Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm f/8 and Sony NEX 5N

2013-01-30
The lithium grease seems to work well with my ball-head and I manage to try my travel camera with Nex 5N on the same Tamron SP 500mm f/8.0 mirror (55BB). It is another problem and challenge to face as the nex is a thin body and I don't have the expensive L bracket. The setup oscillates even when I try to touch the focusing ring. Unlike the Pentax, my travel camera don't have SR for manual lens and with the setup, I pick a higher ISO 400 to shoot the moon yesterday night to gain for a faster shutter to avoid shaking

Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm adaptall-2 f/8 (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N

Tamron SP adaptall-2 500mm f/8.0 mirror (55BB) mounted on NEX 5N

Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm adaptall-2 f/8 (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N


Having a flip out LCD is a big plus especially when the moon rises more to the vertical above.


Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm adaptall-2 f/8 (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N


Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm adaptall-2 f/8 (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N

Tamron mirror and Sony nex 5N on tripod

All documentary pictures was shot single hand with K-5 and FA 43mm as my left hand is holding a remote for the nex 5N setup. I usually do documentary with DA 35 but the 43 is more suited for night shooting

Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm adaptall-2 f/8 (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N


Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm adaptall-2 f/8 (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N
Moon Chasing with Tamron SP adaptall-2 500mm f/8.0 mirror (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N

Having the fold out LCD is a great help especially when the moon is closer to the vertical above you. And I share the same pain on my first shooting where I have to crouch under my tripod to find the moon with K-5. But in actual shooting in hand-held shots without tripod, the optical viewfinder in K-5 allows me to back myself against a wall and brace with the camera aimed high to the moon. The shooting becomes easier without the restraint of tripod. I am lucky to have the lightweight Tamron SP 500mm f/8.0 mirror as it is quite alright to hand-held the moon shots with the mirror lens in iso 200 ~ 400 and have a higher shutter.

And with a fold out LCD, I find the setup with less restraint and with more freedom to find the moon when used on a mono-pod
Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm adaptall-2 f/8 (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N


This is my mono-pod setup with the Tamron mirror mounted on my nex. I have an inexpensive Dolica WT-1003 mono-pod and a very cheap Manfrotto RC2 like quick release from Amazon. I am thinking of Manfrotto 494 ball head for my next upgrade on my lightweight traveling setup. If any of you have manfrotto 494, please help me if there is better alternative that I can consider in similar price range. My current traveling tripod head is Manfrotto 3229 which works better on mono-pod but falls short on a tripod due to absence of a ball head for more directional control.

Moon Chasing with Tamron SP 500mm adaptall-2 f/8 (55BB) and Sony NEX 5N

My boy helps in holding the mono-pod setup. The Tamron mirror lens is actually quite small in use and it is one of long focal lens that I actually enjoy shooting hand-held. But it is best use on a mono-pod if lowest iso is what you are after. The AF ring is very capable for fine tuning. Sharpness and color is very reasonable for such a long focal length. When time allows, I will try to reshoot similar moon pictures with my 300mm with a 1.7x TC -- Photosniper Tair Phs 300mm f/4.5 or my F* 300mm f/4.5


Related:

1 comments:

robin said...

Moon behind the leaves is a great shot.

Post a Comment

 

About

Welcome to Hin's Photo Corner, this is my learning blog on photography, blogging and advertising. And I hope you enjoy your visit. For contact, please comment in blog post or email me directly hintheman at gmail.com.

 

B&H Best Deals

Statcounter