What is reasonable to expect from a tripod relative to wind blowing around?
I thought my Gitzo 1541T was over what I really needed for a D750 with the bigger lenses being 24-120 F4 and 70-200 F4 but on a recent trip the wind was blowing quite hard and my camera looked as if I had Parkinson's with the 24-120.
I attached my backpack with some reduction but the only way to get sharp pictures was by leaving the VR on (shutter speeds were in the 1/20 to 1/40).
The reason I'm asking is because at that time I had the feeling that even a bigger tripod wouldn't have solved the problem, only reduce it at little. I could get a bigger tripod for when I expect high winds and I don't have to carry it for long distances (eg. Beach) if I knew they would be effective.
1. More mass (Tripod or hung weight or trap tripod down)
2. Shorten Legs
3. Mount directly to Apex no center column.
4. Block the wind if possible. I've used a 3 ft square Wescott reflector before because it is what I happened to have on hand.
5. Firm contact with the ground. Using spiked feet can help, especially in fields and other areas where the tripod isn't sitting on the ground.
6. If possible, alter your angle at the subject so you make the camera setup profile smaller.
I bought a D810 about 5 months ago and I have to admit that it is the 1st DSLR I'm really not axious about raising the ISO a little to gain shutter speed or aperture. While I almost always shoot at ISO 64 on a tripod, if I have to, I will bump it up a stop or 2 and sacrifice the DR to get the shot sharp. The ISO noise just isn't as big an issue as on my older bodies.