Camera Tripod

[EV]

Does anyone have any tips on a lightweight tripod for a 35mm camera? What the camera stores consider light and what I consider light are pounds apart.

Thanks.

[charlie_don't_surf]

If you really want light there is a little six-inch tall tripod, but that is about as much as proppong the camera up on a rock, snow pack, etc.

The "light" tripods are not ass sturdy as the heavier ones, and they gnerally break easily if you don't spend hundreds of dollars.

Gitzo makes a carbon fiber=$$$$ ($600-$1,000) try to find this one used??

Boils down: If you really want a tripod I carry the weight...or I just make do propping the camera up on my available surroundings.

[setnei]

i use a little tripod from rei that velcros to my ice axe/ski pole/tree limb, but it's pretty light-weight- i can't put my SLR on there unless it's sitting upright with the legs extended... it's perfect though for a digital or a point-n-shooter. i've also used a good sized beanbag/hackysack for putting a camera down on a log...

[hikerwa]

I use a small camera mount that actually screws throught the carabiner eyelet on top of my axe. It has a nifty little ball socket that wllows me to postion my camera. works great in snow and I can also prop it up against stuff. Otherwite I carry a cheapo light weight small tripod, I figure if I break it, I can afford a new one. As far as weight goes put a few rocks into a coat or something and suspend it from the center to cut vibration...

[Alpine_Tom]

Hikerwa, do you know the brand name of that camera mount, or who carries them?

[hikerwa]

I'm not sure as to the brand name, but I got it at REI millions of years ago, and it is actually more of a clampy thing. I'll check tonight if it has a name though.

sean

[dberdinka]

Unless you need multi-second exposures consider a monopod. They are light and cheap! You can even find trekking poles that do double duty. A monopod can give you about a 2-stop decrease in minimum shutter speed. Meaning you can shoot with a 24 mm lens at 1/8 a second vs. the traditional 1/30 or with a 50 mm lens at 1/15 a second vs. 1/60.

In shadowy canyons or alpine faces that can be difference between a fuzzy shot and a sharp one.

Of course it only stabilizes your shooting, you still have to hold onto the camera. A very nice monopod will run less than $100 and a good one is way cheaper than that. Check www.bhphotovideo.com

[bballer44]

i use my ice axe. it has a threaded hole on the top that i use to screw the camera onto with a small double threaded end. .05 cents at the hardware store.

[Alpine_Tom]

I got Galan Rowell's "Inner Game of Outdoor Photography" from the library this weekend. He talks about that graphite "Mountaineer" tripod from Gitzo, but he seemed even more apalled than me by the price (over $500.) Turns out his lightweight tripod of choice is a Gitzo 026. I don't know if it's still available, but the articles in this book are pretty recent.