96 - Kick-ass tripods

[Marko]

Hi members!

Podcast #96 just went live and it's all about choosing a great tripod.
Tripods for photography | Photography podcast blog and forum - Photography.ca (http://www.photography.ca/blog/2011/04/26/tripod-photography/)

Thx!
Marko

[Iguanasan]

Perfect timing.. I'll have to have a listen tonight. I'm in need of a new tripod! :)

[Marko]

start saving now....
You are still young so the expensive tripod that you should buy might well last you forever....and it will be a pleasure to use instead of a chore to lug around.

[Bol Ray]

great podcast. I was surprised to hear that photos taken at 1/250 sec also are affected with a tripod, but it makes sense to me.
The biggest problem I have had with tripods was quick deployment of tripods and started researching Manfrottoo's Neotec Tripod. Is it upto snuff?

I like your idea about choosing the tripod based on your height for quick deployment. I am roughly 5'6" and an generalist too. may be I could use the height you choose too!

[Wicked Dark]

just letting you know I linked the podcast in my latest blog post about shooting waterfalls. Smoke On the Water « Wicked Dark Photography (http://wickeddarkphotography.com/2011/04/28/smoke-on-the-water/)

[Marko]

No prob WD.

great podcast. I was surprised to hear that photos taken at 1/250 sec also are affected with a tripod, but it makes sense to me.
The biggest problem I have had with tripods was quick deployment of tripods and started researching Manfrottoo's Neotec Tripod. Is it upto snuff?

I like your idea about choosing the tripod based on your height for quick deployment. I am roughly 5'6" and an generalist too. may be I could use the height you choose too!

Did I say 1/250? i thought i said 1/125.
1/250 should eliminate most shake on shorter lenses but not longer ones. Just do a test to compare - you'll see tripod shots are sharper.

The legs on most Gitzos are super fast to open and close!

[Bol Ray]

i believe i was wrong... i think you said 1/125sec

[Howard]

Just an interesting article/video I came across a few days ago was this demonstration of a Canon 7d with a laser pointer attached to it to show the amount of shake a camera experiences just from pressing the shutter release, very interesting and a good example of why mirror lock up is so useful.
DSLR Mirror Lock-Up – Worth the Effort or Not? (http://www.cameratechnica.com/2011/04/26/dslr-mirror-lock-up-worth-the-effort-or-not/)

Even with a good base it will still shake, so use a good tripod/head, a shutter release/timer and mirror lock up if you can.

[Lizardqing]

Enjoyed the podcast and came away with some tips on whenever I will be able to finally upgrade from my walmart special. But then with some of the places I have put mine, not sure I want to invest to much in one! 12252

[Wicked Dark]

I think everyone's tripod ends up in the water. Mine have. They're built for it. Don't worry. A tip though - if you're putting it in water, mud, snow etc, let the lower legs down first, even if you use more sections. That way you keep the locking mechanisms out of the muck. It's the one time you should not go from top section down.

[Marko]

Cool pic LQ and thx for the comment. (U2 WD)!
I've used a similar looking tripod in the distant past...and didn't like it much because especially in precarious situations like this where you want to adjust the composition as quickly as possible.

Keep in mind that the steadier the tripod, the steadier the camera on the tripod - and if it goes down....it takes the camera with it.

I forgot to add quite a few things in that podcast - the vibration reducing quality of carbon fibre legs is also superior to cheap legs.

For a situation like you are showing here - I would have added weight on the bottom for increased stability if the center column had a hook.

[Lizardqing]

I have a 6"x6" cylinder of concrete with a eye hook that I made to hang on the tripod hook to keep it settled down. Figured that one out the first time I ventured into a stream, caught it before it went all the way over luckily.