Old Montreal at Night

[Mars Observer]

Had a difficult time getting a good 'hand held' 5 second night shot (braced against a lamp post). Is hand-held a 'lost cause' at this shutter speed? Maybe I should have gone for a higher/noisier film speed???

[Jason]

I would definitely go with a tripod at that speed. It's just about impossible to hand hold for 5 seconds. Another thing you could try is using one of the benches, or the top of a covered trash can and having the camera sit on that if you don't have a tripod handy. You could use the timer so that you don't get any vibration from pushing the shutter button.

[Bambi]

not sure if a string tripod might help but at least you can carry it in your pocket :)

String Tripod (http://www.instructables.com/id/String-Tripod/)

[Mad Aussie]

Rough rule of thumb ... match your shutter speed to your focal length as a minimum requirement.
In other words ... if you are shooting 100mm ... then 1/100th or faster ... if you are shooting 35mm then 1/35th or faster.
Having IS or VR etc helps to extend this rule a little.
Also remember that many people (human or animal subjects) can't hold still enough to remain sharp under about 1/60th.

[Mad Aussie]

A bean bag is another cheap option. You can sew up a small rectangle or triangle bean bag for very few dollars that is handy as a tripod where you can sit it on something.
Bean bags are light, small enough to fit into your camera bag if it's a good size bag and double as a cushion.

http://www.gowildlifewatching.co.uk/46a4_1.jpg

[Mars Observer]

Thanks for the tips all! I'd looking forward to trying some of the 'improv tripod' ideas (beanbag, string, etc.). Thanks again!

[scorpio_e]

Even a using a camera bag as a stationary mount might work in the self timer mode.

[Marko]

at 5 seconds though..that beanbag better be 100% stable and you cannot be touching it or u will introduce movement.

[Mad Aussie]

at 5 seconds though..that beanbag better be 100% stable and you cannot be touching it or u will introduce movement.
They are only small, so not much issue with movement at all. They work well.

[Marko]

I've never used one - interesting.
To my eye though, compared to my extra solid tripod it seems seriously inferior in terms of overall stability when pressing the shutter. Am I offbase?

[Mad Aussie]

I've never used one - interesting.
To my eye though, compared to my extra solid tripod it seems seriously inferior in terms of overall stability when pressing the shutter. Am I offbase?
Ummm no not really. Using a timer is the best option with the bean bag. You may be under-selling it's usefulness though. There are places where it's difficult to take a decent quality tripod ... like a 5 km trek around a rocky shoreline for instance. Often you'll opt not to drag the tripod along. That's where the bean bag can be handy because it's super light and easy to carry or stash. There's even versions for shooting out of cars but I think they are used mostly to rest a long zoom lens on.
Mostly though I think a tripod is a much better option.

Chris Marquart loves bean bags!