The Last Time I Used a Tripod - TDS Photo Podcast

This is The Digital Story Podcast 1,067, Sept. 1, 2026. Today's theme is, "The Last Time I Used a Tripod." I'm Derrick Story.

Last Thursday night I was standing in a school parking lot with the Sony RX10 around my neck preparing to take pictures of the lunar eclipse. As I was waiting for a break in the clouds, I wondered, "When is the last time I used a tripod?" It's a question that says a lot about cameras these days, and it's the top story of this week's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Digital Photography Podcast 1067

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The Last Time I Used a Tripod

Normally, when photographing a lunar eclipse, I wouldn't be using a Sony RX10 V with a 1" sensor. But I have this unit on loan and wanted to see how far I could push it.

If you want to read the entire story about this endeavor, with photos of the event itself, check out my Live View article, How Far Can You Push a 1" Sensor.

Traditionally speaking, the camera choice wasn't the most unusual thing that evening. The fact that I had no tripod with me, was.

The last time I photographed the eclipse was May 2021. We were in the middle of the COVID pandemic and standing out in the chilly night air at 4:30 in the morning was one of the few photo activities available at the time.

I remember getting ready for the shoot. I selected my Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 zoom and mounted the rig on one of my tripods. The ISO was set at 1600 for a 1/15th of a second exposure. Fortunately, the sky was clear that night and I got a great shot. It's hanging on the wall at home.

That wasn't the last time I used a tripod, however. Later that year, in November, we were photographing the Heceta Head Lighthouse on t