Showing posts with label tripod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tripod. Show all posts
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Watching the skies
Thought I'd have a go at taking some pics of Jupiter, which has been very bright this week - and nice crisp, cold, clear night tonight seemed a good time to do it.
Pretty amazed that a 300mm cheapie Sigma lens performs well enough to show three of the four moons (assume the fourth is being coy behind Jupiter itself)
All done on tripod with a remote release. Experimentation showed low ISO with longer shutter just resulted in blurred images - too much vibration or wind shaking the tripod. Higher ISO (800-1000) allowed shutter speeds of 1/15 or 1/30s which worked much better.
Couldn't get a clearer shot of Jupiter itself - any longer exposure lost the moons without bringing out any more detail on the planet.
Shot of moon and Jupiter a composite of two exposures, one for moon, one for Jupiter.
Moon shot f8, 1/160s at ISO 200.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Challenge 6 - Tom's first
Been thinking about something like this for a while, but as always, in practice what seems like a good idea...
Tripod not quite tall enough to get the camera over the bridge railings, so had to shoot through the bars, which limited angle and how wide I could shoot. Bugger to focus as well, as the road surface itself is too dark to ge a lock on and the cars are obviously travelling a bit to fast to get a reliable point on. In the end manual focussed on one of the white lines and then locked it.
Also had to cope with a) busy-body PCSOs interrogating me on what I was doing and b) gangs of chavs trying to interrogate me on what I was doing.
Experimented from 1 sec all the way up to 30 secs. 30 secs too long in that light and for traffic that speed - in my opinion. Light trails too dense and surroundings too lights.
Top my favourite (f8, ISO 200, 5 sec, 16-85@85mm), but below was a close run second (f8, ISO 200, 15 sec, 16-85@58mm). Too busy I think.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Tripod matters
For Toby: not sure if I described how I carry tripod...pic tells a thousand words and all that.
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Tripod stuff
Mentioned this to Kev at the party, the other end of the spectrum from my Manfrotto!
(Did post a link to this in the original tripod posting, but to save Kev searching!)
(Did post a link to this in the original tripod posting, but to save Kev searching!)
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
The Toon
Small selection from my trip to Newcastle last week, starting with some ironwork for Kevin!
Last two with the tripod - worked really nicely and definitely wouldn't have bothered lugging anything bigger or bulkier round with me, so couldn't have got them without the new one.
Uploaded entire set (minus all the beer tasting pics, which will only be of interest to CAMRA readers) to Facebook.
Last two with the tripod - worked really nicely and definitely wouldn't have bothered lugging anything bigger or bulkier round with me, so couldn't have got them without the new one.
Uploaded entire set (minus all the beer tasting pics, which will only be of interest to CAMRA readers) to Facebook.
Monday, 2 March 2009
New tripod - Manfrotto Modo
Think I've got away with risking ordering a very unsuitable travel tripod.
Constant problem has been my £40 Jessop finest is too long to fit into any of my luggage, isn't conducive to carrying around and even if I do make the effort is pretty rubbish, with a head that drifts, a spirit level which doesn't work and a portrait angle which isn't a true 90 degrees.
So I ordered a Manfrotto Modo 785SHB for £43 delivered - well aware that it's only meant to be rated for a 1kg load and that the D300 with lens is heavier than that.
Having arrived, the risk is probably worth it. In landscape orientation the tripod copes fine with the D300 (even with the real test of a 70-300) - the included "joystick" grip head doesn't seem to have a problem with keeping everything locked in place (basically all the weight is going straight down through the head and tripod). Different story in portrait mode (when due to the way the head works, the camera weight "shears"), where the camera and 70-300 begins to drift downwards. This is due to the quick release plate not holding firmly enough against the camera base however - rather than the head and tripod itself.
I reckon with a slightly smaller and lighter DSLR, especially with a smaller lens, it would be surprisingly firm.
Build wise, it's aluminum and plastic, but despite this feels pretty high quality and is, importantly, light enough to carry around easily (around 1kg). Carrying round is going to be a revalation compared to the Jessop tripod as the Manfrotto is just under 15 inches long collapsed...and if you split the legs and the centre column/head, you've got two pieces less than 12 inches long to fit into your bag.
Legs are five section, which means opening and closing isn't speediest in the world - but not bad. Locking seems firm but the legs are bendy and the tripod a bit skitterish fully extended (as you'd expect from a five-section aluminum tripod. Legs have different settings which means you can use it as normal, or in ultra-low mode (which lets you get the camera to less than 6 inches from ground). With just one, two or three of the sections extended, makes for a very solid "table" tripod. Max height with all sections extended and centre column up is just under four foot - although it's very unstable like this. I'm much more likely to use it without the centre column and put up with stooping or kneeling to use it, or just something at the scene to put it on to bring it to eye height (how often do you use a tripod at eye height anyway?)
Head unit is very clever, easy to use and includes a setting for photo and video (video setting essentially limits head motion while panning, while photo gives you 360 flexibility).
It's never going to compete with a "proper" tripod for stablity and I'm certainly not going to trust leaving my camera mounted on it while I go and wander round - but for portability it's going to mean I can take a tripod with me in circumstances I never would have done before and importantly be able to take it on short work trips with me, without going to a lot of trouble. I think if used with an eye on the limitations and perhaps with some old-school techniques like a rock bag, it might just perform as well as a tripod three times the price, weight and folded size!
And until I can afford this it will have to do!
(Manfrotto also do a 785B model in the mini-Modo line up - which appears to be more or less identical, except with a slightly longer folded length and bigger max extended height. No greater max load though. Size was my prime factor though and the 785SHB is a few inches shorter when folded.)
If anyone particularly interested, I can take some pics of it in action. Will also update this when I've used it properly and realised what its fatal flaw is!
Constant problem has been my £40 Jessop finest is too long to fit into any of my luggage, isn't conducive to carrying around and even if I do make the effort is pretty rubbish, with a head that drifts, a spirit level which doesn't work and a portrait angle which isn't a true 90 degrees.
So I ordered a Manfrotto Modo 785SHB for £43 delivered - well aware that it's only meant to be rated for a 1kg load and that the D300 with lens is heavier than that.
Having arrived, the risk is probably worth it. In landscape orientation the tripod copes fine with the D300 (even with the real test of a 70-300) - the included "joystick" grip head doesn't seem to have a problem with keeping everything locked in place (basically all the weight is going straight down through the head and tripod). Different story in portrait mode (when due to the way the head works, the camera weight "shears"), where the camera and 70-300 begins to drift downwards. This is due to the quick release plate not holding firmly enough against the camera base however - rather than the head and tripod itself.
I reckon with a slightly smaller and lighter DSLR, especially with a smaller lens, it would be surprisingly firm.
Build wise, it's aluminum and plastic, but despite this feels pretty high quality and is, importantly, light enough to carry around easily (around 1kg). Carrying round is going to be a revalation compared to the Jessop tripod as the Manfrotto is just under 15 inches long collapsed...and if you split the legs and the centre column/head, you've got two pieces less than 12 inches long to fit into your bag.
Legs are five section, which means opening and closing isn't speediest in the world - but not bad. Locking seems firm but the legs are bendy and the tripod a bit skitterish fully extended (as you'd expect from a five-section aluminum tripod. Legs have different settings which means you can use it as normal, or in ultra-low mode (which lets you get the camera to less than 6 inches from ground). With just one, two or three of the sections extended, makes for a very solid "table" tripod. Max height with all sections extended and centre column up is just under four foot - although it's very unstable like this. I'm much more likely to use it without the centre column and put up with stooping or kneeling to use it, or just something at the scene to put it on to bring it to eye height (how often do you use a tripod at eye height anyway?)
Head unit is very clever, easy to use and includes a setting for photo and video (video setting essentially limits head motion while panning, while photo gives you 360 flexibility).
It's never going to compete with a "proper" tripod for stablity and I'm certainly not going to trust leaving my camera mounted on it while I go and wander round - but for portability it's going to mean I can take a tripod with me in circumstances I never would have done before and importantly be able to take it on short work trips with me, without going to a lot of trouble. I think if used with an eye on the limitations and perhaps with some old-school techniques like a rock bag, it might just perform as well as a tripod three times the price, weight and folded size!
And until I can afford this it will have to do!
(Manfrotto also do a 785B model in the mini-Modo line up - which appears to be more or less identical, except with a slightly longer folded length and bigger max extended height. No greater max load though. Size was my prime factor though and the 785SHB is a few inches shorter when folded.)
If anyone particularly interested, I can take some pics of it in action. Will also update this when I've used it properly and realised what its fatal flaw is!
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Portraits: Toby #5
Yes, I realise there are blown higlights in the flames - should have use a faster shutter speed. But I still like it: it has atmosphere.
f4.8, 0.5sec, ISO640, 42mm, tripod.
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Christmas bonus
16-85mm@80mm, f5.6, 1/10s, ISO 400
Not a Chrimbo challenge, but just to show Toby and my tripods enjoyed their Christmas, warming their feet by the fire.
(That's the last from me for now, you'll be pleased to know. Hope you continue to have a fun filled festive season and a great new year)
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Challenge 2 - Tom's first
16-85@16, f8, 20s, ISO 200.
Only bit of weather so far has been a bit of a deluge on the drive home a few nights ago - luckily enough when I was playing around with the camera, the remote, a tripod belted onto the passenger seat and some long exposures at night. Definitely a technique in progress, but thought I'd share anyway! Must do better.
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