There are basically two reasons for using a tripod: One is if you want to include yourself in a photo and don't have somebody else to snap the shot. The other is for long exposures that cannot be handheld. That means, as a rule of thumb, your shutter speed must be at least 1 over the mm of your lens. Example: you are shooting a 70-300 lens at the 300mm end of it's range. The minimum shutter speed for hand holding would be 1/300 of a second. If you have a camera body that has Vibration Reduction (Nikon's terminology) or Image Stabilization (Canon's terminology) you can get away (sometimes) with a 2 stop slower shutter speed. In the above example, that would mean 1/150th (one stop slower) or 1/75th (two stops slower), or the closest thing to each of those numbers, which depends on your camera's capability. Anything slower than that will result in a less than sharp image so the camera needs to be on a sturdy tripod. Just the action of the shutter causes vibrations that will show themselves as a less than sharp photo if the camera is not mounted on a rigid platform. Wind can cause a weak tripod to act like a tuning fork. Your finger releasing the shutter button causes vibrations. If a tripod/head combination is rated at 3lbs (as is the Zipshot), that realisitically means it's useful under a 1.5-2 lb camera. Even the lightest of digital SLR camera bodies weigh 16+ ounces, and that is not counting a lens, just the body. So, even the smallest zoom DSLR lens will put the weight over the Zipshot's capability of good support, even with good technique. It is also non adjustable with regards to desired height. Bottom line: it is useful for a point and shoot in certain situations. I am not dissing the product, only pointing out it's capability.
If I were trying to do this without spending much money, I would opt for something like the Velbon Maxi 343 or equivalent. There are hundreds of tripods in that catagory. A tripod needs to be height adjustable, if for no other reason than you are often setting up on uneven terrain. So each leg needs to be independently adjustable. If all your shots are from roadside pulloffs, then disregard that last statement. A tripod should be tall enough, without extending the center column (it then becomes more of a monopod than a tripod) to be comfortable for you to shoot from. Too short, and you will be hunkered over all the time.
This information comes from shooting Landscape Photography for over 20 years. I have seen a lot of people try and "get by" with less than adequate equipment, only to later buy what they should have bought in the first place. If you are shooting landscape photos, photos of streams, etc. your shutter speeds will often be 1/30th or less...sometimes they will be 1-10 seconds at sunset/sunrise. If you want to shoot from a tripod, get one that will do the job at hand.
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Topic: Advice - Ultra lightweight and compact travel tripod (Read 3113 times)