Norway and tripods/monopods in museums/churches

<p>Just wondering how picky they are, since it may influence what I bring. <br>

Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>I can't say anything definitive about the museums but suggest you look at websites. I did not see any tripods at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. It was very busy the whole time and not over-large so I can imagine a tripod could cause problems. There are balconies one can go up to which would suggest use of a beanbag. <br>

The nearby Museum of Norwegian Cultural History is less heavily used and I could imagine if you talk nicely to the people there they might let you use a tripod. <br>

One issue with the churches (including the magnificent example in the Cultural History Museum) is that they are mostly stave churches and often quite small inside. Again the ones I went to were quite busy so tripods would be a hazard especially as the churches are often very dark inside.<br>

I rarely use tripods but instead steadied myself and camera against walls and columns and cranked up the ISO where necessary. The Norwegians are generally polite and positive so I suggest you ask permission and pick times when crowds are smaller. </p><div></div>

<p>Here is a photo taken in the Viking Ship Museum showing both the fairly small size, the reasonably good available light (in summer) and the useful balconies from which photos can be taken.</p><div></div>

<p>I just got back from Norway (December 30) on a winter cruise. I agree with Colin. Increase the ISO, lean up against something, attach a bean bag to the camera via a tripod socket or even a loose bean bag and put the camera on a rail. Bean bags are cheap, easy to carry, and not intrusive. I had what I would call excellent results even with the much more limited light in winter. Dave</p>

<p>Thanks everyone. The beanbag suggestion is one that I'll probably look into further. I have a monopod on which I've adapted Benro monopod feet. The monopod itself is good for a little bit longer shutter time (still trying to decide whether to bring a Plaubel Proshift or a Sony A7s or both...the A7s's high ISO ability making a tripod/monopod a moot point). But I also have a tiny Fuji W3 (3D camera) which absolutely needs 100 ISO, and which works well with the monopod feet and its internal timer. <br>

I just did a search on the website for the Fram Musuem, and there doesn't seem to be any restrictions mentioned. </p>

<p>I usually take a tripod with me, but I do not take it with me when I go into public places like museums. I just up my ISO, and use a fast prime, like a 20, 35 or 50mm f1.8, when I am inside buildings. The smaller and lighter your camera and lens is the better. <br /> I will have a pocket sized tripod that I keep in my pants pocket. I use a black one so it does not stand out like the gorilla brand which is black and white. I just place my camera and lens on it and hide the whole setup with my body. It can be placed on a rail or some other handy stable surface. These are inexpensive and work well as long as the camera and lens are not too heavy. This is one reason why I leave my heavy 24-70mm f2.8 lens at home when I travel. That lens when added to a DSLR is too much weight for the small pocket sized tripods. The one I have is made by UltraPod. <br /> I use the travel tripod outside in early morning and sometimes at night. This gives me a chance to take pictures when the city is just waking up and the light can be beautiful and almost no one is on the streets. <br /> I use bean bags too, but these can be too bulky to take into museums. I try and make sure everything I use in buildings can be hidden by a simple windbreaker or rain jacket. Many museums will make you check a backpack or a belly bag. The camera hidden under the jacket gets through easily all the time. Just make sure the flash does not go off if one is built into the camera.<br /> Joe</p>

<p>A chainpod/ropepod may also work, to some degree.<br>

A chain or rope/cord attached to a 1/4x20 screw that you screw into the tripod socket.<br>

Step on the end of the chain/rope, then put an upward lift pressure on the camera, and the tension on the chain/rope will stabilize the camera in the vertical axis. That makes it easier for you to stabilize the camera in the other 2 axis.<br>

Works better than nothing.</p>

<p>I don't think ( outside of places like India) that there are general rules governing what you're allowed to do and carry onto each site, and the situation is likely to vary from one location to another. To me that means you have to prepare on the basis that you will not be allowed to use tripods in museums, churches etc. Frankly these days its not so much of an issue as it was with the sort of big bulky film cameras I used to use, and its years now since I had to reconcile myself to not photographing in a church say because I couldn't get the ISO/aperture/shutter combination that was going to be any use. Nowadays I can pretty much always find a way to get it hand-held if I need to, and I don't even try to take a tripod into buildings. </p>

<p>Thanks for the advice, everyone. I suspect I'll take along a tripod, Plaubel Proshift and film for outside shots, and then a Sony A7s for the low-light inside shots where tripods aren't allowed. </p>

My solution is a nikon 16-35 f4 lens with VR, image stabilization. If I am shooting at 16 mm, I get about 4 stops of hand holding from the vr, so 1 full second. I brace on pillars, walls chairs and shoot in 3 shot bursts. The 2nd shot with no movement of the shutter finger is usually sharp. Combine half and full second shots with higher iso, you can still use a small enough aperture for enough dof.