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07/14/2003 09:09:12 AM · #1 |
Hi,
I've got a (very!) highly anticipated holiday in western Australia coming up next month, but the likelyhood is I won't be taking a tripod. It's a family trip, so I don't want to be lugging a lot of stuff round and setting stuff up while everyone else is on the move. I do have a mini-tripod (about 6" tall) that could be taken with.
My question is: Have I got no chance of taking longer exposure shots, such as Sydney Harbour at night or a waterfall, if I don't take a tripod? Or is it possible to use support available such as a handrail? Would you reccomend taking the mini-tripod?
I've got to limit the number of photos to however many will fit on a 512 CF card, which is around 210 I believe. For a four week holiday I think this will be more of a challenge than anything :/
Any info much appreciated,
Al.
Message edited by author 2003-07-14 09:09:41.
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07/14/2003 09:18:30 AM · #2 |
Miracles do happen, but if you don't feel like waiting around for one of those, take the tripod (or the mini-tripod if you're sure that there's someplace to set it up other than the sidewalk).
In my experience it is impossible to get a decent long-exposure shot without a tripod. I normally also use the self timer, just to make sure I don't cause any movement blur by touching the camera while the shutter is open. |
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07/14/2003 09:19:20 AM · #3 |
A sock filled with rice (or some similar setup) makes a good (and light) impromptu support for the camera and, I'd take the table-tripod. Also, all other solid objects are fair game for putting the camera on or leaning yourself against wherever possible. For long exposures, you'll have to position the camera on something stable, hand-holding, even when leaning against a support, won't work.
Enjoy the trip ... I'd love to go to Australia :)
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07/14/2003 09:28:23 AM · #4 |
Geds
I'd suggest you go to Jessops and get one of their tripod-clamp thingys. It's cheap & cheerful but it should do the job. |
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07/14/2003 09:33:53 AM · #5 |
I would take the mini tripod. Always have one in my camera bag. You may want to consider a monopod which can help steady your camere against another object.
I went on a trip to Victoria from Queensland last Xmas and used a X-Drive to store my photos. It cost about $A360 from //www.powerinnumbers.com.au/ and uses a laptop hard drive. I have a 20Gb drive in mine. On the trip I took 1400 photos at an average of 2 mb each. It also came in handy as I was able to copy some photos off other digital cameras along the way. |
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07/14/2003 09:35:02 AM · #6 |
Great - thanks for the quick response people! Definately get the impression I should take a tripod of some sort then. Only having a little Fuji 1400 at the moment (new camera this week), I havn't been able to experiment much with exposure. I'll take a cruise down to Jessops in an hour or so, see what I can pick up. A mates dad works there, so a quick bargain may be on hand!
Thanks again,
Al.
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07/14/2003 09:36:44 AM · #7 |
| I'll put in another vote for the mini tripod. You'll be sorry if you don't take any form of tripod, I would think. Those little tripods take up so little space but can really come in handy. It sure beats the frustration of trying to create something makeshift. |
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07/14/2003 11:17:04 AM · #8 |
Mini-tripods are great, assuming it is sturdy enough to support your camera. I use mine all the time when I'm travelling.
You can also use them as a brace, against walls, or lampposts and the like to get more stable night shots, without having to lie down.
Minitripod, braced on a street lamp (click for larger version)
Minitripod, braced on top of a rubbish bin.
and if all else fails, and you can't find anywhere to brace your tripod,
you can always just get yourself down on the ground and put up with
getting shots like this
Message edited by author 2003-07-14 11:19:51. |
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07/14/2003 11:26:05 AM · #9 |
| If you are taking a plane, DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT put it in your carry on! My mom did and they told her it could be used as a "weapon" so she couldn't bring it on the plane. She had to empty one bag full of stuff (and jam that stuff into my bag) just so that she could put a bag with ONLY a tripod and a jacket in it under the plane. It was crazy! Good thing we got to the airport early! |
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07/14/2003 12:11:04 PM · #10 |
I think I could 'put up' with images like that! Great shots :)
By bracing the tripod, do you mean 'leaning it against'? Or actually fastened on?
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07/14/2003 12:23:52 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Geds:
I think I could 'put up' with images like that! Great shots :)
By bracing the tripod, do you mean 'leaning it against'? Or actually fastened on? |
I put the tripod (mini or otherwise) on the camera. If I'm using a full size tripod I shorten the legs as much as possible, then just lean it against a wall. This gives a really stable base.
For posts, rails etc I collapse the legs of the tripod around the rail/ post etc, to 'clamp' it onto whatever I'm using for a support, as if it was a hand gripping the support. Works really well, with minitripods or larger ones. |
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07/14/2003 12:28:19 PM · #12 |
| Why not get a second card for the trip also? |
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07/14/2003 12:33:05 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by Meggie:
If you are taking a plane, DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT put it in your carry on! My mom did and they told her it could be used as a "weapon" so she couldn't bring it on the plane. She had to empty one bag full of stuff (and jam that stuff into my bag) just so that she could put a bag with ONLY a tripod and a jacket in it under the plane. It was crazy! Good thing we got to the airport early! |
That happened with my husband's saxophone stand too. He was going directly to play a wedding from the airport, and didn't want to be left without it if the luggage was lost or what not... but he had no choice. Luckily everything worked out.
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07/14/2003 12:35:11 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by emorgan49:
Why not get a second card for the trip also? |
Yup. this would be well worth it for such a trip. Some people have portable devices to store their images, too. More expensive, but stores 10, 20, 30 or 40 GB of data!
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07/14/2003 12:56:41 PM · #15 |
I have only just got back from touring Australia. I managed to get some good night pics of the harbour from the harbour bridge without a tripod.
They have got alot of photo shops over there were you can back up your Compact Flash etc on to a CD for about £5. So I woldn't worry about filling your card up. |
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07/14/2003 01:25:44 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by emorgan49:
Why not get a second card for the trip also? |
I'd love to but unfortunately I just don't have enough money! Already spending a lot of my summer working to pay back the £430 debt I owe my dad for the new stuff :/
That tip about backing up your CF card on to a CD sounds very useful, thanks grogan. I hope the service is also available in Brisbane / Perth / Melbourne.
Incidentally, is that shot of Sydney taken using a wide angle lens? I keep on seeing nice landscape and cityscape shots, but each time I think to myself "*sigh* ...If only I had a wide angle lens!", but now i'm not so sure.
Al.
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07/14/2003 01:37:02 PM · #17 |
I used a really mini-tripod and a cane (club?) to put together an improvised monopod last week to shoot fireworks.
MonoCane  |
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07/14/2003 03:05:34 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by Geds:
That tip about backing up your CF card on to a CD sounds very useful, thanks grogan. I hope the service is also available in Brisbane / Perth / Melbourne.
Incidentally, is that shot of Sydney taken using a wide angle lens? I keep on seeing nice landscape and cityscape shots, but each time I think to myself "*sigh* ...If only I had a wide angle lens!", but now i'm not so sure.
Al. |
You should be able to back up your card to CD in most of the cities. I know that there were shops that did this in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melborne, Didn't go to Perth though.
Most of the photo shops over there have alot more services than ours do in the UK.
BTW the photo of Sydney was taken with a 28mm lens about half way along the harbour bridge. you may be able to fit it all on with a normal lens if you go further down the bridge. Or if your camera has a filter thread you can get wideangle converters that screw onto the end of your lens.
Message edited by author 2003-07-14 15:07:16. |
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07/14/2003 03:08:03 PM · #19 |
You can also take multiple shots and stitch them together on your computer to create good panoramas. This is worth practising to learn about the things you want/ need to keep consistant between shots - like custom white balance, manual exposure etc.
Message edited by author 2003-07-14 15:21:20. |
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07/14/2003 04:08:57 PM · #20 |
I have quite a good program called 'Panorama Factory' that does some great stitching. It also seems to average out the white balance etc between the shots, which is very useful indeed! I should imagine the situation will be different for night scenes though, and it'd probably be wise to put more thought into keeping them consistant as you suggest.
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07/14/2003 06:45:48 PM · #21 |
Originally posted by Geds:
That tip about backing up your CF card on to a CD sounds very useful, thanks grogan. I hope the service is also available in Brisbane / Perth / Melbourne.
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You'll find this service available in the majority of photo stores in major cities (and plenty of smaller places as well). I actually live in Melbourne (where many of Gordon's samples above are from). I'm sure that if you explain your situation (on holiday, only one card) many stores would copy the card in about an hour or less so it shouldn't be a hassle.
Enjoy your holiday.
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07/14/2003 08:37:38 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by Geds:
Hi,
My question is: Have I got no chance of taking longer exposure shots, such as Sydney Harbour at night or a waterfall, if I don't take a tripod? Or is it possible to use support available such as a handrail? Would you reccomend taking the mini-tripod?
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This probably won't work for you if you are doing the city-thing vs the backcountry scene. I do a lot of backcountry hiking/canoeing. Everying needs a second purpose if I'm gonna carry all that gear myself. My solution was to convert my walking stick in to a uni-pod. When not in use the "cap" (top portion) screws back on to give me a full walking stick again. Works in a lot of situations. Some heavy rocks can support it if I need a stand-alone. In theory, for a shorter uni-pod I could add another level further down the stick. Out of necessity came a useful tool. I hope you find something that works for you. Happy tripping! |
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