Tripods: 5 arguments for
Although every photography amateur knows that a tripod is a very useful thing, still not everyone uses this accessory. That is probably because many photographers are not aware of all advantages of this simple device. There are at least 20 reasons for purchasing a tripod. We will discuss them in the future posts.
1. Night and Dusk photography is impossible without a tripod. The rough guide used by most 35 mm photographers is that the slowest possible shutter speed that can be used with care is the shutter speed numerically closest to the lens focal length. For example, for handheld use of a 35 mm camera with a 50 mm normal lens, the closest shutter speed is 1/60 s. At night shutter speed exceeds these numbers and a tripod is of great help in this situation.
2. Use a tripod when shooting with a telephoto lens. Most inexpensive telephoto lenses have aperture of f5.6 at distance of about 300 meters. The maximum shutter speed at this aperture is 1/300 sec. That’s why in most cases we’ll need a tripod, or monopod, which suits even better for capturing dynamic shoots (birds, animals, sports). 
3. A tripod helps to reduce noise. When shooting night photos, we either have to set a long shutter speed or to increase ISO settings. The latter means that we’ll have to change ISO from 100 to 400, which will increase noise by 4 times. With a tripod we can use a long shutter speed, which will help us to take high quality night photos without increasing an ISO setting.
4. Tripod allows to avoid blur from camera movement caused by pressing a shutter button. If you shoot with an SLR, you know when the picture is taken, the SLR mirror blacks out the viewfinder. In addition, moving the mirror takes time, limiting the maximum shooting speed; the mirror also causes noise and vibration. If you shoot with a shot or long shutter speed, it doesn’t affect an picture, but at a range of 1/30 – 1/4 sec, there is a risk to get blurred image. Using a tripod helps to avoid this problem. It is even better if you use a remote control or a self-timer in this situation. We should mention also that some SLRs have used partially-reflective fixed mirrors to avoid these problems, including the Canon Pellix, but these reduce the light getting to the film or sensor. To avoid the noise and vibration, many professional cameras offer a mirror lock-up feature, but this blacks out the viewfinder totally when in use.
5. A tripod allows you to take professional photos at home. If you want to take professional portraits at home, it is important to provide natural lighting. Never use a built-in flash, which provides a subject with a direct lighting. Diffused lighting from a window is the best alternative. But in this case we can’t go without a long shutter speed, for example 1/5 sec, as there isn’t always enough lighting inside. A tripod is necessary if we shoot with a long shutter speed.
Technorati Tags: digital photography, monopod, tripod, portrait, night photography
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