Tripod and/or Monopod or Neither

[Steve S]

I use a tripod and or monopod, quite often. The only time I don't , is for fast moving action shots. Shutter speeds are usually high , so a tripod isn't needed.

[wlou]

I have a tripod that I use most of the time. I also have a monopod that I never use. I have used on occasion whatever was handy like a fence post, a camera bag or a big mail box to rest the camera on, whatever works.

[Glenn NK]

Tripod for pretty much anything that I want a good image of - moving targets excepted.

I was shooting flowers once with a tripod and someone else came by snapping away (without one). She stopped to talk and during our conversation she said she never used one. I suggested that with a tripod my images were sharper (I use mirror lockup and a release or timer).

A year later, I met the same lady at the same location; she was using a tripod and I remarked on that. She said, "you were right, I get sharper images with a tripod". I smiled.

The problem with hand-holding is that shutter/mirror slap vibrations occur no matter how steady you are.

There is another thread on this topic from a while back on which I posted and linked to a research paper done on shutter/mirror vibrations, but I can't find it right now (very slow laptop).

Glenn

[jcuknz]

Surely any serious photographer has Tripod, Monopod, Mini-tripod, and OIS/IBIS and uses each as appropriate?

edit .. LOL I forgot beanbags that Dave suggests ... I fear I do not have one but have considered getting one The other thing I use is a firm support to firmly hold the camera against or sit on.

As for shutter mirror slap I have a mirrorless camera now

[loosecanon]

I use both.
I keep one manfrotto carbon in the car - the best tripod is the one you have with you. Keep one another carbon fibre that is smaller and has a ball head . Finally a heavy manfrotto 055 to which I have fixed the manfrotto heavy duty hex head plate, so I can change heads, horizontal arm and so on quickly - mainly for studio and specialist jobs.

Main monopod that I use is a manfrotto with a trigger action - pull trigger to control height of top extension - this makes carrying it easy and very quick to adjust the height. I use it with a ball head rather than a simple monopod head. Where tripods are not permitted it is very handy, if challenged about using it it is of course my disability aid.

Finally the latest addition is a walking pole with a tripod attachment - so I always have extra support when needed.

But if the light is good, and with image stabilised lenses then hand hold is ok for non critical photo's.

[PRSearls]

I still have a 40 year old aluminum tripod I used during my 4x5 sheet film days. It sees little use since I purchased a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod over ten years ago. I have a ball head and a gimbal head for it. I use a tripod often, especially for landscapes where I want maximum detail. The gimbal head (Wimberley II) is used with a 500 f/4. On a 1Ds3 body, it's a heavy combination. At my age, I don't have the upper body strength to hand-hold it very long. I really need a heavier tripod (with less vibration) but they're expensive and a new one is not in my present budget. Most of my photography allows set-up time so a tripod is not a great hinderance to me.

Here is what my old Gitzo 1325 and Wimberley II gimbal mount is capable of with the 500 + 1.4 extender. Only two sections (out of three) were extended to get minimum vibration and I used "long lens technique." These legs are about the minimum for this lens/extender/camera combination if you want to resolve detail like in this image:

Full moon photography

Paul S

[Wayland]

I have three tripods and use them regularly depending on how far they have to be carried. The lightest is a Manffrotto 190, my standard is a 055 but the 057 rarely goes more than 100m from the vehicle.

I have a gitzo monopod but cannot remember the last time I used it.

I use a bean bag occasionally when signs say no tripods and a combination of rucksack, clothing, rocks and trees when no other option is available.

I hand hold my stabilized compact camera if there is nothing convenient to rest it on. Very rarely I hand hold my DSLR with a stabilized lens if I'm shooting people.

I used to shoot rock concerts back in the days of film using a 200mm anything down to a quarter of a second, so I consider my self reasonable able to hand hold a camera, but close examination of the images shows an unmistakeable improvement to the results with support so that is what I use whenever possible.

[RustBeltRaw]

I use a hodge-podge of my own and my dad's gear. His low-end Manfrotto video tripod and Bogen monopod, my own 3-Legged Thing Jack X4a magnesium tripod with removable monopod leg, a Joby GorrilaPod SLR-Zoom flexible tripod, and a random denim beanbag from... somewhere. Don't even remember. I only have one ball head - an ancient steel beastie called the Manfrotto 308RC. Built like a brick outhouse, and roughly as heavy.

I sometimes have two tripods' worth of remote lights set up (derby bouts), so then the Bogen monopod with the ball head comes out. Shooting from the same position for 4 hours, one comes to appreciate the support. The 3-Legged Thing is my go-to tripod. Nice compromise between strength and weight. The Manfrotto, though heavier, is made from fairly soft aluminum that makes it pretty wobbly. The beanbag is for smuggling into areas where tripods are banned. The GorillaPod's flexible legs are best for time-lapse and remote camera work. You can wrap it around pipes, railings, and other odd shapes. But slap a battery-gripped camera and a modest lens up there, and suddenly it's not terribly stable. Probably best for consumer primes and single-grip cameras.

If you're thinking of buying only one, look for a tripod with a removable monopod leg. Two birds, one stone. Most 3-Legged Things have this feature - not sure about other manufacturers.

For the record, I am not affiliated with 3-Legged Thing, and there are certainly higher-quality tripods out there. But I think they make a highly reconfigurable, lightweight and tough product, and - critically - they do it with a great sense of humor. Their manuals have achieved the impressive feat of being fun to read. Helps to have an ex-comedian writing them.