Camera shake when shooting with 70-200 f/2.8 on a tripod.

[aistomin]

Hi,
When shooting with heavier lens (Sigma 70-200 f/2.8, 1.3kg on Canon 5D mkII) I noticed some camera shaking right after the shot. It looks like the mirror closing causes this.I was using Gitzo GT1541 tripod and Joby Ballhead X, which should be ok for body (0.811kg) with the lens (1.370kg), which totals to 2.181kg. The lens was mounted using tripod collar.
I just got the tripod and the head, and the lens was not mine, so I'm not very familiar with this configuration.
I used Slik Able 300 DX until now with same body and Canon 24-70 f/2.8 and I don't remember noticing these shakes.

So, is this tripod/head combination good enough for 5D mkII with tele lens like the above ? Any known workarounds ?

Thanks,Anatoly.

[Dr Croubie]

Just a thought, are you using a cable-release (TC or RS 80N3) and accidentally pulling it a bit when you take the shot?

Mirror slap can cause vibrations in the body, FF worse than crop, gets worse with medium format. Mounting via the tripod collar makes the camera stable, but that's the worst place for mirror slap. Putting the camera on the head will get rid of that source of vibration, but bring in others (and maybe the ballhead can't take the angular strain that way). Putting sandbags on either the camera or far end of the lens can help, but unbalances it, and isn't very practical.
Only other solution is even more rugged/rigid ballheads, and tighten everything a lot more.
http://www.manfrotto.com/product/0/2...o_Lens_Support and http://www.manfrotto.com/product/0/3...g_Lens_Support (or equivalents from other brands) are also available for extra cash...

[aistomin]

I was using an IR remote (RC-1), so I don't think it was an accident. I made about 15 shots and noticed the vibration on every shot.
Thanks for tips, good to know !

[neuroanatomist]

The vibration caused by the mirror closing cannot affect the image - at that point, no light is hitting the sensor.

OTOH, the mirror opening can affect the image - are you using mirror lock up (MLU) with a 2-sec timer?

Using Live View with silent mode 1 (default) can also help - that mode uses an electronic first curtain which further reduces vibration. Between that and MLU with the timer delay, the only camera-induced vibration should be coming from the second shutter curtain - you really shouldn't even notice that affecting the image.

[bob williams]

One way to test your tripod/ball head combo: Simply setup up your Camera/Lens/Tripod/ballhead combo with IS turned off and focus on a target with liveview+10x and just watch it---is it vibrating/moving. If you just notice heatwave like movement, it's probably not the tripod combo. If you notice significant vibration and there are no other contributing factors such as wind, then it probably is the tripod combo. This little test answered alot of questions for me, perhaps it can help you as well.

Good luck

[andnowimbroke]

I might have missed this, but how long was your exposures, and was it inside or outside of a house? As far as the tripod goes, was the column extended as well? Sorry for the generic questions. I'm a little dense at times.

[aistomin]

Wow... Thanks guys !
neuroanatomist : Not using mirror lock up ! I don't know why I neglected this !!?... I'll try MLU and silent mode, think that'll do.
bob williams : Thanks for test method, will try that too.
andnowimbroke : Exposure about 1 sec, outside, slight wind, column extended.

Thanks again.
Anatoly.

[neuroanatomist]

Exposure about 1 sec, outside, slight wind, column extended.

MLU will help, but a 1 s exposure is getting to the point where MLU becomes less relevant (as the duration of the vibration gets very short relative to the exposure, it matters less).

Extending a tripod center column adds substantial instability - avoid it unless you absolutely need the additional height. When choosing a tripod, get one that provides a comfortable working height without extending the center column.

[Rocco]

Another consideration.. are the lenses equipped with any form of IS? If so, you'll want that turned off when on a tripod.

[andnowimbroke]

Good point! I forgot about that. Some lenses automatically "sense" a tripod and shut the IS off for you, but I wouldn't take that chance. I don't think Sigma has that in their lens.