Posted by David McCall on 11/04/05 17:01

"Bill Fright" <billfright@austin.rr.com> wrote in message
news:V5Laf.50060$5e4.39555@tornado.texas.rr.com...
>
>
> Martin D. Bartsch wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 04 Nov 2005 13:23:34 +1300, Brian <fake@fake> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I'm sure there are more creative and imaginative uses, too...
>>
>>
>> It can help when you meet angry hooligans after a match
>>
>
> Speaking of hooligans... I was walking through Lafayette park across from
> the White House and was attacked by an angry homeless guy. The secret
> service was there immediately and assured me that everyone one was going
> to jail if I whacked him with my Sachtler. I was just seconds from doing
> just that. In hind sight it would have surely been ugly had I hit him with
> it.
>
It's good that you were able to practice some restraint. A Sachtler up side
his head might have put you in Jail, and the homeless guy in the hospital.

> I remember seeing monopods used by still guys on the sidelines at NFL
> games in the astrodome. They used those huge white canon lenses and I
> always thought it was about the weight. It certainly wasn't slow shutter
> speed!
>
Those long white lenses might have been in the range of 600-1000mm,
and they might have been using them at f8-16 to get enough depth of field
that focus wouldn't be as much of an issue. Weight might have been the
main issue because the rig would be very front heavy if hand held, but even
the blur from camera motion could be an issue as well with a lens that long.
It may be hard to hold a camera steady under those conditions.

David

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