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04-16-2009, 01:05 PM   #1
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Light Tripod Can Actually Make Picture Blurrier!

Interesting article:
Tool Developed to Measure Camera Shake -- Tech-On!

It explains that tripod less than 1.5kg / 3.3 lbs actually worsen photo taken with SLR.

04-16-2009, 07:30 PM   #2
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Which is why you should lock your mirror up (if the camera has this feature) for moderate exposures. Most quality light weight tripods have provisions for adding weight to negate this effect.
04-17-2009, 06:54 AM   #3
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You will also find that most cameras have a range of shutter speeds that are especially bouncy. I tested a few film cameras several years ago and found that the bodies I had at the time were worst between ~1/8 second to ~1/30 second, with the Super Program needing to be put on a 15 pound Zone VI tripod to be steady in this range. Having the camera vertical on the tripod made things worse.
A lot of cheap tripods are made of thin D-Channel aluminium, and seem to have poorer damping properties than heavier tripods, though I'f found my Manfrotto 055 to be virtually useless with moderate exposure times, to the point I have almost stopped using it.
Wood tripods are better, I have a feeling that carbon fibre tripods will be as good as wooden ones.
The old school method of damping camera vibration was with weight, eiher using a heavy tripod or loading a light one.
I'm hoping that carbon fibre will provide a lightweight solution.
It's not a bad idea to test your camera/tripod combination to see if there are any shutter speeds to stay away from, testing both vertical and horizontal camera orientations.
04-17-2009, 08:49 AM   #4
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Hi HermanLee

....or of course you could always purchase a tripod with one of these spring-loaded centre-column hooks (click on link below)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/2141VFMAQFL._SL500_AA200_.jpg

and attach a heavy-ish weight to stabilise the tripod properly ?

Best regards
Richard

04-17-2009, 08:52 AM   #5
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I use a travel tripod that only weighs about 1kg and have had good results with it. Of course, it may help that I use it pretty much exclusively with prime lenses.

A tripod light enough that you actually take it with you and use it is always going to provide better results than one so heavy that you hate to lug it around.

Last edited by Mike Cash; 04-17-2009 at 06:47 PM.
04-17-2009, 09:55 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Mike Cash Quote
A tripod light enough that you actually take it with you and use it is always going to provide better results than one so heavy that you hate to lug it around.
This is not necessarily true.
04-17-2009, 10:06 AM   #7
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A heavy tripod or a big weight will help dampen the shakes but even though I am not really weight phobic I don’t like to carry dead weight. What I do is use a bungee cord. I take a cord attach the hooks to the camera strap making a loop down into the tripod. I then step on the loop down to the ground. This pulls the camera down. Change the length and thickness of the bungee cord to your liking. Just hold still when you take the photo. Any little movement of your foot is dampened by the bungee cord. With this you can add as much weight as your tripod can take. With a few ounces you can make it act like 10 pounds.

DAZ

04-17-2009, 01:56 PM   #8
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Thanks!

QuoteOriginally posted by Confused Quote
Hi HermanLee

....or of course you could always purchase a tripod with one of these spring-loaded centre-column hooks (click on link below)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/2141VFMAQFL._SL500_AA200_.jpg

and attach a heavy-ish weight to stabilise the tripod properly ?

Best regards
Richard
Thanks, Richard.

But I've already had this Giottos MT-9360:


and this MH1300-657:
04-17-2009, 02:16 PM   #9
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Sure, those very light aluminium framed tripods are quite useless with a lens and grip weighing more than it does strapped on top of it. The one I first got could not even support my K100D with 18-55 without creeping or being blown from side to side in the gentlest of wind.

I've used the Manfrotto 190 tripod with RC-series ball head with beautiful success putting on a fully loaded K10D+grip and 12-24 or 16-50 even in moderately windy conditions. No extra weight needed under most conditions. And as for mirror slap, I always set for 2 sec delay before any exposure faster than 30 seconds when on the tripod.
04-17-2009, 02:26 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Ash Quote
Sure, those very light aluminium framed tripods are quite useless with a lens and grip weighing more than it does strapped on top of it. The one I first got could not even support my K100D with 18-55 without creeping or being blown from side to side in the gentlest of wind.

I've used the Manfrotto 190 tripod with RC-series ball head with beautiful success putting on a fully loaded K10D+grip and 12-24 or 16-50 even in moderately windy conditions. No extra weight needed under most conditions. And as for mirror slap, I always set for 2 sec delay before any exposure faster than 30 seconds when on the tripod.
I don't know about that. My light tripod weighs 2.2 pounds but is rated at 22 pounds load. Plus it as the hook for adding weight if necessary.

FEISOL Traveler Tripods
04-17-2009, 02:43 PM   #11
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Those may be 'light' tripods but I was referring to the flimsier no-name tripods found in many camera retail shops (at least in Australia). You don't find many retailers stocking even the basic Manfrottos.

To me, a 1-2kg tripod would be just about the limit I'd want to lug around for very long (with the already heavy camera bag), esp. for shoots where I need to be constantly on the move - and to me it does the job.
04-17-2009, 04:29 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by DAZ Quote
A heavy tripod or a big weight will help dampen the shakes but even though I am not really weight phobic I don’t like to carry dead weight. What I do is use a bungee cord. I take a cord attach the hooks to the camera strap making a loop down into the tripod. I then step on the loop down to the ground. This pulls the camera down. Change the length and thickness of the bungee cord to your liking. Just hold still when you take the photo. Any little movement of your foot is dampened by the bungee cord. With this you can add as much weight as your tripod can take. With a few ounces you can make it act like 10 pounds.

DAZ

You can also wrap the bungee cord around all thee legs at the top adjuster. This will dampen leg vibration pretty well completely.
04-17-2009, 05:18 PM   #13
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A rule of thumb I heard years ago from a pro is that the tripod should weigh at least 2X your heaviest camera/lens combo.

I never understood why carbon fiber tripods became popular - less weight seems to defeat the purpose.
04-17-2009, 06:03 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by OregonJim Quote
A rule of thumb I heard years ago from a pro is that the tripod should weigh at least 2X your heaviest camera/lens combo.

I never understood why carbon fiber tripods became popular - less weight seems to defeat the purpose.
I think that rule of thumb predated carbon fiber. The whole idea of a tripod is to dampen vibration. If the tripod is metal, it takes more weight to do that, since the metal itself transmits vibration. Wood tripods are so very good because they dampen vibration realy well, though they are also very heavy.
I don't know for sure how carbon fiber stacks up with wood for damping, but I don't see how it could be worse than a metal tripod.
04-17-2009, 06:51 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Wheatfield Quote
This is not necessarily true.
Now that you point it out, I realize I also always get much better photos of a scene from the camera I left at home than from the one I took with me. Life sure is strange.
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