River Cruise/Tripod? (Page 3): This works very well, takes up very little space and is very light weight. I use a thin nylon cord with the 1/4" 20 thread eye bolt instead of a leash.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

This works very well, takes up very little space and is very light weight. I use a thin nylon cord with the 1/4" 20 thread eye bolt instead of a leash. Just stand on the cord with one foot and pull the cord fairly taught as you shoot. You will be amazed by how steady you can be using this technique.

BBBruce77 wrote:

A simple little travel or back packing trick I learned many years ago was to adapt a dog leash with a 1/4 20 thread eye bolt to attach to the camera or lens tripod mount and stand on one end of the leash and pull up to help steady the camera. Much lighter and compact than any tri or monopod.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Anything that is rigid and attached to the boat is going to induce the same motion of the boat into the camera. Thus, no tripod, no monopod. IS / VR is your best bet.
--Bob

RosiArt wrote:

We'll be taking a Danube River Cruise this May from Budapest to Nuremberg and on to Prague. I've heard that because of vibration on the boats, it isn't really worth taking a tripod. Thoughts??

rdgreenwood Loc: Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

I've taken two Viking river cruises and one of their "small ship" cruises, and I've packed and used a tripod on all of them. If you're shooting something like the night shot of the Parliament in Budapest, a tripod is a great tool; if you want to take a group shot in which you appear, a tripod is a great tool. I have three tripods: my Manfrotto doesn't travel except by car; my compact, lightweight Promaster fits my suitcase perfectly, so it has lots of air/river miles; my husky Gorilla Pod goes to churches and other "no tripod zones." I'm useless with a monopod, so mine gets to hang out at home with my flash and red filter.

OriginalCyn Loc: Connecticut

RosiArt wrote:

We'll be taking a Danube River Cruise this May from Budapest to Nuremberg and on to Prague. I've heard that because of vibration on the boats, it isn't really worth taking a tripod. Thoughts??

You will be VERY unhappy if you don't take one and want to take night time long exposures....especially in Prague. I bought the Travel Angel by Benro. I was very happy I took it. However if you don't think you want any photos of the millions of beautiful night shots then leave it home. We took two of those trips. First was Prague to Nurembourg then Paris. And the second was Vienna, Budapest, Croatia, Bucharest and ending in Turkey. Unfortunately that trip was last summer when the US banned all flights to US from Turkey so we couldn't do the last part in Istanbul.

DStone Loc: Outside Winston-Salem, NC

After four river cruises, I've learned that my best camera support is my left forearm (I'm a righty). Tripods are nearly useless during the day - if on a tour, your guide will move to fast for you to set up; if in a town, too many people; if in a building, most places don't let you use them. Your left arm is always with you, just find something to lean on or against. I still travel with a cheap monopod I bought decades ago that can convert to a tabletop tripod, primarily for night shots or long zoom shots, but even that gets little use. On those rare occasions where you need absolute support, there is usually something around to put the camera on and use the timer delay.

But, that said, if anything is worth the hassle of carrying a tripod, it would be Prague, along the river, at midnight or dawn.

tscali

We took that cruise several years ago. IMO you do not need a tripod. The light is very good and you can adjust your shutter speed and aperture to the point that a tripod is virtually unnecessary. I was only using a 70-300mm lens. If you are taking a 500mm or 600mm lens, you may need to rethink the tripod. I don't recall the vibrations being that significant; but at 75 my memory is not that good.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

I wouldn't take a tripod, it will just get in way and take up lots of space on a crowded deck.

photon38

On the boat this may well be an issue, but you'll spend quite a bit of time on land as well.
It does remind me of a trip out west, in the Good old film days when some wildlife, a bear and an elk became blurred, because I had steadied my hand on the window of the coach. I think it would be a 1000 rpm diesel idling blurr.😥

One Rude Dawg Loc: Athol, ID

BBBruce77 wrote:

A simple little travel or back packing trick I learned many years ago was to adapt a dog leash with a 1/4 20 thread eye bolt to attach to the camera or lens tripod mount and stand on one end of the leash and pull up to help steady the camera. Much lighter and compact than any tri or monopod.

Works well easy to to make and store, does not take up much space. Kind of like a reverse monopod.

One Rude Dawg Loc: Athol, ID

Jimmy T wrote:

This works very well, takes up very little space and is very light weight. I use a thin nylon cord with the 1/4" 20 thread eye bolt instead of a leash. Just stand on the cord with one foot and pull the cord fairly taught as you shoot. You will be amazed by how steady you can be using this technique.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

bobmcculloch wrote:

perhaps a mono pod resting on your foot, haven't tried that yet, Bob.

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

par4fore wrote:

Not sure, but would love to hear about your trip wen you get back. Anyway what about when you are docked at night and your land excursions, I would bring mine.

Even docked at night, the river beneath the ship is still moving and there are usually internal sources of vibration that you can feel in the deck. I got good shots from the moving ship of the illuminated Hungarian Parliament building at 1/60 second, f/3.2, ISO 800.

During the excursions you will usually move too fast and/or be in crowded areas where a tripod will be an annoyance to you and others.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

If you're shooting while the boat is moving during the day you should be able to handhold the camera; if the boat is docked or moored at night, the tripod shouldn't be a problem except if the river is choppy. If you go ashore at night, bring the tripod with you for the night shots.

mffox Loc: Avon, CT

The engine vibration is definitely a problem; on that same river cruise I shot handheld while leaning my shoulder against a bulkhead. That seemed to work well.

Brian in Whitby Loc: Whitby, Ontario, Canada

Use a tripod but place it on your toe to dampen vibrations.