Camera attached to tripod while driving?

[norton67]

I like to drive the back roads in around the country side and take picture's. Mostly of old barns and abandoned houses and any wildlife I can see. I normal keep my camera around my neck as I drive, then get out to take a picture. But I am thinking that if I use a tripod I could get better pictures, especially long range zoom shots.

Now the actual question I am wanting to ask is this. Should I just leave the camera attached to the tripod as I drive and just pull it out when I am ready? What do other's on here do?

[pnodrog]

When I drive on a trip I have my camera on the floor just behind my feet. If I stop for a quick shot out the drivers window I just pick it up and shoot. My tripod is kept on the floor behind the front seats with the bottom legs already extended. I have a quick release mounting plate that remains on the bottom of my camera just about all the time. If we have passengers on both rear seats under firm instructions from my wife I reluctantly put the tripod in the boot.

Unless both the tripod and camera are well supported I would not leave the camera attached. I have done it with it all resting on the rear seats but very seldom.

[tbob]

I usually drive with the camera with a telephoto zoom attached and sitting on the passenger seat. My interests are similar to yours, old buildings and wildlife, and the wildlife part frequently dictates quick access to the camera. The old buildings and the landscape stuff rarely if never needs me to be ready at a moments notice.

I do exactly as Paul does. Tripod extended and parked on the backseat of my truck. Quick release plate on the ballhead. The other lenses, the ones not in use, are stowed in a camera modular belt pack system and this is sitting in the footwell of the back seat drivers side. Take my word for it, lenses unattached to cameras or not stowed in a bag seem to seek out the floor. Having a lens fall onto a chunk of gravel glass first or having the lens fall then having the ballhead of the tripod fall onto it is a decidedly unpleasant experience.

As with Paul , I have left the camera /lens/tripod combo on the backseat. However it is probably not a good idea.

[kaneohebud]

When I drive on a trip I have my camera on the floor just behind my feet. If I stop for a quick shot out the drivers window I just pick it up and shoot. My tripod is kept on the floor behind the front seats with the bottom legs already extended. I have a quick release mounting plate that remains on the bottom of my camera just about all the time.
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That's the plan. Except I keep my camera on my lap with a bean bag handy for quick wildlife opportunities out the car window. If I have time, I get out and set up the tripod. If I have a lot of time I attach a remote trigger. IMO, leaving the camera attached to the tripod asks for a problem.

[rpcrowe]

I basically do the same thing with my camera on the pasenger seat or my wife's lap (if she is with me) and the tripod in the back seat with legs extended. My L-Plate is on the camera and the Arca Quick Release clamp is on the tripod head.

BTW: I always travel with my longest lens attached to the camera on the passenger seat. My rationale for that is I will need my longest lens for wildlife and need to get it in action quickly. If I see a shot that needs another lens, I have a second camera in an open Domke F-2 shoulder bag. The bag will either be on the floor in front of the passenger seat or on the floor in front of the back seat.

However, if I were working with a single camera, that would be even more reason to have my longest lens attached. If I saw a shot (landscape, farm house, barn, etc.) there would always be time to switch lenses. If I see wildlife, I would normally need to shoot quickly...

[moopy goops]

I agree that having the camera attached to the tripod is both cumbersome and a recipe for disaster. However if you are prepared for disaster I have tried a couple of exterior car mounts that might interest you !
Both of these set ups are activated by timer set to expose every 15 seconds or so creating a time lapse animation of my journeys into the mountains. Its a lot of fun but I am getting through a few UV filters, especially the 2nd set up;

[jcuknz]

I am sure I have seen photos of cameras mounted on the windowsill of the driver's door for safari pictures.
My camera lives in its bag on the floor in front of the front passengers seat usually, monopod, sometimes tripod behind me ... I have a small SUV with rear seat removed. Cannot carry more than one passenger
It is legal with my vehcile in NZ to remove the rear seat and I have been through countless WOF checks that way, you cannot do it with a car.

[norton67]

Thank you for all the reply's.