Bad wrists, heavy lenses

[teepee12]

Okay, here's a problem I can't seem to solve. Assuming, for the moment, that money is no object, I'm looking for an excellent medium zoom as an all-around lens for my T3. I am, as Maurice Chevalier said, not young anymore and my wrists are not strong. One of the things I actually like about the T3 is its lightness. I'm looking in the 18-70, or 28-135 range and I'm prepared to compromise, as long as the lens will give me sharpness and reasonable speed.

The good lenses all weigh in at over a pound. Given the lightness of the camera itself, I foresee this as a problem. I already have a tendency to drop my left hand when shooting unless I pay particular attention and although I can correct the horizon in post production, I would prefer, as I have always done, to crop and edit in the viewfinder. Is there a solution here? Alternately, perhaps a couple of fixed focal length lenses ... like, say a 20 and a 70 (or 135?). I want the versatility and I was trying to avoid having to swap lenses constantly, but that may not be possible.

Open to any and all suggestions. I am coming from a long semi-pro history (with long periods of working as a pro, studio and all). I'm probably pickier than I can really afford to be, but I'm hoping someone has an idea I can run with. I'm not against other brand lenses either, if they are good lenses.

Thanks in advance!

[Hill Country Hack]

I really don't see any way to change the weight of the camera with lenses attached.

Why not use a monopod for all shots? It will carry the weight of the camera with lens and save from the wrist pain.

I am also seeing some sort of modified shoulder harness set up. Attach some sort of breastplate to the shoulder harness. To the breastplate attach, with a hinge, some sort of lightweight rod and at other end of the rod a U shaped cradle to rest the lens in?

[dlambert]

The chest harness idea might be worth some thought. I'd even take a look at some of the "steady-shot" devices sometimes used for shooting video - there might be ideas there that could help. I also recall seeing this sort of need voiced in the past, so if you come up with a killer idea, you might even be able to make a buck or two.

[teepee12]

I was hoping, irrationally, to not need additional gear. There probably isn't a way around it, but a gal can hope.This is why I didn't get the DSLR for so long even though it was obvious I was never going to be happy with a P&S camera no matter how many manual overrides it has. I knew the weight/accessory issues were were going to hurt. Getting old really sucks.

When my powershot A650 finally bit it, I needed a new camera. Now. On top of everything else, I have an event I promised to shoot tomorrow. Hard to do without a camera. For a quick fix I got a Canon XS130 for short money and it's pretty good for what it is. Regardless, I'd keep a P&S around... but everyone who knows me said I should get the DSLR already and stop screwing around. The field was evenly split between Canon and Nikon owners. I stayed with Canon because I'm comfortable with their controls and menus. I bought entry level because right now, I'd rather invest in good glass and upgrade the body later and don't have enough $ for both ... barely enough for 1 good lens and a cheaper body.

Sigh. Why does it always get so complicated?

[ffscj3562130]

The first thing that came to my mind too was the monopod. You can get a reasonably priced one that is good quality.

[inkista]

Ok, this is just me, but, P&S-wise, you shoulda gotten a Powershot S95. (I know, way more expensive).

I think if weight is THAT much of a concern, be willing to compromise a little on high iso noise performance and shallow DoF, and go with a micro four-thirds camera, rather than a dSLR. They're much smaller and lighter than the dSLRs because they've dropped the whole mirrorbox and pentaprism viewfinder. They're about as expensive, and (being newer) a little more limited on lenses. But the 2x crop factor means you can get some really bitchin' zoom ranges in relatively tiny lenses: the Panasonic 14-140 f/4-5.8, (28-280mm in film terms), is 16.2 oz. Think of these guys as being the rangefinders of the digital age, but with P&S liveview convenience.

The mirrorless compact landscape changes quickly and continually, but there are three mount system contenders today: the micro four-thirds cameras from Panasonic and Olympus (2x crop factor), the Sony NEX system (1.5x crop), and the Samsung NX system (1.5x crop). The largest selection of lenses right now is with the oldest of these, micro four-thirds, but the other two use a larger APS-C-sized sensor, which is the size most entry-level dSLRs are using.

There's also the Fuji X100 which is wowing folks everywhere, but it has a fixed lens (35/2 equiv. in 35mm film terms) and is over $1000. But the viewfinder tech is miles above and it, too, uses a 1.5x crop sensor.

Dpreview can probably give you the skinny on all the latest model specs and releases.

I'd suggest looking at the Panasonic G3 and GF-3, the Olympus EP-3 and EPL-3, and the Sony NEX-5 (keeping in mind that the NEX-5 is likely to get a successor this fall, and there are rumors of an advanced user GF line).

If you absolutely positively HAVE to stay with a dSLR, I'd suggest hefting a Pentax K-r at a store. It's substantially smaller and lighter than a Canon dRebel. And Pentax makes pancake primes, which Canon doesn't. And, it comes in a variety of colors. Total girl camera. Oh, and it runs on AAs.

Lastly, I've suffered from RSI (repetitive stress injury) in my hands for over a decade now; I have compromised grip strength, so I know where you're coming from. But icepacks and swimming help a lot. Actually, any aerobic exercise that moves your arms around helps but I found swimming the last painful for all my other aching muscles and joints. Yeah. Getting older's annoying, innit?

[teepee12]

The primary reason I didn't spend a lot on the DSLR was to see how I felt about it before going all the way, so to speak ... and your suggestion makes me very glad I didn't. Wow. A whole new class of camera to check out. By the way, I KNOW there are better P&S models, but knowing I was going to buy another, more expensive camera almost immediately made me less eager to invest a lot in it. When the price of the P&S approaches that of the DSLR, well, one has to consider long term objectives. Being retired, money is always in short supply and price has to be a serious factor. My lust for high quality by necessity must balance against fiscal reality, however painful. As for exercise, I have a whole bunch of factors limiting my options, both physically and geographically. If there were a pool locally I could join, I would do it but I live in the middle of nowhere and the only one around is both expensive and offers very limited available hours. Stopping piano practice has helped. I miss my music, but the pain was over the top. If I am careful, I can manage. I'm looking at monopods. I'm going to do some research on the cameras you suggested since I can still return this one for a couple of weeks to come. It would be nice if we had a real camera store anywhere within driving distance, but we don't. Boston would be the closest and that's a solid 70 miles away. It may come to that, but I'll do my research online first. Thank you very mjuch. Thoughtful response gratefully received.

[inkista]

You're welcome! Be aware, though, that the micro four-thirds system is likely to be more limited and as or (maybe even slightly more) expensive than Canon when it comes to lenses. But if the weight of the lighter EF-S Canon lenses is already too much for you, then going with a mirroless compact might be the answer.

In terms of Canon lenses, I was going to suggest the EF-S 18-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS. It's consumer grade and a little too slow for available light shooting, but it's half the price of an EF-S 18-200 IS, and it's slightly better image quality. And it's 16 oz. If you can afford it, the EF-S 15-85 IS USM, or a used EF-S 17-85 IS USM would likely be even better, but you're sacrificing range for image quality.

[arlon]

I often shoot left eyed and rest the camera on my left shoulder. It's almost as steady as a monopod. I've used that method for a lot of my handheld HDR, no extra gear required. Only issue is you have to use your left eye to frame the shot. No way to push the shutter on the right shoulder.

I also use the 2 sec self timer a lot in this position. If I have to shoot off my shoulder, it's usually for a reason (slower shutter, multiple shots for HDR, etc) and using the self timer set on 2 sec. lets me push the shutter then get in a more steady position before the shot actually goes off. There are several way to lock the left arm against the body for camera support too. I just find the left shoulder approach to be the most practical.

If it's a wrist issue, you might also try using an athletic type of wrist support. Google wrist support for carpel tunnel.. You'll see a lot of options that will help you keep your wrist joints from having to take all of the load.

This may look awkward but with a little practice it's very effective.


The weight of the camera is totally supported on your shoulder. Here my hands aren't even on the camera and that's an 18-250mm lens out at 250mm...

[teepee12]

What a cool idea! I will definitely try that and I am already checking out wrist braces and supports. I am sure that would help, at least a bit. Nothing but surgery is going to really solve the problem, but considering one thing and another, I want to avoid more surgery. I am the surgical survivor queen already. Being alive is great and I would like to stay that way!