Originally posted by abrehm I have thought about adding weight by hanging my bag from the tripod to weigh it down. The one thought that comes to mind though is if there is a breeze/wind that moves my bag will the swaying motion of the weight have a counter effect to the vibrations? Its something I guess I could try easily enough but I am curious if anyone has experience with this.
No, no! That's not the correct technique. To use weight on a tripod from under the center column, the weight must be in some contact with the ground to prevent this pendulum effect. So, put the weight on the ground under the tripod, then hook your bungee/strap/whatever to the tripod, then tension such that almost all---but not quite all-- the weight is tensioning the tripod, and there is no swing to the weight, which is still making firm contact with the ground. You want a lot of weight below the tripod, many pounds, because it has to be enough to weight the tripod yet have ample left over for the weight to make firm contact with the ground.
If you are traveling light, such that with the camera bag once the camera is mounted doesn't weigh much, then use a stuff sack or something, fill it with rocks, put it in the bag to replace the lost weight of the camera and lens. Then of course there are the specialty items like the sand bag shown above, or water bags. But a rock filled stuff sack or other easily packed and light bag (like those carry along shopping bags) do just fine, are cheaper and usually lighter when not filled with rocks.
Check out Vcollerp's nature shots just posted in the post you medium format images thread, shot with a Z and a 400. Look sharp enough to me. Maybe PM him/her about their rig and technique---which undoubtedly involves higher shutter speeds.
Last edited by texandrews; 03-03-2016 at 03:32 AM.