Tripod - How much do you use a Tripod?

[kshapero]

There have been times when I wished I had a tripod. Any thoughts on this? Which ones? If at all.

 

[CDT]

I voted for never, but almost never (0.5%) is closer to the truth. When I use one with a rangefinder, it's a bogen table top with a little ball head. It works well, but I usually just rest the camera on tables, mailboxes or anything else that happens to be around.

 

[peter_n]

I love my support system, particularly for the 135mm Tele-Elmar. I use a Gitzo G-1228 with a small Linhof ballhead. Great combo!

 

[pesphoto]

never never never

 

[colyn]

I use a tripod but also a monopod.
To be honest the monopod gets used more than the tripod.

 

[reub2000]

A tripod is good. I don't use mine as much as I should.

 

[woodphoto]

I don't for RF's, but I use mono's when I shoot sports with my SLR's.
I started shooting with range finders for the freedom that they could provide me to not have to worry about tripods. When I travel i don't take anything larger than a table top tripod, -Just in case.
Realisticaly, if you think you might need one, its better to have it and not use it, than to need it and not have it.
Last April, I brought a medium sized tripod to the UK. I was there for ten days, never used it. Of course I made my wife lug it around 🙂 while i shot.

 

[pesphoto]

i have no use for one.

 

[richard_l]

I use a monopod for about 75% of my shots. I usually leave my tripod at home.

Richard

 

[Bryce]

When you need it you need it.

 

[scottgee1]

In one of his earliest books John Shaw has examples of the same scene shot with and without a tripod. Viewed small, they look kind of similar but when sections are enlarged the difference is clear and startling.

I have a variety of tripods and use one whenever I can unless I'm using high shutter speeds or am in an action situation that precludes it.

For Fall color this year ~85% of my shots were on my Uniloc.

Simply put, I've got some fine glass and using a 'pod give me confidence that I'll get the absolute best out of it. In fact, if you read Erwin Puts, he makes a point about doing "careful work" in order to get the best out of optics.

Of course there are situations when a tripod is impractical. For those I'll do my best to steady myself as much as possible. I even have chest and belt pods that I use when feasible.

In short, I've been shooting for a lot of years and have had some otherwise fine shots ruined by movement/vibration. Now, if I'm going to make the time to make pix, I want to be sure they're as good as they can be and a tripod can really help.


my two lux worth/ScottGee1

 

[Nando]

I use a tripod occasionally. Usually for family get-together with a mechanical self-timer so I can be in the photo. Otherwise, I use my monopod if I'm shooting indoors with Reala 100. I have my monopod with me quite a lot but it gets more duty as a nice walking stick. It's much easier and faster to set up with a monopod, especially if the head has a quick release. I say, out of all of my photos with an rf, perhaps 1% were taken with a tripod and 5% was with a monopod - the rest were hand-held.

 

[LazyHammock]

I haven't used one yet with my rangefinder. I use a tripod 99% of the time with my MF slr and occassionally with the TLR. I do have an REI ultrapod (superlightweight packable mini tripod) for backpacking but the Leica tripod mount is in such a ridiculous position it just wants to topple over.
Nick

 

[Stanton]

I .found "The Pod" to be a good portable compromise to avoid carrying a tripod when I really should. The Pod is a manufactured bean bag with a tripod screw to hold the camera. It can be used on almost any surface as it has a non-skid, non-scratch base. Because it is a bean bag, the camera can be adjusted to a great many angles. It is very light and easy to carry. There are three variations, two sizes both of which have the tripod screw in the center, and one size with the tripod screw off center to support a camera such as a Leica screw mount or FED or Zorki 1. Price is under $20. Look at Adorama or B&H. Dave

 

[rbiemer]

I own two tripods. One Russian table top thing with a ball head that I got as a bonus with some other stuff and it has turned out to be more useful than I first thought. And a Velbon Maxi something(4 sections, small collapsed, decent ball head) that I was using earlier tonight, in fact. Something like a third of the shots in my gallery are with tripod.
Rob

 

[RML]

"Hardly ever" would closer to the truth than "never never never" but what can you do. 🙂

 

[richard_l]

I think a monopod is a welcome relief from hand-holding. It eliminates up-and-down camera motion, so about all you need to concentrate on is minimizing side-to-side motion. I probably would never have discovered the advantages of a monopod if I were not a hiker/backpacker who became accustomed to using a hiking stick and decided to try it as a monopod. A quick-release head eliminates the inconvenience of attaching and removing the camera. Of course, it is not as good as a tripod, but it is much better than hand-holding, and a monopod which is used is far better than a tripod which stays in the closet.

Richard

 

[Delap]

I bought a good manfrotto 190 years ago, and used it very seldom:always too heavy when you start packing for a 3-day walk !
But last summer I bought a lightweight Mnafrotto tripod (Digipod ?), small , with a crude ballhead that look flimsy. It weight about 1 kg, and now I am packing it almost every hike ! It is sturdy enough to use with a SLR and medium zoom, or a lightweight MF, probably not with a supertelephoto or filed camera...
So weight is essential when you think about a tripod, unless of course yopu only shoot a few yards from the car !

This tiny tripod is also very useful when I want to shoot myself "in action", walking in the mountains or contemplating splendid landscapes: these shots usually sell well, so now I can go hiking alone without "packing" my wife or any other model ... 🙂))
I used to have a table tripod to do that but got bored with the gymnastics to look through the finder when the camera was on the ground !

 

[Xmas]

My heavy bag normally has a monopod threaded into its loops, - a stealth reporter, 2 x Kiev, 2x J12, J8, ... meter, filters. It is heavy heavy for hill walking. And I dont use it that often, as the light goes you have got to get off the hill quickly or risk a trip.

In villages streetlighting poles are already there.

Noel

 

[kmack]

When you need it you need it.

I keep a small tripod in my truck at all times. I also have and use a monopod with my rangefinders. I can't reliably shoot below 1/15 (and 1/15 is getting shaky anymore).

I hate loosing a good shot because of camera shake.