At some point, in an ongoing quest to improve your photography, every photographer comes to the realization that they may have to divert some of their “lens and body” budget away towards something to actually support the camera. So you go to their favorite photography website like B&H, and start pricing. At first a few hundred dollars doesn’t seem that bad, but then that could also buy that 50mm f1.4 you’ve been drooling over.
Then you continue your research, and see what the likes of Moose Peterson, Joe McNally, Thom Hogan, Scott Kelby or [insert name of your favorite “Well Known Photographer Blogger” here] use (for a quick summary, see here), and quickly get to the “Ouch – that’s the cost of the pro f2.8 lens I was saving for” point. Then you start looking at quick-release plates, L-brackets, panoramic setups, and if you are like me, you buy the lens instead.
But you keep coming back to tripods, especially if using bigger lenses, and wonder what you are missing, if anything? The short answer is a lot, and buying the right gear the first time can save you hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars, and much frustration.
A decent tripod setup eliminates camera shake and gets you sharper pixels, which lead to sharper pictures. This becomes increasingly apparent if you ever use a long lens (say over 200mm-300mm), or are shooting landscapes (which of course you are doing around sunset/sunrise when the quality of light is best, but the quantity of light is somewhat limited).
Decent support is also critical for macro photography, and a tripod opens up possibilities for creative effects like long exposures, as well as freeing up your hands to allow you compose a shot in a studio or portrait environment (moving lighting around, adjusting the position of the subject, directing your model(s), frantically waving your arms at the voice-activated-light-stand who’s not paying attention etc).
Over the coming weeks we’ll be adding to this section, covering topics ranging from when to use your tripod vs. monopod vs. hand-holding, what to look for when purchasing support items, why you’d want to use items like quick release clamps, gimbal heads and L-brackets. We’ll also cover more exotic forms of support from focusing rails, panoramic heads, flash brackets etc., and provide detailed reviews of items we actually use. You'll find the most up-to-date links in our Tripod & Support Gear Guide
In the mean time, here is a photo:
What you see here is a Nikon D300 (with MB-D10 grip) hanging off the back of a Nikon 200-400mm AF-S VR f/4 lens (which has the Kirk LP-47 replacement foot installed). The lens is mounted on a Wimberley Sidekick, which is attached to a Manfrotto 468MG head (which has been converted using a Wimberley C-10MG quick release clamp), on a Manfrotto 055MF4 tripod. You’ll also note the Nikon SB-800 flashgun mounted on a Wimberley F-6 Sidekick Bracket, and connected via a Nikon SC-28 flash cord. Sounds complex right? It’s not; in fact it’s so simple a 6-year-old girl with a missing front tooth can operate it. But it also looks expensive? Unfortunately yes, especially when you consider that with this setup, while useable, you’d ideally want a heavier tripod. Also a SB-900 flashgun would do a better job (since it zooms further). Oh, and upgrading the ball-head wouldn’t hurt either…
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