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  1. #1

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    Post Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Hi! What ways of absorption of vibrations at shooting with a tripod are you know?

  2. #2
    Robert A. Zeichner's Avatar
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    Re: ___Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Wooden tripod legs are particularly well suited to absorbing vibration, but aside from that, many tripods feature a steel hook under the casting where the legs meet. This can be used to hang a weight of some sort which will have a stabilizing effect. If you travel, it might be possible to get an "empty" sandbag or even a collabsable water bag that can be used as a weight and filled on location.

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    grumpy & miserable Joseph O'Neil's Avatar
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    Re: ___Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Go to any telescope store website and look up "anti-vibration pads". A set of three round pads that sit under the feet of a telescope tripod, they take up vibration. They seem to work best on hard srufaces such as a concrete sidewalk - a wood tripod sunk into grass would show little if any improvement using those pads.

    joe
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    Re: ___Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert A. Zeichner
    ...hang a weight of some sort which will have a stabilizing effect.
    This is what I do. I hang a 5 lb. sand bag from the hook under my Gitzo. The tripod is made of carbon fiber, which makes it less resonant. I watch my bubble level to help tell when vibrations have ceased after handling the camera. Using a cable release with a bit of slack will help ensure that vibrations are not transfered along a taught cable to the camera. It is a number of factors that cumulatively affect the outcome. Minimizing or eliminating all the variables in the system will probably help more than changing any one particular thing...

  5. #5

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    Re: ___Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert A. Zeichner
    Wooden tripod legs are particularly well suited to absorbing vibration, but aside from that, many tripods feature a steel hook under the casting where the legs meet. This can be used to hang a weight of some sort which will have a stabilizing effect. If you travel, it might be possible to get an "empty" sandbag or even a collabsable water bag that can be used as a weight and filled on location.
    This is probably the most efficient way to go and the least expensive method to employ. Plus, it's easily accessible and you don't need to a lot of specialized equipment. If you have a little satchel/netting... you can fill it with rocks from the area where you're shooting. In other words, you don't need to carry the additional weight with you.

    BTW, you don't really need a hook either... it's nice but not necessary. I've even seen people use an old pair of lady's nylon stockings to contain the rocks. They tied this to the center post of the pod! Very sheik!

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  6. #6

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    Re: ___Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Quote Originally Posted by Robert A. Zeichner
    "... many tripods feature a steel hook under the casting where the legs meet. This can be used to hang a weight of some sort which will have a stabilizing effect..."
    I've heard of this before, but it seems like it would create a pendulum. No? I've never tried it for that reason.

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    Re: ___Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Gentile
    I've heard of this before, but it seems like it would create a pendulum. No? I've never tried it for that reason.
    Bob,

    It's entirely possible that there could be a pendulum effect, no doubt. But, you would, of course, wait until the swinging stopped before clicking the shutter... just as you would not click the shutter when a breeze is blowing briskly. In other words, you would wait for the "opportune" moment before taking the picture!

    And, of course, if there's a brisk wind blowing constantly... yes, a pendulum motion would most likely result. Gale force winds... for sure!

    Give it a try and see for yourself whether this technique works or not!

    Cheers
    Life in the fast lane!

  8. #8
    Abuser of God's Sunlight
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    Re: ___Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Gentile
    I've heard of this before, but it seems like it would create a pendulum. No? I've never tried it for that reason.
    This is why an engineer would tell you it's a complicated subject. vibration damping is tricky. A weight will change the resonant frequency of the tripod ... which might be good or not. What you're really trying to do is dissipate the vibrations as quickly as possible. The theory involved is so complex that it's probably bettter to find a way to check for it and then try different things to see what works best.

    I do find that my heavy wood tripod seems to give sharper results more often than my flimsier metal one ... but who knows if this has anything to do with damping. It might just be because it's more stable in the wind.

  9. #9

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    Re: ___Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    Quote Originally Posted by paulr
    This is why an engineer would tell you it's a complicated subject. vibration damping is tricky. A weight will change the resonant frequency of the tripod ... which might be good or not. What you're really trying to do is dissipate the vibrations as quickly as possible. The theory involved is so complex that it's probably bettter to find a way to check for it and then try different things to see what works best.
    Assuming that the tripod and all it's parts function as a single rigid body (which is basically highly improbable) - hanging extra mass off it increases the wavelength of any vibrations that can affect it (lower freq.) - this can be pretty effective. Another way of dispersing higher frequency vibrations is to set the legs to three different lengths - this CAN, in theory, prevent buildup of a single frequency, and in fact create some cancellations - but unless you do an impractical amount of math on this, it's a total crap shoot - and you run the risk of actually making things worse.

    What I'VE always thought would be kind of a neat idea is to bring along a 14-16 inch auger/screw and screw it into the ground - attach the other end via cable to the head and then tighten down a turnbuckle placed in the middle of the cable - with a nice, big gitzo - you could probably crank that thing down to a few hundred pounds of tension. I'd imagine this would be nearly as stable as shooting from a concrete caisson (column buried in the ground).

  10. #10

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    Re: Absorption of vibrations of a tripod..

    of course - god help you if you wanted to change your camera position last minute...!

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