5. Should I bring a tripod?
Don't let your tripod weigh you down. Know what you like to shoot and not let it get in the way. If you shoot more street than landscapes, a lighter one is better, as it can be attached to your backpack or slung around your shoulder, as you need to move around a lot.
I got myself a Slik Sprint Pro with 3-way head. 1.9kg only, cheap and abuse-able, and can be easily attached to the side of my minitrekker backpack. It is more than enough for a DSLR with a wide angle.
Unless you like to shoot landscape with a telephoto lens with low lighting, then you may like to consider a more sturdy tripod. It need not be taller, height does not matter much.
Table-top tripods are also quite useful, for compact digicams at least, but I don't recommend that for DSLRs, even though you can find one that can hold a heavy load. Just use your bag as the support, it works the same. Set your camera on a 10-sec timer, rest in on your bag, aim, and fire away.
One tip is to tape your tripod legs with cheap gaffer tape. Has more grip and is more resistant to knocks.
-More coming later...-
Don't let your tripod weigh you down. Know what you like to shoot and not let it get in the way. If you shoot more street than landscapes, a lighter one is better, as it can be attached to your backpack or slung around your shoulder, as you need to move around a lot.
I got myself a Slik Sprint Pro with 3-way head. 1.9kg only, cheap and abuse-able, and can be easily attached to the side of my minitrekker backpack. It is more than enough for a DSLR with a wide angle.
Unless you like to shoot landscape with a telephoto lens with low lighting, then you may like to consider a more sturdy tripod. It need not be taller, height does not matter much.
Table-top tripods are also quite useful, for compact digicams at least, but I don't recommend that for DSLRs, even though you can find one that can hold a heavy load. Just use your bag as the support, it works the same. Set your camera on a 10-sec timer, rest in on your bag, aim, and fire away.
One tip is to tape your tripod legs with cheap gaffer tape. Has more grip and is more resistant to knocks.
-More coming later...-