European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 12, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse A for your camera by Frank Van Riper special to the Washington Post they Are the cumbersome overshoes of photography the item that you must have when conditions warrant yet Don t like to carry around. They Are not especially pretty and the better among them Are very heavy and very expensive. They easily can be left behind As too bothersome to carry yet nothing save photography the Lens on your camera can have More Impact on the Success or failure of your photograph. They Are big. They Are Bulky. They Are tripods. Tripods and their one legged Brethren Mon pods Are not something you would carry with you on a Spur of the moment photography excursion or to family picnics and other such outings. But serious photographers would no sooner go on a shoot without one than leave Home without film. And serious photographers tend to use their tripods even in situations where most others would photograph hand held. Tripods and Mon pods do More than provide a stable base. They also provide the Means to carefully compose a shot and bracket exposures without having to worry that the one shot in which the exposure is just right is also the one in which the composition is Ever so slightly wrong. They remove the twin Bugaboo of camera shake and camera movement so you can concentrate on your picture. For years manufacturers have tried to come up with tripods that Are both stable and lightweight sadly though i have seen Many tripods that Are stable and Many that Are lightweight i. Have yet to see one that is both. The problem with lightweight tripods is that As Good As they May be when in extended or extended Halfway they invariably become rickety when extended fully. A heavy camera a or More often a heavy 200mm or 300mm telephoto Lens a will invariably cause a Flimsy tripod to shake. The shake May be barely perceptible to you but guarantee it will be perceptible in your photograph As a nettle some blur or softness in a shot you swore was tack Sharp. Remember that the longer the focal length of the Lens you use the More it will magnify even the slightest Royal treatment fit a tripod is an essential piece of equipment for the serious photographer. Motion during an exposure. My personal preference in tripods is a Small Behemoth from France the Gitzo Model 341 inter Studey. Made of tubular steel and featuring three collapsing legs the tripod extends to 6-feet-4. It is topped by a Gitzo Ball head allowing for Universal movement and Rock solid Locking. Having lugged this thing to hundreds of assignments in its own separate Bagi assumed it weighed the better part of 15 pounds. To my Surprise when i actually weighed it recently i found it weighed a Mere 8 pounds. Though several manufacturers including Slik Cullman and Linhof produce tripods As Well two of the most widely used by professionals and serious amateurs Are those made in France by Gitzo and in Italy by Bogen. Zone i in Vermont also offers two beautifully made wooden tripods specially designed for its 4-by-5-and 8-by-10-Inch Field cameras. Bogen and Gitzo each produce a wide Range of tripods and Mon pods the Bogens tending to be appreciably less expensive than the Glitzos. Bogen also produces a fairly Good line of moderately priced tripods for Amateur shooters especially the 3001 series that has won High Marks from consumer magazines. Prices vary of course but among the serious to ripoffs you can expect to pay at least $150 for a Good one. New travel newsletter concentrates on Thrift by Barbara Shea new Day travel newsletters sometimes come and go faster than to sitcoms but i m rooting for the latest newcomer called the Thrifty traveler. The first Issue offers concise tips on a number of subjects from receiving mail abroad to phoning Home. There s advice for students seniors disabled travellers teachers fliers Drivers campers and just about everyone in. Between. It came about because of wanderlust. Editor and publisher Mary Vanmeer was working in the health Field when a globetrotting Palm Beach Friend made her envious. She started looking into ways someone namely her could travel Well without a Palm Beach budget and discovered there Are Many. Quot it just takes a Little knowledge a Little Effort Quot Vanmeer said. Since she had once published a couple of travel directories she Felt she could come up with something substantial to help people stretch their travel dollars. Pointers Quot the real Point of the newsletter is the instead of giving them a meal teach them How to fish concept Quot she said. Quot i want to give people information they can use while budget travellers May not stay at the same hotels As those who Breeze through the world in first class they tend to see and get More out of their adventures she said. And plenty of Well heeled travellers prefer Small Friendly guest houses to impersonal deluxe lodgings she said. Here Are a few tips that Are elaborated on in the Premier Issue of the Thrifty traveler a consider communicating with your family from abroad by fax. It s cheaper than phoning and quicker than writing just Tell them to drop by their Corner stationery store for news from you and Don t forget to take along its fax number. Better still target a family member who has an office fax. A bargain for everything from souvenirs to hotel rooms wherever a you Are a even in the United states and Canada. It might not work at Saks or the Plaza but on the other hand you won t know until you try. Hotels often come through with discounts when they Are asked for example whether a room is cheaper if you stay several Days or if you Don t want the breakfast that s included in the rate. A never assume anything such As that the rate a hotel preservationist quoted is for a couple instead of per person a be focused yet flexible when planning a trip. Sometimes changing your departure Date just a few hours can put you into a lower fare period. A when you Book always ask if travel insurance is part of the package or charge your trip to a credit card that offers it. The Thrifty traveler costs $23 for 12 issues and a Bonus copy of a directory listing addresses of state tourist offices foreign countries tourist offices in the United states . Embassies abroad foreign embassies Here and other helpful addresses. Write . Box 8168, Clearwater Fla. 34618 in a Bunch of francs from wire reports. If it s vip treatment in France you want you could join the club. Members of club France a promotional program get discounts benefits and travel related Perks in that country the French West indies and a for the first time this be a Sec. Too. At $65 a year membership is tres Cher but the benefits Are considerable free extra nights and upgrades or discounts of up to 50 percent on selected hotels in Paris upgrades or discounts on car rentals special club Tours Ana cruises Paris museum passes and discounts and Hal Price tickets to cultural events and festivals information club France French government tourist office 610 fifth ave., new York n y. 10020-2452. A a a. A a a a a Vienna s museum of Fine arts will be the first in Western Europe to show a collection of jewish sacred Art seized in the ukrainian Diaspora of 1922 and thought lost until 1990, the exhibit runs from sept. 14 to nov. 7. A a a if you re game for travel a and More trivial pursuits a you can Fina plenty of both in the new travel Buff a Quot challenging game of travel two to six ers or teams travel the world testing their knowledge in the arts history sports customs geography and culture. Scheduled to be available in october the game s current Cost is $34.95, including shipping and handling to order Call 1 -800-858-1800. At London s Buckingham Palace it s the changing of the changing of the guard a to every other Day until next april. Because of a shortage 6f soldiers what is normally a daily event during tourist season went to an every other Day Quot Winter Quot schedule on july 16. According to the British tourist authority the guard will now change on Odd Days in August and even in september. Visa card holders can get . Dollars in Moscow at an atm machine in the metropol hotel. A a a a a for travellers who think it s More important to pack the right books than the right clothes politics amp prose has a few suggestions. The Bookstore s latest newsletter recommends appropriate classics of travel literature commentary fiction and history to take along on journeys to Italy Ireland Russia India China Japan and More. India bound leave the weighty a suitable boy Home and pack a paperback Anita Desai or . Naipaul. For a copy of politics amp prose news Call 202 364-1919. R a a a a the state department has gone on line to offer information to travellers via fax 24 hours a Day. Available Are consular information sheets on 196 countries travel tips and bulletins and an update of changes in the previous seven Days. The sheets include a description of the country entry requirements areas of instability and crime medical care and other topics. You can Access an Index and All the information by fax 202 647-3000 by phone 202 647-5225 or by electronic bulletin Board. 202 647-9225. A however Don t look for the old system of advisories cautions notices and warnings that assessed degrees of danger to travellers to countries with unrest. The department phased that out last october and now Only issues warnings for countries so dangerous that the . Government would be unable to assist its citizens. And there is no list of warnings per be. You have to request information on a specific country to find out whether that country is in the warning category. Why the change Quot it s up to the person to assess what is too much risk Quot said a state department spokesman adding that the department wanted out of the advice business. August 12, 1993 stripes Magazine 23
