Tripod - How much do you use a Tripod?

Tripod - How much do you use a Tripod?

  • Yes, over 50% of the time.

    Votes: 31 8.1%
  • Yes, less than 50% of the time.

    Votes: 222 58.3%
  • No, I use a monopod.

    Votes: 26 6.8%
  • No, I use a beanbag

    Votes: 5 1.3%
  • No, never.

    Votes: 107 28.1%

  • Total voters
    381
Due to a few age-related stability issues, I'm thinking about begining to use a tripod a lot. I'd really like to make very high-resolution pictures with an eye to hanging big prints on the wall. I have a Manfrotto model 3021PRO which should fill the bill, but I think I'll get a 3-way pan head to replace the ball head. I live in the Northern California wine country, so it should be fun shooting landscapes,etc.
 
99% of the time for twenty years when I was shooting film with 35 mm SLRs, MF & LF. Nature and scenery were the subjects. I now use a Canon 5D and S95 and do more photography that involves people, so the use of a tripod has dropped to around 50%. On the rare occasions when I have the time to shoot landscapes I take a heavy Bogen #3251. It is called "automatic" and the leg locks are near the head. Unlocking them allows the legs to drop by gravity, so set up is quick. After shooting, the legs get brought in together, then unlocked so the top part slides down over all three legs. Hard to explain, but very easy to move quickly from one shot to the next. I also have and use the small, four section Velbon that Herb Keppler helped to design (name, model # rubbed off).
 
That said, with newer non-medium format SLRs it isn't much of a problem either; manufacturers have been pretty successful at developing mechanics that will dampen the slap in-camera.

True, the Contax RTS III for example has almost none, the old 139Q shocked me after years of RF use :)
 
I do own and use a tripod, but not as often as I should, or would like to. I like shooting long exposures and slow film in low light, both of which (usually) require a tripod, but for me it is a tedious process so I tend to be lazy and forgo it unless I happen to have a lot of time to setup. It's one of my goals to use my tripod more often. Every time I do, I am always happy with the results.
 
Less than 50% here. I picked up a Travel Angel(ditched the head and threw on a Manfrotto 494) this spring for my RFs and m4/3. My Gitzo 3541LS was a bit overkill for them and I like to give the only local camera shop some business so they stay put.
 
I like using tripods but my ashwood tripod I had from my DSLR + long tele days is just overkill for my rangefinder gear. So I just grabbed a Gitzo GT1830 :)
 
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