Alright, now that you have a camera – what next? If it is a digital single lens reflex (DSLR), you probably are thinking about the next lens. If you have a point & shoot camera you may think you have everything you need, but there are a couple of accessories worth adding.
If I had to pick the most important accessory for either type of camera, it would be a tripod.
For reasons and suggestions for choosing a tripod, “Read the rest of this entry”
There are many reasons to use a tripod:
- It lets the photographer get in the picture. Most cameras have some kind of self timer – a shutter delay setting. With the camera on a tripod, select the self timer, hit the shutter release, run to the group & smile! Believe it or not, there is at least one camera available that uses face recognition software to wait until the photographer gets in the picture so you might not even need to run!
- There will often be times you will not be able to hold the camera steady enough for the shutter speed the camera sets or you choose. A good tripod will allow long exposures without camera movement.
- Because it locks the framing it will often force you to think about the composition of your image, resulting in more interesting pictures. In addition to improving overall composition, it helps getting horizons horizontal and buildings vertical particularly if the tripod head includes a bubble level.
- For the DSLR user, it helps support heavy lenses that would quickly wear out the photographer.
- The longer the focal length of your lens, the more you need a tripod to avoid blurring the image due to camera movement.
One problem with choosing a tripod – a good one may easily cost a couple of hundred dollars or more. For it to be useful, it must hold the camera (or, if you are a DSLR user, the camera & your heaviest lens) steady. To test a tripod extend the legs, mount your camera, focus on something that will show movement, tap the camera & check how long it takes for it to stop vibrating. An ideal tripod won’t move at all, but a good one will settle down quickly. The term for how fast the tripod settled down is dampening. If you can’t tell when it stops, take a series of exposures long enough to show movement & check the results on a monitor large enough to show the double image the shake produces.
Be sure to take a range of exposures. Some tripods will vibrate for a short time due to the mirror of an DSLR shaking the camera. Very long exposures will average this type of shake so that it doesn’t show. A 10th to a 25th of a second exposure will often show this type of shake. Longer exposures will show shake due to wind and poor dampening.
Better quality tripods allow you to choose the head (where the camera mounts). A ball head is the most flexible – the camera can be rotated in any direction then locked with one lever. Pan/Tilt heads are more likely on less expensive tripods – they usually have 2 handles, one for moving the camera left & right, the other for tilting up & down.
Tripods are made of a number of different materials. The ideal is rigid, stiff, but lightweight, a difficult combination. Aluminum is popular but if you are willing to spend more, you can save weight by looking at carbon fiber. In any case, avoid spindly legs, and difficult to use section locks. It is hard to make a specific recommendation without knowing your camera & lens. The longer the focal length or heavier your lens, the more tripod & head you need. In my case I use a Nikon D200 DSLR (around 2 lbs) and an aluminum Bogan (now Manfrotto) 3021 tripod with a Manfrotto 486 ball head.
When used with my second heaviest lens (3.24 lbs), a Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8 ED, it is rock solid. Unfortunately, I also have a 4.05 lb Sigma 50-500 HSM EX lens that is quite a bit longer (both physically & focal length) and the head doesn’t quite hold the lens steady enough when zoomed to 500mm. Sooner or later, I’ll be looking for something capable of working with the heavier lens.
If you have a point & shoot camera or a light DSLR, you might take a look at the Manfrotto digi 719B. This is my favorite light weight, reasonably priced tripod. Unfortunately, it is no longer available new, although a check on ebay might find it used. It is rated at 8.8 lbs (most manufacturers over rate their tripods) weighs a little under 4 lbs, comes complete with a ball head, and sells for under $100.00.
If you want new, check the Manfrotto 725B. It is a little lighter (rated at 7.7 lbs) and is available from B&H for around $113.00. One additional difference – the 725B uses quick release platesto mount the camera or lens. At $12.00 each, they add up since you usually purchase one for each camera or, for longer lenses that mount directly to the tripod, one for each lens. It does make it easier and faster to switch between cameras & lenses, but increases your cost. Manfrotto is certainly not the only tripod manufacturer, but they make good quality, inexpensive models.
If you already have a tripod that is too light for your camera there are a couple of things you can do to improve its function. Most of these techniques will improve any tripod, but are often necessary with lightweight versions.
- First, try hanging your camera bag or anything heavy off the underside of the tripod head. By adding mass, the tripod will shake less & settle sooner.
- If you extend the legs of the tripod, always start extending the sections closest to the top. These are heavier than the bottom sections & will provide better support.
- Use the least amount of leg extension possible for the shot.
- Keep the center section that goes between the tripod & the head as short as possible.
- To reduce camera shake, either use a remote shutter release or your camera’s self timer to trip the shutter rather than touching the camera during the exposure.
- When using a DSLR, use the mirror lockup function if it is available. This will prevent the movement of the camera mirror from shaking the camera at the beginning of the exposure.
- Your tripod may have a number of locks on the legs, center column, and head as well as the connection between it & your camera. Be sure they are all tight.
- When shooting outdoors, shield the camera & tripod from wind.
- Be sure to place your tripod on a stable surface. You may be able to get a great shot of a stream or waterfall set up on a bridge, but your tripod won’t help when the wind or someone else enjoying the view shakes the bridge during your exposure.
One additional possibility – if you don’t have room for a tripod or the time to set up & move one, a device called a monopod may be helpful. It won’t hold your camera by itself like a tripod, but its support will help steady a hand held shot.
Although not a tripod, if you shoot from your automobile, a bean bag or firm pillow is a useful accessory. Don’t rest the camera or lens directly on the window – it will vibrate. Use the pillow or bean bag to isolate the lens or camera from the vibrations of the vehicle.
Some photographers like to use a shoulder mount(sometimes called a gunstock mount) for additional support. It won’t work as well as a tripod, or even a monopod, but it is more portable.