Handholding a Long Digital Telephoto Zoom
Some of the small digital Leica V-LUX 1, 2, or 3, and their related Panasonic Lumix cameras, some with Leica zoom lenses, are very handy for general coverage of family and such, but their lenses can reach out to the equivalent of 400mm and more! This amount of length can make a very impressive wildlife picture, for instance, but can be difficult to aim and handhold steadily enough, even with some amount of shake reduction built in.
Say you're out looking for birds or wildlife, looking for distant shots using that longest telephoto lens capability. The sensor size is quite small, so steadiness is important. Although wide to normal focal length photos come out quite sharp, handholding a long telephoto subject steadily enough in the frame can be a problem.
One solution could be a shoulder brace, such as those that came with the 400 and 560mm f/6.8 Telyt lenses, although a rather large unit to carry around. Another possibility might be a tripod or monopod which will work well enough but has difficulty following moving subjects. However a third more practical method might be to use the small Leitz table tripod with ball head held against the chest, as used to be recommended in some older Leica guide books for holding longer lenses steadily in poor light. This technique was helpful in the past using film, but now with digital the very much higher ISOs usually help with steadiness - except perhaps when using the very longest zoom ranges at the necessarily small apertures.
So why not try out the old table-tripod idea? Relatively small, the two separated parts easily stowed in the camera bag, it will be there whenever needed. It may take a couple of moments to put it together and set it tight against the chest, but it then supports the camera in any direction, horizontal or vertical, and helps with following a moving subject such as a bird or animal while sighting through the eye level finder. Just turn the upper body to follow the subject, which remains steady in the finder, while waiting for the right moment.
One additional tip is to orient the tightening handle of the ball head down toward your right side where the right hand can tighten it in the correct position for the eye to look through the eyepiece comfortably. It can then be left tight for the duration of the shoot while the right hand's index finger operates the close-together zooming lever and shutter release, and the left hand helps to support the camera against the chest. With autofocus and auto exposure, aiming and holding the subject in the frame is all that is needed as long as the frame remains steady.
Yes, the sensor is a bit small for maximum size prints, but it is entirely adequate for a normal size print, and the camera and "chest-pod" can be carried and used all day without fatigue. You can imagine the size of a bag required for all this capability using a full-frame camera and a complete set of lenses to 400mm!
