Some good thoughts on tripod use in (or from!) a canoe

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I liked the very good advice in the video.

I had a friend who used a tripod in his 12 ft Wilderness kayak all the time in a similar way she uses her tripod. He shot with a 500mm f4.

If I were to do the same thing, I would use my old and beat up aluminum tripod , a Bogen/Manfrotto 3221 (black) or 3021 (aluminum) tripod that I use at the beach or in water. I use it and not my carbon fiber tripod as it is very easy to remove the leg sections and clean them after a shoot at the beach or in the water.
 
A hard bottom inflatable is a much more stable platform and I have used mine even in the ocean to photograph with a tripod. My Hobie had amas that could be rotated down to provide more stability. The Hobie also keeps ones hands free to deal with the camera and in salt water there are no issues with water dripping off trhe paddles.
 
I liked the very good advice in the video.

I had a friend who used a tripod in his 12 ft Wilderness kayak all the time in a similar way she uses her tripod. He shot with a 500mm f4.

If I were to do the same thing, I would use my old and beat up aluminum tripod , a Bogen/Manfrotto 3221 (black) or 3021 (aluminum) tripod that I use at the beach or in water. I use it and not my carbon fiber tripod as it is very easy to remove the leg sections and clean them after a shoot at the beach or in the water.
I need to correct his kayak. It was a 12 ft Native Watercraft kayak.
 
I liked the very good advice in the video.

I had a friend who used a tripod in his 12 ft Wilderness kayak all the time in a similar way she uses her tripod. He shot with a 500mm f4.

If I were to do the same thing, I would use my old and beat up aluminum tripod , a Bogen/Manfrotto 3221 (black) or 3021 (aluminum) tripod that I use at the beach or in water. I use it and not my carbon fiber tripod as it is very easy to remove the leg sections and clean them after a shoot at the beach or in the water.
I was thinking the same thing -- A use for my old aluminum tripod! I luckily for the gear will not be in salt water.
 
Lady must have a really cheap tripod. I don't have an expensive one and all of the hardware on mine is stainless steel.

If you have a tripod with twist lock type legs there's another thing to be aware of when setting up in water. If the bottom is soft/silty or when in salt water any water that gets inside the legs will deposit fine particles that get into the compression fittings in the legs. This will cause the legs to begin to stick and ultimately will require replacement of the plastic internal components in the twist lock mechanism. This can be mitigated by 1) using waterproof "feet" on the tripod 2) if water does get into the legs make sure and drain it all out before laying the pod down(horizontal).

If the pod is set deep enough that any of the leg joints are submerged than no.2 above is the only option
 
Lady must have a really cheap tripod. I don't have an expensive one and all of the hardware on mine is stainless steel.

If you have a tripod with twist lock type legs there's another thing to be aware of when setting up in water. If the bottom is soft/silty or when in salt water any water that gets inside the legs will deposit fine particles that get into the compression fittings in the legs. This will cause the legs to begin to stick and ultimately will require replacement of the plastic internal components in the twist lock mechanism. This can be mitigated by 1) using waterproof "feet" on the tripod 2) if water does get into the legs make sure and drain it all out before laying the pod down(horizontal).

If the pod is set deep enough that any of the leg joints are submerged than no.2 above is the only option
I've used these when things get wet or too muddy. https://photographyblinds.com/products/avocet-tripod-waders
 
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