Why bother with a tripod?

On a recent low light training course, someone asked whether there's really a need to carry a tripod around these days, given that the higher ISO settings perform so well on modern EOS cameras. Here is one tutor's response. (For the record, Nina Bailey doesn't like tripods.)

On the EOS Academy side, we run around 90 practical events a year. In the winter months, such as this Low Light and Night photography course. It's an opportunity to show you how your EOS camera can cope in darker conditions and teach you an understanding of how to adapt to the changing light levels – night-time photography needs a different approach to the day time.

Coincidentally, these events are the only ones to which you have to bring a tripod.

On a recent Understanding the EOS R-series practical course our Senior Tutor Nina was asked, "What’s the point of using a tripod when the cameras go up to such high ISO settings?" In fact, the person asking was so confident in their camera's ability that they did not bring a tripod – even though the course joining instructions specified one for the event.

I for one hate working with a tripod. I find it restrictive, uncooperative and just generally extra baggage I could do without. However, when shooting city scenes after dark, you'll find me with a tripod without exception. I will also use it when there is an advantage in doing so.

The person asking the question was right – cameras do go up to incredibly high ISO settings and which you could use, if the situation is appropriate. On current full frame models, you can typically access ISO 32000 or ISO 40000 as a maximum, and that's without using the expanded ISO settings which go even higher. That’s high enough to shoot handheld in almost any scenario.

Nevertheless, there is a trade-off with the higher settings, namely quality.

Let's take a look at these two shots.

The images above (and cropped below) were shot at ISO 800 on a tripod (left); on the right shot at ISO 40000 handheld (right).

Reproduced small, or viewed on a phone or tablet, the quality difference may not be obvious, but take a small section and look closer – there is a vast difference in the quality. So just looking at picture quality alone there is a difference.

But that's not the whole story, and certainly isn't the main reason why I carry a tripod at night.

Long exposure creativity

Slower shutter speeds – 10 seconds and longer – offer advantages besides allowing us to shoot on the lower ISO settings. Slow shutter speeds blur things. People can be made to 'disappear' from scenes; if shooting in a busy area you can get rid of the people by using a long exposure.

You can see the difference in the comparison set (above) – see how the people in the tripod shot are like ghosts or mere shadows. Or this shot, with an 8-second exposure, looks like no-one was there, when in fact people were passing in front of the camera suring the exposure.

If you have water in the image, such as a river, then you can get the water to blur using shutter speed of 15-30 seconds, or longer still if you use the Bulb mode. This allows for much better reflections to be captured in the water.

The first image was 1.6 seconds (still using a tripod, as this is too slow to safely handhold without incurring blur from camera shake). The second shot was 30 seconds long.

As a default the maximum shutter speed duration is 30 seconds. However, every EOS camera features Bulb mode, which allows you to achieve even longer exposures. With shutter speeds slower than 30 seconds, you can achieve even more blur and hence better reflections. This image of Tower Bridge was captured using Bulb mode and the exposure time was 90 seconds. (The white balance setting was changed in-camera to Tungsten to enhance the blues in the image. Shot as JPEG in-camera, no post-production done. Captured on EOS R.)

Using Bulb mode is even easier to achieve if your camera features a built-in Bulb timer, as you can program the duration of the shutter without the need of an external remote control.

So why use a tripod? Whether your purpose is creativity or higher quality, ultimately it's to make more of your EOS camera. And so, for now, I'll begrudgingly carry my tripod when out in low light.
 

For more information on shooting in low light and at night, take a look at my Essential Guide to Low Light Photography eBook.

Alternatively, for something a little more hands-on, my brand new How to Shoot Low Light Photography Pocketbook is out now. It's a small, concise guide that gives you the key settings and advice when out and about in the dark with your Canon EOS camera.

Further reading

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