Dave Tribiano

Going on a photography tour on a ship. Any suggestions for using a tripod or monopod on the ship? Also should I use vibration reduction on my Nikon lenses. The tour company suggests using the tripod but will the ship's vibration cause the pics to be not sharp? Thank you

HammerSpawn Loc: UK

What is the displacement and type of the ship and which sea will you be in?

twowindsbear

Seems to me the tour company should know.

traveler90712 Loc: Lake Worth, Fl.

How about this, a combination of a tripod and monopod.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?N=11024709&InitialSearch=yes&sts=pi

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

There will probably be some vibration in the floor, and that would be transferred through the tripod/monopod. I can't imagine setting up a tripod on a ship at sea.

kemo Loc: Tampa, FL

Yes, the vibration of the ship will transmit to the tripod. This is curable with fast shutter speed, but low light shots will be challenging. I tried VR both off and on with no discernible difference. Ambient lighting in the ship is generally good enough for normal shooting, but deck shots of distant objects will keep you busy with settings... and never quite reach tack sharp.

Indi Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.

If you keep the shutter speed high enough, let's say over 1/500, you really shouldn't have much of a problem with the ship's rolling or vibration. If you're noticing any blur, try for 1/1000. If there's still a blur or image ghosting...get off the deck. :lol:
IS/OS should be off but you can take some test shots with it on or off.

Oh, that's on a tripod.

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Take along your monopod and give it a try. However I think you will be better off using good technique and going handheld. The human body will absorb vibration much better than either a mono or tripod. In either case you will have to maintain faster shutter speeds, 500 or above when you can. ;)

jcboy3

Image stabilization systems typically have a frequency range of 0.3 to 30 Hz. Ship vibrations typically occur in the frequency range of 2 to 20 Hz. Below 2 Hz, the human body transmits vibration as a single mass, but above 2 Hz resonant frequencies occur at various ranges depending upon body part. Key resonances are spine (2-6Hz), pelvis (4-9Hz) and head (20-30Hz). This means that human body resonance frequencies occur within or near the range of ship vibrations; so ship vibrations can be amplified due to these resonances. But these resonant ranges are also within the operating range of image stabilization systems.

As a result, image stabilization is recommended for all shipboard photography, whether hand held or mounted on tripod or monopod.

For flexibility and stability, you can use a monopod and a belt pouch. The monopod will then move with your body, and will not get caught in any objects on the deck of the ship.

I always travel with both monopod/belt pouch and light travel tripod; but the light travel tripod is less effective at vibration reduction so I use the monopod in such cases.

J. R. WEEMS Loc: Winchester, Virginia

I have a diffeent version of this-- DO NOT -allow it to stand alone. After a couple failings on cheap mono-pods, I got a good one and it came with a small pouch type thing that fit on my belt. A GOOD combination, and YES, on a mono-pod, leave the VR on. JMHO :) It doesn't say how big the feet are, mine, they are only a couple inches-- for the price, these should be larger, but I would find out. Looks to be a nice one though. :) AND-- carbon fiber.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

If the ship will be anchoring in sheltered waters then a tripod may be of use, but any ship underway will produce vibration, especially a diesel powered ship, as well as pitch and roll, depending on the sea state. I don't think a tripod would be all that useful under those conditions. Handheld with an appropriate shutter speed would probably do a better job for you. Underway a tripod would feel vibration that you wouldn't even notice and a moving ship can pitch, roll, or change course at any time with no warning.

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Thanks for the science. ;)

J. R. WEEMS Loc: Winchester, Virginia

In addition to my above I should of noted my mono-pod has a shoulder brace attached that swivels & is adjustable for length. Right handy at times as I have nerves in my back that preventa stellar hand held at slower speeds. I also have a 'steady brace' that can be attached directly to a camera. Just what works for me. :)

Mglasure

I went on a cruise and had no noticeable problems with my tripod mounted Nikon d300s. On a different situation than is being commented on, I took some distant storm lightening shots at night that look great, although timing was an issue.
By the way, I was on one of "Carnivals" BIG ships (Ecstasy) and they have good stabilization technology, and we were underway.

Mglasure

Another option I'll throw out, if you have a tripod that has independent legs, just put one down and you have a monopod. I have a "Slik" and a "Benro" that I like.