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Hack 1 Pocket Tripods on the Go
Yes, your full-size tripod is important, but when you want to travel light, a pocket
tripod is great for getting into your own group shots and capturing twilight landscapes .
For so many creative endeavors, you need a way to stabilize your camera; it comes with
pushing the limits of photography. Every serious photographer needs to have a full-size
tripod. But beyond that, a variety of smaller stabilizing devices can help you cope with
various shooting situations. At the top of this list is the pocket tripod.
Before I get into the equipment itself, I want to review why tripods contribute so much to
image sharpness. They help prevent camera shake
: soft, fuzzy images that result from not
holding the camera steady during exposure.
When you want to photograph a subject without a flash in low ambient light ? such as when
you're indoors, or during dusk or early morning hours? your camera chooses a long shutter
speed. When I say long, I mean 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 of a second, or longer. Now, those times
probably sound pretty fast to you. But in camera terms, they are as slow as molasses in
winter. Most daylight pictures are recorded at 1/60, 1/125, 1/250 of a second, or faster.
Once your shutter slows down
to 1/15 of a second or longer, you need to stabilize the
camera. If you don't, the slightest movement you make during the exposure will actually
cause softness in the image. In low lighting, even the act of pressing the shutter button
itself can cause camera shake.
This is why tripods are necessary. Unless you're going to limit your shooting to broad daylight
or flash photography, you're going to need a way to stabilize the camera. For big jobs, such
as photographing a starry night, you'll need a big tripod. But for many situations, you can get
by with a mini tripod that fits in your back pocket. These are important tools, because
compact tripods are more likely to make the trip than their bulkier big brothers, who are often
left at home.
The results of camera shake and poor focusing are different. With
camera shake, the overall picture will look a tad fuzzy. When you focus
poorly, something in the shot will be sharp, just not the part you
wanted.
Let's look at a few pocket tripods and see what's available:
UltraPod II
Pedco (http://www.pedcopods.com ) makes two sizes of their versatile UltraPod. I
recommend the larger UltraPod II because it's the more stable of the two. These
portable tripods include ball heads, and they fold up nicely to fit in your back pocket or
camera bag. They are made from durable plastic that can handle abuse. They
include a sturdy Velcro strap that enables you to secure the camera to signposts and
tree limbs. This increases their usability greatly, because you don't always have to find a
level surface. Most retailers sell the UltraPod II for US$29.
Sony VCT-TK1 Compact Pocket Tripod
This Sony camera support doesn't look like your normal tripod. It is extremely portable
because it folds flat, but it's better designed for tabletops and other flat surfaces. It
sells for only US$15 from retailers such as MainSeek.com (http://camera.mainseek.com
).
Quantaray QT-75 Mini Tabletop Tripod
Quantaray's offering has three legs that spread a pretty good distance, providing
stable support on flat surfaces. The screw-mount head allows for both vertical and
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