The benefit would be keeping the camera steady for longer shutter speeds where IS and hand-held won't work...
- use with a remote or self-timer for self-portraits- longer exposures than IS can handle- long events during which you might get tired.
- stability while leveling for an evening horizon or other precise adjustments...such as panoramas or other multiple-shot compositions where alignment isan issue.
- other situations where you need to step away from the camera, ex.'ambush' of butterflies landing on a flower, where the butterflies would bescared to land there if you were close but if you're hanging back with aremote.....
Reasons for tripod-.
-much better picture quality at ANY shutter speed..
-IS only is so good for slow shutter speeds. get down to under a 1/30 of a sec and a tripod becomes mandatory. yes, you can take a 1/10 pic with IS, but when you are talking enlargement quality in the 16x20 and up sizes; IS just won't cut it. many times 1/10sec shot are posted on these forums, and they are not too bad, some look ok. but you do not see/hear of someone taking a 1/10sec shot and making a 20x30inch print and putting it on their frontroom wall. there just isn't the SERIOUS quality in a 1/10sec pic..
-any pic that needs a locked down camera to make the shot(s) work. such as HDR or PANORAMA or moon shots or any other astrophtography.-any unattended shooting...
You got some good answers. I'll add a few:.
1. It's good exercise!2. It looks cool...3. If you get one of the good ones, it's another excuse to spend $$..
Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'..
Chuxter wrote:.
You got some good answers. I'll add a few:.
1. It's good exercise!2. It looks cool...3. If you get one of the good ones, it's another excuse to spend $$..
Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'.
My damn Sigma 50-500 weighs a ton. And even if it DID have IS when wide open that mother is HEAVY. I know one guy who uses it handheld, but he's 6:4 and a professional weight lifter... .
Dave..
I got the bigma plus the 1.4 and 2.0 converters. I have yet to take a shot with it handheld and I never will. it is very heavy...
GaryDeM wrote:.
I got the bigma plus the 1.4 and 2.0 converters. I have yet to takea shot with it handheld and I never will. it is very heavy..
He, heh, oh I tried, I really did. I have a theory that when you get a heavy lens, you simply have to work and work and work, until you get used to it. The theory was a smashing success until I got the Bigma...:(.
Dave..
Thanks for all the replies everyone! My camera education is coming slowly but surely... ..
Not only use a tripod, but use it properly, sometimes it is dificult to hand old a camera steady when the shutter speed is slow, in order to get a rock steady camera I also use a 2 second time delay, so when I press the shutter, any movement as ended by doing so, and the camera is rock steady for the shot.Try it it does workMike Rudge..
For a camera such as yours, or any P&S camera, a Tripod is not worth useing.If you can't hold it steady go n buy a bar of chocky instead!! But, if it's a DSLR, then a Tripod for most things is a MUST...
But there again, there be loads out there who never use a Tripod..Decisions, Decisions, Decisions..MrScary (DennisR)Swansea, Wales. UK.
Http://www.pbase.com/dennisrhttp://community.webshots.com/user/mrscarecrowhttp://www.russ4to.KMD5DImages.photoshare.co.nz..
This shot is from Carlsbad Caverns and required about a 10 second exposure. Without a tripod, this shot would be extremely difficult. There were no obvious locations to set the camera also for an "make do" tripod..
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Leonhttp://homepage.mac.com/leonwittwer/landscapes.htm..
PanaNewbie wrote:.
Hope this question isn't too dumb, but if you have steady hands,and a camera with OIS such as the Panasonic TZ3 - what benefitwould you get from using a tripod?.
Shooting subjects with a wide range of brightness can be better accomplished by taking two or more shots at diffent exposure settings, one to capture the highlights, another to capture the shadows. Then combine (merge) the shots in post processing..
Video shooting if often much better on a tripod, especially if the lens is zoomed to a telephoto position...
Is that because the lens has to "take in" light? How does a lens do that, take in light (I'm thinking like a sponge taking in water - I can't really understand how a camera does that).
Leon Wittwer wrote:.
This shot is from Carlsbad Caverns and required about a 10 secondexposure. Without a tripod, this shot would be extremelydifficult. There were no obvious locations to set the camera alsofor an "make do" tripod..
Image control:Zoom outZoom 100%Zoom inExpand AllOpen in new window.
Leonhttp://homepage.mac.com/leonwittwer/landscapes.htm..
PanaNewbie wrote:.
Is that because the lens has to "take in" light? How does a lens dothat, take in light (I'm thinking like a sponge taking in water - Ican't really understand how a camera does that).
Yes, but it's not like a sponge...more like a bucket outside in the rain. When the rain is heavy (like what we Texicans have been experiencing and refer to as a "frog floater"), the bucket fills quickly. However, when rain drops fall infrequently (like in So. CA), it may take a century to collect enough water to gargle..
Down in a cave is like So. CA....
A lens is like a funnel. Some lenses are bigger than others. Some lenses are adjustable. Leon was suggesting that you "open" up the funnel/lens to let more water/light in to the "buckets" that are your sensor..
Charlie DavisNikon 5700 & Sony R1CATS #25PAS Scribe @ http://www.here-ugo.com/PAS_List.htmHomePage: http://www.1derful.info'I brake for pixels...'..
I don't quite understand your question. If I did not have a tripod, I could not have possibly have gotten a picture without a lot of unacceptable motion blur even if I used the highest ISO at the smallest f number (largest aperture). The only solution was for the camera/lens to sit for a bit to capture enough light to get an adequate exposure. "Adequate exposure" in this context means collecting enough light in each pixel to form an image with acceptable low noise. The ratio of the dominant noise to image signal goes like 1/square root(light collected) so I need to collect a certain amount of light to get an acceptable low noise. It took a while (several seconds) to get enough light.
PanaNewbie wrote:.
Is that because the lens has to "take in" light? How does a lens dothat, take in light (I'm thinking like a sponge taking in water - Ican't really understand how a camera does that).
Leon Wittwer wrote:.
This shot is from Carlsbad Caverns and required about a 10 secondexposure. Without a tripod, this shot would be extremelydifficult. There were no obvious locations to set the camera alsofor an "make do" tripod..
Image control:Zoom outZoom 100%Zoom inExpand AllOpen in new window.
Leonhttp://homepage.mac.com/leonwittwer/landscapes.htm.
Leonhttp://homepage.mac.com/leonwittwer/landscapes.htm..