Hi there Bob...

I handhold, but the Minolta Maxxum 7D DSLR I use it on has
sensor-based image stabilization. Even with sensor crop factor making
it essentially a 750mm, I get consistently sharper shots than with my
old Sigma 500 on 35mm Maxxum 9xi bodies.

It's a matter of trying the combination hand-held and seeing what the
results are like. For whatever reason, I just always thought this
combination (or any large lens for that matter) would need either a monopod
or tripod for best results. I'm still going to purchase a decent monopod
just for good measure as spending four hours on a flight-line following
everything in flight and shooting away is bound to have a tiring effect on
the arms...

Cheers

Pete