Tips for field tripod use

[subhrashis]

First post in this wonderful forum! I've been browsing for quite some time, but this is the first post.
Until now, I was using a 70-300 VR with a +3 achromat diopter quite happily for field macros. Quite good quality for me in the 0.5x-0.8 range, and I was shooting handheld, often using a diffused flash.
Now I am looking for more natural light images, and also want to graduate to higher magnifications (1-1.5x , with el-nikkor 80 N on helicoid). So this seems to be the right time for me to learn to use a tripod correctly!

Whenever I take my tripod (velbon sherpa 750 with pan head) into the field, I am having trouble moving it through undergrowth without scaring the bugs away. Can you help me with your tips for chasing bugs with tripods ?

[Craig Gerard]

subhrashis,

Welcome!

One method is to find a location, setup your tripod and wait quietly for the bugs to come to into range. It may take some time, but if you set up, they will come


Craig
_________________
To use a classic quote from 'Antz' - "I almost know exactly what I'm doing!"

[rjlittlefield]

subhrashis, welcome aboard!

I confess, I've never had any luck chasing bugs through undergrowth with a tripod. Come to think of it, chasing bugs with a tripod at all has never worked. Monopod and freehand are hard enough if the bugs are very mobile.

What sort of bugs are you after, and what sort of undergrowth do you need to work in?

--Rik

[subhrashis]

Thanks Craig! This I need to try!

Thanks Rik! I know, I just can't figure out from my tries how the people who self-proclaimedly don't shoot without a tripod operate!

I'm mainly thinking about small beetles, leafhoppers, spiders and damselflies for the morderate mag images .. I am certainly not picky! Undergrowth where I operate is 12-18 inch high grass and shrubs.

[DQE]

I believe shooting without a tripod, as practiced by most field macro people, is simply a matter of using all available support methods.

Lord V uses a beanpole held in his left hand which also supports his camera. His tutorial at POTN covers this topic - just search within this page for the keyword "beanpole":

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=807056

If I have a minute or two to set the system up, I prefer my Gitzo monopod with a *partially* tightened Acratech Ultimate ballhead. This way, I can easily and quickly position the monopod so that it is braced against one thigh and/or my body. The Acratech Ultimate ballhead allows for extreme angles, unlike conventional ballheads, and this is critical for my field macro purposes. I find that this rig is able to be quickly adjusted as the bug moves and that I achieve reasonably good support as I chase bugs. While it's not as good as my tripod and focusing rails, at least I can quickly follow bugs without having to think about it. AFAIK I'm one of the few who has (foolishly, I guess) spent extra money on a monopod and ballhead just for field macro efforts. Of course, the monopod and the highly flexible ballhead are also useful for non-macro purposes.

I'm sure if you try the beanpole or other similar approaches, you'll soon be comfortable with the extra support they provide and that you'll usually have adequate mobility in brush.

YMMV!
_________________
-Phil

"Diffraction never sleeps"