Hi All,
Just out of curiosity, when taking photos, how many of you use a tripod?
I just take all my landscape photos and others by hand, no tripod.
Windy days are a problem of course with no tripod and if you out having fun and a few drinks can be a bit shaky too .....lol
just curious....
cheers Sue

I rarely use a tripod when shooting my landscapes,probably as we ( wife and I ) do walk quite a few miles and it gets a bit heavy after a few hours,well it does when your in your sixties.Having said that if we are going to a specific place that is going to need a tripod,waterfalls on slow shutter speed etc then I will take the tripod with me. I have to admit though there have been a number of times I wish I had carried it with me.

In my days as a wedding photographer virtually everything was shot on a tripod for more reasons than just camera shake though.

A few years back I nearly always took the tripod but it is now all getting a bit heavy with the camera,spare lens's,coffee,sarnies etc. 
Getting old sucks but I dont wish the alternative :-)

Eddie

Hi Eddie
Yes getting old sux, but i still have a few more years left in me yet, I'm only 21 still (cough cough) ......I walk for miles too thats why I dont use one!

I've still got all that stuff to go with my film SLR but the whole point of digi for me is that all I need can go in my jeans pocket! And as my TZ1 is 10x zoom it really is all I need.

Yep, if it can't fit in the pocket dont bother!  Since my camera died I have been borrowing friends cameras to take with me when i go away. I have decide my best shots have come from a pocket sized Olympus rather than a big Canon EOS 40D? ...All a matter of choice I think!

my tripod usually languishes at the bottom of my camera bag. the odd few times i do use it , its cos i feel guilty for buyin it and not usin it :P

Attached Link: Stephen Johnson Photography

I want to get a 70-300 VR Nikon Lens that takes care of shaky hands. Once I do that, I will use the tripod much less.

i use a tripod if i use my old olympus c 8080.......

but with my sony @100 and its anti shake i hardly ever use it at all.....

I normally don't use a tripod, but if I know i will be zooming in, or if I will be taking long exposures, then I am sure to bring one along. The C8080 is a pretty fast camera though James, I don't find myself needing a tripod for it in most conditions. ;']

One of the best reasons for using a tripod is that it allows you more time and thought to compose your scene. In other words, it forces you to stop  and think about what you’re doing and what you’re hoping to get out of the scene.. That holds true for wildlife shots too, and setting up a hide which takes time and some planning..  When you have good enough light with modern image stabilisation, and a fast enough lens it is probably more cumbersome to grab that action shot, and I rarely use one in such situations.. Night shots or low light there is no other way but to use a tripod and a release if you want sharp images.. 

A  solid monopod if you want to travel light,  which can be lashed to a suitable firm place like a fence or a gatepost is a great alternative.. Light and flimsy tripods are a waste of money, as you will probably be using a longer focal length lens (bigger and heavier), and a SLR with grip is quite a weight... A bag can be used to hang under the tripod to help keep it stable.. Or make a cloth bag to hold a rock you can find where you are shooting.. And hang that under.. 

Dont forget it is the speed of the lens that counts in the given light that matters most and maybe the fact the smaller compact camera is lighter means you are able to keep it more stable..

I totally agree with Danny on this one. There have been plenty of times that I've been caught out by no having a tripod. There have been the odd occasions that i managed a way around it like making one out of sticks lol THAT was interesting.

I think a good mono is the way to go and did you know that you can now get  hiking sticks with a screw in mount for the camera ?

Peter

It depends totally on what type of photography I intend doing.

I invariably use one for landscape shots,  I never use one for general walkabout photography when I am looking for spontaneous shots around town. 
I always keep one in the car in case it is needed.

I have never really got on with monopods, except as a handy stick - for walking, or holding back brambles, etc.

Aside from alternatives like the MonsterPod, GorillaPod, or even a nearby railing or mailbox, a beanbag in your pocket makes for a very portable stabilizing tool.

Tripods are a bit to big to fit in the Cessna aircraft !  But when I come down to earth I take a tripod for low light planned shots and just recently I had to take pics of small gift sized objects for a web site so the tripod left me hands free to arrange the objects and once i Had the set up ok I had just to repeat the layout.

My monopod is a fairly recent addition and its compact size when folded , quick clip on connector and the fact I can use it for timer activated high shots means its become something worth carrying around.

99% of my shots made using tripod. I have a week wrist, I can not go without help. Only shot handheld if I just make a "note shot" to be return to the place later and capture a scene with tripod. Great question btw Sue.

seeya  Tunde

Good responses to my question here,  when i take my photos i normally get quite a few from the same spot incase i blur one or two from movement, usually its just camera in one hand, point and shoot and hope it turns out...
By the way Kort, whats a beanbag in your pocket?

**Honestly, most of my shots have been handheld, but for Christmas my daughter bought me a Trek-pod with a mag mount and this is the answer (for me). It's a very sturdy walking skick and when needed it becomes a mono pod or a tripod. It has a very strong magnet that holds your camera in place, and for the bottom of your camera a threaded attachment that you leave on, and then it clicks into the magnet when you need support. I absolutely love it!! I have a link here so you can check it out, sorry I don't know how to make it clickable...

http://www.opticsplanet.net/swarovski-trektech-trekpod-tripod.html

It's well worth the $$ and we all can use a walking stick for stability when hiking  for those amazing photos!!!!
**

Bean bag is a cool thing too, but you'll need a rock or a fencepost to place it on then your camera on it!!! It's like a pillow for your camera to sit on.

I use a tripod for almost all of my shots, Sue. For my waterfalls it's essential, especially since they're typically shot in portrait mode, which makes a beanbag or a monopod virtually useless. Because I spend so much time hiking, I got a Gitzo Traveller, which is both light and small. It folds up to 15.4" (39 cm) and weighs only 2 lbs (0.9 kg), not much more than a bottle of water.

And of course I agree with everything Danny says, especially the last paragraph. The heavier your equipment, the harder it is to handhold, and vice versa.

Dennis

Thanks for answering Akemi. That mag-mount sounds neat, but I would be leary having a strong magnet so close to my camera's insides and memory cards. :b_uncertain:

To quote a fellow R'osity member "What's a tripod?". I don't use a tripod, cuz I don't have one.

I would say I use a tripod about 75% of the time. If I'm out and about I'll shoot handheld, if the light is good enough, until I find the view I want then I pop it on the tripod to make sure I get the absolute best shot I can. My tripod has a quick release plate which lives permanantly on the camera so it only takes a couple of seconds to attach. If I'm just going for a walk around the fields around my home then I leave the camera on the tripod and carry the whole lot, it's just as easy. :)

The other thing that goes hand in hand with the tripod is another little gadget I recently purchased - a hotshoe spirit-level. Perfect for getting those horizons level first time. Essential when you live in an area of the country that's as flat as mine, lol.

• Andy

Has anyone here used a Gorillapod? http://www.joby.com/

I use tripod in the same way Danny describes.  Percent of times? I don't know.  But with some sorts of shots where shake will be a factor,including most shots with my longest lens, it is tripod 99%.  For walkabout, it is about 0%.

I also have a monopod used for short hikes in the wood, etc. and find it a fine asset when in low light or for slow shots of streams, water, etc..  The monopod works pretty well but does take getting accustomed to using.

I also have some wrist damage and a heavy lens can be tough without the added support.

Something is very true about a tripod allowing time to compose an image, such as a static landscape. Surprising how sight changes while surveying the scene can make a large difference in the out of camera shot. Time to think on such shots is a good thing.

I don’t tend to use one, unless I need to have a long exposure (anything over a half second for me).