shoot handheld with it for extended periods of time. But I realize that others may have different uses for this information, which is why I'm willing to invest the time to create a more generalized resource that can tell you what your favorite combo will weigh and how it will balance.
Some may not find that concept useful... but I sure do.
Gee, lemme think... $200 to $500 each for a rental, just so I can hold them for 5 minutes and figure out how each balances. Uh, no thanks.
I want to figure out the facts first. Then I'll take a look at them physically, and try them out a bit. If I'm not fully convinced at that point of what my choice is, then I'll rent. But since I know I'm going to buy one of the two, I really prefer not to spend that rental money if I can avoid it. It's a non-negligible fraction of the price of either lens.
