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Tripods and Tripod Heads
Rule 1: when it is getting dark.
Rule 2 (the standard): you need to use a tripod when your
shutter speed is slower than 1/focal-length of the lens.
Thus with a standard 50mm lens, you should not attempt
to handhold shutter speeds slower than 1/60th and with a
500mm telephoto lens, you will have to keep the shutter
speed at 1/500th or faster. Rationale? Longer lenses
magnify the subject but they also magnify any vibration
of the camera.
Rule 3 (for big enlargements): you need to use a tripod
all the time. The standard rule is designed for 35mm cameras and presupposes a
certain degree of enlargement and viewing distance from the final print. If you're
going to make big enlargements and let people get close to the prints, then you
need to be more careful about lots of stuff including camera shake.
Rule 4 (for big cameras): you might be able to handhold a slower shutter speed
because the final image won't be enlarged as much (since the negative is larger).
On the other hand, medium- and large-format cameras are so big and heavy that
most photographers prefer to use them on a tripod if only to avoid muscle fatigue.
Sports photographers often use a monopod so that they don't have to support the
weight of a 300/2.8 or 600/4 lens through an entire football game.
Where to Buy
You can find a selection of tripods and heads stocked by Adorama. Adorama is a
retailer that pays photo.net a referral fee for each customer, which helps keep this
site in operation. For additional retailer information, see our recommended retailers
page and the user recommendations section
Gratuitous Examples
Why? Because my friend Kathy at Advanced Digital Imaging scanned them for me.
These come out the back of a Rollei 6008 and hence can only be scanned on a
ProPhotoCD machine.
http://www.photo.net/equipment/tripods/ (2 of 5)7/3/2005 2:20:55 AM