Stability - making yourself a tripod versus using one

[table1349]

I can make a "tripod" (stabilizing device) out of damn near anything. I made one out of two bar coasters once...

Steve, were talking about stabilizing a camera, not the drunk attached to the camera. :lmao:

Sorry Steve, It's all in fun. You make a great straight man sometimes. I couldn't resist.

 

[MOREGONE]

Saw a very interesting Tripod of sorts recently.

It was a soda cap with a 1/4 thread both through it. They had it on a 2 liter but could be attached to a 20oz in a pinch. A lot of the time you may only need the cap with you and you could find a bottle in the trash or just collapse it and bring it with you. Easily filled with water or sand. The example I saw had a bridge camera on it, not a DSLR. Obviously this isnt a catch all solution but I was impressed by the ingenuity of it.

 

[Steve5D]

Steve, were talking about stabilizing a camera, not the drunk attached to the camera. :lmao:

Sorry Steve, It's all in fun. You make a great straight man sometimes. I couldn't resist.

Hey, bro, I'm tippin' in at about 265 lbs.

That'd be three coasters, minimum...

 

[Steve5D]

Saw a very interesting Tripod of sorts recently.

It was a soda cap with a 1/4 thread both through it. They had it on a 2 liter but could be attached to a 20oz in a pinch. A lot of the time you may only need the cap with you and you could find a bottle in the trash or just collapse it and bring it with you. Easily filled with water or sand. The example I saw had a bridge camera on it, not a DSLR. Obviously this isnt a catch all solution but I was impressed by the ingenuity of it.

I've seen those. Pretty inventive!

 

[pgriz]

Nice. Either of those with a hook plus a bare male 1/4 20 thread next to each other would allow either a guy wire or direct mounting as desired, for an extra 5 cents.

Glah! I am annoyed that I'm staying at my girlfriend's place this weekend and don't have access to a hardware store to go experiment with all this right now!

Focus, man, Focus! get the priorities straight.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Yesterday I went walking through a park. There are many things you find just walking around, frogs, butterflies, bees, nice flowing water, etc.

But many times You have to climb here and there and there just isn't room to carry a tripod over your should. Just carrying the camera is challenge enough.

But the issue is I have one lens which has VR the kit 18-105/3.5-5.6 VR lens that came with my Nikon D7000. It's a very nice lens, and takes very sharp / detailed pictures. But there are DOF things that I don't like with it, thus the reason I bought a 24-85 AF-D/2.8 lens (and the other lens in my signature line), which does not have VR.

If money was no issue, I'd have a line up of VR lens. But havings kids, a house, responsibilities, etc I try to get nice lens but at the low end of the price spectrum.

The main issue I have is stability. I've practiced in my backyard taking pictures with the VR lens and without it. But I'm wondering how people position themselves, breathing techniques, etc to improve taking a "still" shot?

My camera has a focus meter in the display so you just have to wait for the bars to go down to an acceptable level. Doing some curls with weights heavier than your lens and camera wouldnt hurt you either.

 

[Aro]

Hey, I'm new to this forum and I dealt with this problem before when I was first starting out. Here's a dope article I found that went over the TOP 6 techniques to Reduce Camera Shake. Tell me what you think of it and if you learned anything from it?

How to Reduce Camera Shake - 6 Techniques - Digital Photography School

 

[batmura]

............Another slightly more off-the-wall idea is to carry one of those lightweight but super strong magnet hooks, to act as a potential third wire when there are metal hand rails or bleachers or garbage cans nearby =P

A woodworking clamp also works:

What exactly is this called and where can I find it? I've never seen this at my local camera shop.

 

[ronlane]

I can make a "tripod" (stabilizing device) out of damn near anything. I made one out of two bar coasters once...

Well I'll be darn. Just call you McGyver.

 

[480sparky]

............Another slightly more off-the-wall idea is to carry one of those lightweight but super strong magnet hooks, to act as a potential third wire when there are metal hand rails or bleachers or garbage cans nearby =P

A woodworking clamp also works:

What exactly is this called and where can I find it? I've never seen this at my local camera shop.

Since it's called a woodworkers clamp, maybe a woodworking store or hardware store.... Lowes..... Home Depot.....

 

[astroNikon]

Thought he was asking about the 2 bar coasters

 

[CameraFu]

Hey, I'm new to this forum and I dealt with this problem before when I was first starting out. Here's a dope article I found that went over the TOP 6 techniques to Reduce Camera Shake. Tell me what you think of it and if you learned anything from it?

How to Reduce Camera Shake - 6 Techniques - Digital Photography School

This is a great article.

 

[hamlet]

Learn some advanced sniper positions. Sitting position & Leaning position. These are only a couple, but there are many more you can learn. Controlled breathing and relaxing is the most important part.

 

[btraven]

480Sparky: What a great idea!

So good in fact that I'm gonna use it and if anybody asks about it I won't tell 'em where I got, I'll just smile and let them think I thought it up myself. Thanks.

 

[mud711]

I will be doing some macrophotography where tripods are not allowed.....found an old camera strap, attached it to the tripod clip on the camera and looped through my belt......adjusted the length so that there would be a slight amount of tension when raised to eye level...this allows me to either stand,squat or kneel and still stabilize the camera......