RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

One thing that may make using a tripod easier, for still photography, is to use a ball head. It is my preference.

al davis Loc: chesterfield virginia

You have gotten a lot of good advice from a lot of talented people here always a good place to turn. Also welcome to the hog.I am no pro but I do some events here in Richmond. I also do weddings and after the Ceremony and I am getting group shots a tripod is a must. I also do a lot of waterfalls a tripod is a must. This may bring some different response I do a lot of car shows here in Richmond and yes I use a tripod with a wide angle lens. I know it is tight on space but most people see me with a tripod and are very cooperative. I agree it slows you down and can be a bother at times but it does make you think of composition and the shot. I have a couple of tripods and a monopod my tripods are of different weight and height for what ever I am shooting that day. If I am out hiking and taking shots of waterfalls for example I use my lighter Oben with my Oben ball head. For wedding group shots I have a much heavier Slik with a panhead. My monopod is a Slik also. In conclusion I never leave home without one of the three for stability you never know what you will run into. This is the eagle scout in me always be prepared. :-D :-D

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

The bad news: for shooting in low light situations or time-exposure shots at night, you must use a tripod. And the rule of thumb for telephotos is that to hand-hold it and not have shaky blurry photos your shutter speed must be at least the inverse of the focal length - so using a 200mm lens you need a shutter speed of 1/250, That requires a lot of light.

The good news: most DSLR's are fairly comfortable boosting the ISO up to 2000 or even higher and still producing an acceptable image.

I am with you - I don't like lugging it around and being tethered. However - if shooting with my 100-400 telephoto I have it available - although if there is enough light I often just go with hand-held or brace it against a tree, car, etc. I also use the tripod to capture three exposure bracketed images of exactly the same composition for HDR photos.

So - it is a necessary evil (or a friend to the rescue) - sometimes.

ole sarg Loc: south florida

There are tripod rules:

1. Never collapse it

2. Never put it away

3. Always leave it in an accessible spot

4. Always change the shirt you hang on it

WNC Ralf Loc: Candler NC, in the mountains!

I agree, I find it forces me to slow down and work on my composition more than just firing off a bunch of handheld shots.

lone ranger Loc: Port Saint Lucie, Florida

Try a Monopod.....it will give you the freedom of movement.that your looking for..

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

It won't work with long exposures, but it does help relieving the load.

b2bjacks Loc: Sequim, Washington

Some low light situations I use a monopod and crank up the iso to 6400.
BUT, if your going to start doing effects like water falls and night photography, start getting used to a tripod. Some will say to get a tripod with carbon fiber legs. But are expensive. Aluminum legs pick up vibrations from a passing train or even automotive traffic going by. If you get an aluminum legged tripod get one that's heavy. As in NOT the local dept store. Wet sand from a beach or a windy day can ruin an image or two. Some get inexpensive an tripod and rig a place to hang a small sand bag.

CO

Not only are carbon fiber tripods lighter than aluminum but they dampen vibration better. Camera Labs did a vibration test of the Manfrotto aluminum 190XPROB, carbon fiber 190CXPRO3, aluminum 055XPROB and carbon fiber 055CXPRO3 tripods. When tapping on the tripod legs the carbon fiber models stopped vibrating in a fraction of the time of the aluminum tripods. There's a video in the article that you can watch and see the vibrations as seen through the cameras viewfinders.
Open this link and scroll down to the vibraton test results section.
http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Manfrotto_190XPROB_tripod/

billnourse Loc: Bloomfield, NM

I think a tripod is a must have you are going to do any serious photography. A good ballhead and a little practice will have you enjoying the advantages of the tripod in no time.

Bill

Blasthoff Loc: Life halved NY and IN

One doesn't need tripod "tests" to see the difference. All one needs to do is ride a higher end bicycle built with a high grade aluminum frame, then compare it to steel, carbon fiber or anything else. Every little imperfection is transferred in "Hi Fidelity" straight to your ***.

Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I recently purchased a Sirui from B&H. Some great features: Legs fold 180 degrees so it folds to just about 17" yet goes to a max. height of 65". One leg detaches to make a monopod if that is what works best for a given situation. Holds up to 26 lbs. (which is plenty for anyone not shooting Nikon 500mm f4 lenses or similar). Two piece center column that allows the tripod to go as low as 5" (great feature for Macro shots). The weight is only 2.9 lbs. so easy to carry. The model described is the N-1004 KX. At 165.00 it's a lot of tripod. The one I purchased was this one's big brother. I wanted a little heavier pod to mount a gimbal head on. So far I really like the tripod and can heartily recommend it. If you want to go the monopod route, the Sirui P-204s is one with legs as someone earlier described as an option.

studavis

Go to a CAMERA STORE and take your camera and try them out. Be comfortable with the tripod. You won't know what is good and what is better till you can try them all.

Rick from NY Loc: Sarasota FL

Certainly can't disagree with most of the replies here, but you are really overthinking the issue here. What you are really asking (I think) is whether there is a method that allows you to get the quality results at low shutter speeds without having to use a tripod. The answer is really quite simple and it is "No". There are times when the shutter speed will be too slow to allow for a sharp image no matter what new and improved image stabilization is used (assuming of course that there is a limit to how high you are willing to crank the ISO) or how skilled you are at handholding. That is a fact, not an opinion.

Your issue is that you do not want to use a tripod because it inhibits your "freedom". Sorry to tell you that under certain conditions, your choices are to use a tripod or settle for an unsharp image. I want a 14-2000/f4 zoom that weighs 1 lb, but no matter how hard I wish, it is unlikely to happen.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

And, though perhaps it's implied here, a quick release plate. If you have to thread the camera onto the tripod, I could see why you'd fee encumbered.