The slightest camera movement can ruin a landscape image and I am sure most serious photographers know that. Yet, for some reason, a good tripod isn’t high on some photographers’ list of priorities. I expect that’s mostly because of our constant wanting to have more money to spend on quality lenses or camera bodies. And of course the misconception of a few that they don’t need a tripod.
I recently opened my shop for the first time in over a month, and of course there were local photographers that had problems with their cameras and lenses that stopped by. Some, seeing my open sign just came in to say “hello” and tell me what they had been doing.
I didn’t get to open the till much, but I had a good day talking about photography.
I started this article with some words about tripods because yesterday I was asked about calibrating lenses.
The photographer was thinking about replacing her lens because some of her photos were not sharp. She was in a hurry, I explained a bit about calibration and I told her we could do it sometime when she had time and she left.
As she walked out the door I turned to my friend Drew and said, “I wonder if she only used program modes?” He replied, “You should sell her a tripod.”
I didn’t even think of that. Sometimes the simplest solutions can escape us.
Tripods give your camera the stability it needs to perform at its best. That’s not really a ground-breaking statement. In my opinion, even if one has a steady hand, it’s still not as good as the stability that a good solid tripod can provide.
And the more stable your camera is the sharper the photos it can capture.
Blurriness is one of the primary culprits of a bad scenic photo, so the more one uses a tripod, the better the photos will be.
I wonder how many times I have said, “If you don’t like using a tripod it means you never have used a good one”, and I stand by that statement.
In today’s market it is very acceptable to spend extra money on “vibration reduction” or “image stabilizing” lenses in the belief that this technology will allow the photographer to do photography without the use of a tripod.
The difference between a blurry and a sharp enlargement isn’t megapixels or vibration reduction lenses; it is a good stable tripod. I don’t mean to say we shouldn’t get image stabilizing lenses as they are great to have and use in certain situations and conditions when you can’t use a tripod and must use slower shutter speeds, but using a good tripod that allows you to stand up straight and take your time to analyze, problem solve, compose and contemplate is an excellent experience.
In recent years more and more quality tripods have become available and are worth owning and using. There are many brands available and all one needs to do is spend some time researching to find one that suits them.
Stay safe and be creative.
These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net.
