I was recently asked what the minimum shutter speed I feel comfortable shooting long lenses hand-held. I had to hesitate to answer, as it’s nothing I think about with the high ISO performance of my Sony cameras; It's not like the old film (slide) days when there were severe limits to image quality at higher ISO. I simply use whatever ISO I need to reach the desired shutter speed. So I decided to see if I could still hand-hold a 600mm lens with a 2X extender on it, and just how steady I might still be. Can I still hand-hold at 1/40s and still produce sharp results? Well, as this image demonstrates, yes, but I don’t need to, so I will continue to use my Wimberley head II on my tripod or crank-up the ISO to accommodate higher shutter speeds. There are two risks when trying to use as low an ISO as possible:
Don't get a critically sharp image before the subject moves away.
Miss unexpected action with inadequate shutter speed.
Pro tips for hand-holding long lenses:
Turn on the image stabilizer (camera and lens).
Control breathing to minimize movement.
Press your supporting arm into your body to form a triangle brace between your hand under the lens, your shoulder, and your torso.
Position your legs so they are a little wider than your shoulders.
Align your body so it is perpendicular to your subject.
Control shutter finger movement; press slowly.