Hi Boris, To answer your question, there are a few reasons, or maybe several variations on the same reason. First, a tripod is always more stable than hand held, and since this shot didn't need quick reflexes, and it was easy to set up the t'pod, why not go for as high a quality as I could get. The other thing I noticed is that, as I've gotten older, I sometimes move forward and back, usually very imperceptibly - in fact, it's more of a feeling that I'm moving than actually observing it - and the tripod keeps the camera in the same plane, or the same precise distance, from the subject, reducing focusing errors. Further, the use of the t'pod allows me to more carefully frame the shot, avoiding slight tilts that sometimes occur when shooting hand held and giving me the freedom to frame more accurately. It also allows better use of mirror prefire or bracketing.
So, the short answer is, regardless of shutter speed, using a tripod can help achieve better results. Shel > [Original Message] > From: Boris Liberman > another technically excellent photo from Shel, and why would > he shot from tripod at 1/800 sec shutter speed. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net