Posted: 11/24/2009 6:29:59 AM EDT
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I have a Nikon DSLR that I am taking to Italy. I want to get some good shots in museums and churches, but I know someplaces do not allow flash.
Is a compact monopod (for $20 or so) worth it so I can drop the shutter speed to get worthwhile shots or is that still not stable enough? I am pretty good with locking my elbows, but 1/8th...not THAT good. |
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I took a monopod out at night to shoot the Memorials in Wash. D.C. and it worked out pretty good, although they warned me not to put it to the ground on the marble at Lincoln's. Also very good for shooting video like the kid's soccer. It makes a lot of difference not having to be concerned with one plane of stability.
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Quoted: I took a monopod out at night to shoot the Memorials in Wash. D.C. and it worked out pretty good, although they warned me not to put it to the ground on the marble at Lincoln's. Also very good for shooting video like the kid's soccer. It makes a lot of difference not having to be concerned with one plane of stability. I take it yours had a "spike" foot, instead of a cushioned one. With a good stance, you become part of the "tripod" and you can be rock steady and also have the ability to quickly shift your aim around.
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Depending on your camera/lens combos you might look at a gorilla pod and attach it to chairs, railings, church pews etc. Do not be foold by cheap imitations.
I never understood the Carbon Fiber ones... And I carried large glass (300 2.8 and up) for years on the sidelines as a PJ. Too much money for what you get. I also only used monopods for football and occasionally basketball, but usually just handhold a 300 2.8 for that. A monopod will get you closer to 1/8th etc.. a tripod will let you go much longer. A gorilla pod and a self timer (to let the camera settle for a second or two) might just do the trick |
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Is a compact monopod (for $20 or so) worth it so I can drop the shutter speed to get worthwhile shots or is that still not stable enough? Works for me. Hey! is that your wife in your avatar? yeah, that is my wife (and daughter). Looks like a trip to the store is....in store. |
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A monopod helps, so does VR, so does faster glass. All three FTW. Agree, agree, agree. Don't cheap out on the mono. CF if you can afford it. Got VR on the lenses. Have to be somewhat budget conscious, as the rest of the trip is killing it. I may splurge on the Manfrotto 680 B. Is that a decent one? 
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I have a Nikon DSLR that I am taking to Italy. I want to get some good shots in museums and churches, but I know someplaces do not allow flash. I went to Italy earlier this year with my Nikon D60 sporting a Sigma lens (I don't have the details of it here). I shot without flash all over. I HATE flashes because it washes out all color. Play with the aperture and timing. Even the Auto-No-Flash option shoots better pictures than the Flash From Hell. I tried using one of those walking sticks that can double as a monopod. No good. Maybe I was doing it wrong, or else I had the wrong quality gear. 
BTW, when the sign says "No pictures", just shoot hidden. They have spies in some places (statue of David being the worst), but in places like the Sistine Chapel, so many people are blowing off the guards as not to matter. Sometimes they let you slide, sometimes they freak. Just shoot and let them freak. 
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Quoted:
I have a Nikon DSLR that I am taking to Italy. I want to get some good shots in museums and churches, but I know someplaces do not allow flash. Is a compact monopod (for $20 or so) worth it so I can drop the shutter speed to get worthwhile shots or is that still not stable enough? I am pretty good with locking my elbows, but 1/8th...not THAT good. Having shot museums in New York and LA, chances are they will not let you use a monopod, tripod, and/or flash. Now since I am spoiled with the D3 and f/2.8 and f/1.4 lenses, I can get away with cranking up the ISO and using the fast lenses. But then, I still remember how much struggle I need to go thru when I was using my D-200. Shutter speed versus aparture, large aparture, low shutter speed, auto ISO. Normally without VR, your slowest shutter speed is the inverse of the focal length of your lens, for example, if you have a 100mm lens, you slowest shutter speed without VR is 1/100 sec. Remember, your aparture is primary for depth of view, and secondary for lighting. VR gives you one stop, or 1/100 for 100mm become 1/50 Sec for the same 100mm lens. Be sure of your white balance, other read the light, and adjust as required. Auto white balance helps, but not as good as reading the light color. Your camera have some built in adjustments like indoor light, sunlight, shade...etc. Always shoot RAW and post process with photoshop or NX (NX2) Nikon did a great job with their AutoISO setting, use that. For most Nikon DSLR, ISO 800 is maxed, the D3 and D700, I can get away with ISO 3200 to 4000. Anything above that, the photo tend to get grainy and noisy. FInd bracing to assist you in getting a bit slower shutter speed. I myself can hold steady (off hand) at 1/50 Sec and with bracing, get it as low as 1/15 Sec. If necessary use your wife or kid as a brace. For most museum, I find myself using wide angle lenses. When I had my D200, I use a Sigma 35mm f/1.4, and with Nikon's 1.5X crop, almost 50mm. Now I use my 50mm f/1.4 AFS on my D3. I like macro lenses, because of their lack of distorsion and edge to edge brightness, as long as you can live with f/2.8. Good luck and have fun. Here are some of mine: Pbase Oh forgot, as for monopod, if it is not Manfrotto, you will be wasting your time. |
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I have a Nikon DSLR that I am taking to Italy. I want to get some good shots in museums and churches, but I know someplaces do not allow flash. Is a compact monopod (for $20 or so) worth it so I can drop the shutter speed to get worthwhile shots or is that still not stable enough? I am pretty good with locking my elbows, but 1/8th...not THAT good. Having shot museums in New York and LA, chances are they will not let you use a monopod, tripod, and/or flash. Now since I am spoiled with the D3 and f/2.8 and f/1.4 lenses, I can get away with cranking up the ISO and using the fast lenses. But then, I still remember how much struggle I need to go thru when I was using my D-200. Shutter speed versus aparture, large aparture, low shutter speed, auto ISO. Normally without VR, your slowest shutter speed is the inverse of the focal length of your lens, for example, if you have a 100mm lens, you slowest shutter speed without VR is 1/100 sec. Remember, your aparture is primary for depth of view, and secondary for lighting. VR gives you one stop, or 1/100 for 100mm become 1/50 Sec for the same 100mm lens. Be sure of your white balance, other read the light, and adjust as required. Auto white balance helps, but not as good as reading the light color. Your camera have some built in adjustments like indoor light, sunlight, shade...etc. Always shoot RAW and post process with photoshop or NX (NX2) Nikon did a great job with their AutoISO setting, use that. For most Nikon DSLR, ISO 800 is maxed, the D3 and D700, I can get away with ISO 3200 to 4000. Anything above that, the photo tend to get grainy and noisy. FInd bracing to assist you in getting a bit slower shutter speed. I myself can hold steady (off hand) at 1/50 Sec and with bracing, get it as low as 1/15 Sec. If necessary use your wife or kid as a brace. For most museum, I find myself using wide angle lenses. When I had my D200, I use a Sigma 35mm f/1.4, and with Nikon's 1.5X crop, almost 50mm. Now I use my 50mm f/1.4 AFS on my D3. I like macro lenses, because of their lack of distorsion and edge to edge brightness, as long as you can live with f/2.8. Good luck and have fun. Here are some of mine: Pbase Oh forgot, as for monopod, if it is not Manfrotto, you will be wasting your time. Cool, I have the D5000, so I will go learn to play with the ISOs. Lowest standard ISO is 3200. It also has a decent amount of settings for white balance according to the color temp. Any ideas of what kind of lighting most museums use? Incandescent, halogen? My 18/55 lens is a 3.5 and the 55/200 is a 4. |
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This is the one I use and it has been great! Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: A monopod helps, so does VR, so does faster glass. All three FTW. Agree, agree, agree. Don't cheap out on the mono. CF if you can afford it. Got VR on the lenses. Have to be somewhat budget conscious, as the rest of the trip is killing it. I may splurge on the Manfrotto 680 B. Is that a decent one? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/largeimages/5535.jpg |
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I've ended up dumping just about any Slik products I've owned over the years... They just don't hold up well. Probably be ok for light, occasional use. Quoted: One last one. The Slik EZpod with an adjustable head and QR plate for the camera. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/largeimages/48615.jpg |
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I hate monopods, they slow you down and restrict your composition. HSLD!
How is the ISO performance on your DSLR? Crank it up if you can. Get a 50mm f1.4 if you want a fast lens but don't want to spend too much. In low light, I usually shoot with my 85mm f1.2 or 35mm f1.4. With my Canon 5D MkII, photos are perfectly publishable at ISO 6400. There's not many situations where I would need stabilization or support. ETA: I still always travel with a tripod though for time exposures and night photos where I want lots of DOF. Neither of those work w/ monopods usually. |
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I have a Nikon DSLR that I am taking to Italy. I want to get some good shots in museums and churches, but I know someplaces do not allow flash. Is a compact monopod (for $20 or so) worth it so I can drop the shutter speed to get worthwhile shots or is that still not stable enough? I am pretty good with locking my elbows, but 1/8th...not THAT good. Having shot museums in New York and LA, chances are they will not let you use a monopod, tripod, and/or flash. Now since I am spoiled with the D3 and f/2.8 and f/1.4 lenses, I can get away with cranking up the ISO and using the fast lenses. But then, I still remember how much struggle I need to go thru when I was using my D-200. Shutter speed versus aparture, large aparture, low shutter speed, auto ISO. Normally without VR, your slowest shutter speed is the inverse of the focal length of your lens, for example, if you have a 100mm lens, you slowest shutter speed without VR is 1/100 sec. Remember, your aparture is primary for depth of view, and secondary for lighting. VR gives you one stop, or 1/100 for 100mm become 1/50 Sec for the same 100mm lens. Be sure of your white balance, other read the light, and adjust as required. Auto white balance helps, but not as good as reading the light color. Your camera have some built in adjustments like indoor light, sunlight, shade...etc. Always shoot RAW and post process with photoshop or NX (NX2) Nikon did a great job with their AutoISO setting, use that. For most Nikon DSLR, ISO 800 is maxed, the D3 and D700, I can get away with ISO 3200 to 4000. Anything above that, the photo tend to get grainy and noisy. FInd bracing to assist you in getting a bit slower shutter speed. I myself can hold steady (off hand) at 1/50 Sec and with bracing, get it as low as 1/15 Sec. If necessary use your wife or kid as a brace. For most museum, I find myself using wide angle lenses. When I had my D200, I use a Sigma 35mm f/1.4, and with Nikon's 1.5X crop, almost 50mm. Now I use my 50mm f/1.4 AFS on my D3. I like macro lenses, because of their lack of distorsion and edge to edge brightness, as long as you can live with f/2.8. Good luck and have fun. Here are some of mine: Pbase Oh forgot, as for monopod, if it is not Manfrotto, you will be wasting your time. Cool, I have the D5000, so I will go learn to play with the ISOs. Lowest standard ISO is 3200. It also has a decent amount of settings for white balance according to the color temp. Any ideas of what kind of lighting most museums use? Incandescent, halogen? My 18/55 lens is a 3.5 and the 55/200 is a 4. Shoot RAW, don't bother with the white balance in camera. |
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I have a Nikon DSLR that I am taking to Italy. I want to get some good shots in museums and churches, but I know someplaces do not allow flash. Is a compact monopod (for $20 or so) worth it so I can drop the shutter speed to get worthwhile shots or is that still not stable enough? I am pretty good with locking my elbows, but 1/8th...not THAT good. Having shot museums in New York and LA, chances are they will not let you use a monopod, tripod, and/or flash. Now since I am spoiled with the D3 and f/2.8 and f/1.4 lenses, I can get away with cranking up the ISO and using the fast lenses. But then, I still remember how much struggle I need to go thru when I was using my D-200. Shutter speed versus aparture, large aparture, low shutter speed, auto ISO. Normally without VR, your slowest shutter speed is the inverse of the focal length of your lens, for example, if you have a 100mm lens, you slowest shutter speed without VR is 1/100 sec. Remember, your aparture is primary for depth of view, and secondary for lighting. VR gives you one stop, or 1/100 for 100mm become 1/50 Sec for the same 100mm lens. Be sure of your white balance, other read the light, and adjust as required. Auto white balance helps, but not as good as reading the light color. Your camera have some built in adjustments like indoor light, sunlight, shade...etc. Always shoot RAW and post process with photoshop or NX (NX2) Nikon did a great job with their AutoISO setting, use that. For most Nikon DSLR, ISO 800 is maxed, the D3 and D700, I can get away with ISO 3200 to 4000. Anything above that, the photo tend to get grainy and noisy. FInd bracing to assist you in getting a bit slower shutter speed. I myself can hold steady (off hand) at 1/50 Sec and with bracing, get it as low as 1/15 Sec. If necessary use your wife or kid as a brace. For most museum, I find myself using wide angle lenses. When I had my D200, I use a Sigma 35mm f/1.4, and with Nikon's 1.5X crop, almost 50mm. Now I use my 50mm f/1.4 AFS on my D3. I like macro lenses, because of their lack of distorsion and edge to edge brightness, as long as you can live with f/2.8. Good luck and have fun. Here are some of mine: Pbase Oh forgot, as for monopod, if it is not Manfrotto, you will be wasting your time. Cool, I have the D5000, so I will go learn to play with the ISOs. Lowest standard ISO is 3200. It also has a decent amount of settings for white balance according to the color temp. Any ideas of what kind of lighting most museums use? Incandescent, halogen? My 18/55 lens is a 3.5 and the 55/200 is a 4. Halogen used to be the standard, but have been replaced because the incandescent type light have been outlawed in the EU. Compact Flor in my opion is the worse, cannot seem to get the color temperature correct for that. Carry a grey card, so you can get the correct color temperature. Two ways of using a grey card, one is to do a custom white balance or the other way is to place it somewhere in the photo and post process the white balance using the grey card, and then crop it out. There is a reason why you see that grey bunny in my Norway pictures, my wife likes it (because it was cute), I like it because I can place it in the picture insteas of a grey card. The D5000 have the max setting at ISO 3200, so I'll set the AutoISO to no more than 2400. At 3200, the picture will be noisy, and might have to process them into B&W to cut out the color noise. I thought 18-55 and 55-200 are not constant f-stop lenses. The best option is to take your setup to a local musemum and try it out first before you fo, so you can learn about your gear and get some experience. BTW, while you are there, should hit Spain and smoke some ISOM. ISOM cigar in Spain are price controlled, and they are even cheaper than in Cuba. |
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Quoted: I hate monopods, they slow you down and restrict your composition. HSLD! How is the ISO performance on your DSLR? Crank it up if you can. Get a 50mm f1.4 if you want a fast lens but don't want to spend too much. In low light, I usually shoot with my 85mm f1.2 or 35mm f1.4. With my Canon 5D MkII, photos are perfectly publishable at ISO 6400. There's not many situations where I would need stabilization or support. They have their place, You can also add a ball head to a monopod to gain some additional flexibility. They are almost a necessity when using longer lenses with a slow shutter speed. I would not hand-hold above 400mm, given the choice - though you can HH a 500, especially if it has Image stabilization. There are times when you don't want to push the ISO very high. I tend to try to use the lowest ISO possible, just to keep the noise down. Though post processing and camera sensors keep improving to where that becomes moot. I used to use the 85mm f1.2 a lot, but picked up a Sigma 50-150 f2.8 that's become my walk around lens. It and my 100-400L IS seem to be the two I use the most these days. Though I am lusting after the 500 f4 IS.
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I hate monopods, they slow you down and restrict your composition. HSLD! How is the ISO performance on your DSLR? Crank it up if you can. Get a 50mm f1.4 if you want a fast lens but don't want to spend too much. In low light, I usually shoot with my 85mm f1.2 or 35mm f1.4. With my Canon 5D MkII, photos are perfectly publishable at ISO 6400. There's not many situations where I would need stabilization or support. They have their place, You can also add a ball head to a monopod to gain some additional flexibility. They are almost a necessity when using longer lenses with a slow shutter speed. I would not hand-hold above 400mm, given the choice - though you can HH a 500, especially if it has Image stabilization. There are times when you don't want to push the ISO very high. I tend to try to use the lowest ISO possible, just to keep the noise down. Though post processing and camera sensors keep improving to where that becomes moot. I used to use the 85mm f1.2 a lot, but picked up a Sigma 50-150 f2.8 that's become my walk around lens. It and my 100-400L IS seem to be the two I use the most these days. Though I am lusting after the 500 f4 IS. Don't get me wrong, I definitely think they have their place. I used to shoot football games with 600 f/4s and 300 2.8s so I can appreciate them for sure. But for weddings, I hate them. Museums, I don't bother, much of the time they are forbidden or charge you more. |
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I hate monopods, they slow you down and restrict your composition. HSLD! How is the ISO performance on your DSLR? Crank it up if you can. Get a 50mm f1.4 if you want a fast lens but don't want to spend too much. In low light, I usually shoot with my 85mm f1.2 or 35mm f1.4. With my Canon 5D MkII, photos are perfectly publishable at ISO 6400. There's not many situations where I would need stabilization or support. They have their place, You can also add a ball head to a monopod to gain some additional flexibility. They are almost a necessity when using longer lenses with a slow shutter speed. I would not hand-hold above 400mm, given the choice - though you can HH a 500, especially if it has Image stabilization. There are times when you don't want to push the ISO very high. I tend to try to use the lowest ISO possible, just to keep the noise down. Though post processing and camera sensors keep improving to where that becomes moot. I used to use the 85mm f1.2 a lot, but picked up a Sigma 50-150 f2.8 that's become my walk around lens. It and my 100-400L IS seem to be the two I use the most these days. Though I am lusting after the 500 f4 IS. Don't get me wrong, I definitely think they have their place. I used to shoot football games with 600 f/4s and 300 2.8s so I can appreciate them for sure. But for weddings, I hate them. Museums, I don't bother, much of the time they are forbidden or charge you more. For Museums shoot, it is useless, since most museum and art gallery that precluded flash also precludes both tri-pod and mono-pod, although for Museum and Art Gallery shoot, I would love to use the Pan & Tilt lens and a tripod anyday. |