I for one find my tripods bulky and always in the way BUT, i'm never without one. I have several shots that i've sold that I would never have gotten without the steadieness of the tripod. Plus as an added feature if your shooting in a dicey area they make a great defense weapon.
Just like lightweight cameras with their agility "free up creativity" so does a camera that makes you slow down. And so does a tripod that makes you stop. People think of tripods as limiting because they may prevent you from moving around your subject (say a person) and trying different angles or whatever. However most of the time think of tripods as limiting because they have to carry them and set them up, especially if they have a really crappy cheap one.
On the other hand a tripod allows you to setup the camera and then interact with whatever it is you are photographing, move around without the camera, look at the light, setup the light, think about what you want to do without trying to frame at the same time and peeping through the viewfinder and they also allow you to try angles that your arms/neck can't do.
A tripod is for so much more than slow exposures and sharpness. So just like anything else a tripod is as creative as the person using it.
Lars Johnsson wrote:
Tripods are underrated (IMO). No other accessory or equipment can make such difference in sharpness, IQ and composition for a few hundred dollars.
+1. My Gitzo 1325cf and AcraTech ballhead have now seen five camera bodies come & go since I bought them new about ten years ago. The tripod holds the camera still so I can better concentrate on composition.
The tripod is one of those things that you only buy once and use it forever. Yes, carrying one can be a hassle, but it sucks more if the shot you want requires one and you don't have it.
DontShoot wrote:
The tripod is one of those things that you only buy once and use it forever. Yes, carrying one can be a hassle, but it sucks more if the shot you want requires one and you don't have it.
I'm in the hate them camp - and as a mostly portrait guy, I don't use them a lot - but it's nonsense to say they are unnecessary for SOME types of shots. I think the line has moved a little but not for what most of use use sticks for..... All else been equal... more stable is just better.
I dont think I have particularly shaky hands but am surprised at just how much difference there is between handholding and a tripod even at quite high shutter speeds. My experiments have also lead me to conclude that there is also a significant difference between a medium priced and a high priced tripod if ultimate sharpness is required, funny how people spend thousands on the sharpest possible lens and then baulk at the cost of a really good tripod. For landscape and macro they are simply indispensable.
Having just returned from a travel shoot I am beginning to question it myself. I used it only one day out of seven for an early morning shoot and then once for an evening shoot. I have found that my 5D3 is so good in low light I am needing it a lot less than ever before for basic shots.
The tripod still gives me the best shots for what I like to shoot but I use it less and less. It allows for creativity to sore compared to a handheld.
I also agree that by setting it up it allows me to take in the scene better and get the best shots especially with a longer lens.
