I've never used a tripod with models.  Shutterspeed above 1/125 and a good lens works for me.

See expanded thoughts below.

Sorry, I was posting earlier in a hurry, and that didn't quite come out the way I intended.  You are right, they do essentially balance out, but the other nice thing you get with longer lenses is a more natural perspective and less distortion of facial features, etc.  Obviously this all depends on circumstances, because if you want to shoot full length on a long lens you need lots of room to back up.

Yes, you have more camera shake, but even 1/125 should be hand holdable on a 100mm, especially if it has IS.  A prime will be sharper at lower apertures than a zoom, which means if you don't need a huge DOF you can use a wider aperture without having to worry as much about lens distortion, vignetting, and corner sharpness issues.

Thanks everyone - I really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the subject. Are there any Nikon-made lenses you would recommend that would deliver what I'm looking for? I recently purchased a Nikkor 18-200mm and a Nikkor 50mm/1.8, probably not going to accomplish what I'm after.

If you use a longer focal length, then the DOF reduces with the same distance to the object.

Wrong. DOF does NOT change if you change focal length and focus in the same distance. Only changing the shooting distance, focus distance or aperture changes DOF.

I'm surprised that none of you guys seem to depend on flash for your shots, which gives an effective exposure time of perhaps 1/8000s. Not much chance of camera shake at those speeds and relying on a tripod to try to prevent it would be ridiculous.

The problem are sync speeds. They only go up to 250th or 200th. Even then you can sometimes see the shutter. I usually stay at 1/160th with my 5d II.

I'd like sync speed of 1/1000th, then I wouldn't have to use nd filters when shooting open wide.

He�s getting old and shaky....

Quote from: BaldricksTrousers on September 27, 2010, 15:15

I'm surprised that none of you guys seem to depend on flash for your shots, which gives an effective exposure time of perhaps 1/8000s. Not much chance of camera shake at those speeds and relying on a tripod to try to prevent it would be ridiculous.

The problem are sync speeds. They only go up to 250th or 200th. Even then you can sometimes see the shutter. I usually stay at 1/160th with my 5d II.

I'd like sync speed of 1/1000th, then I wouldn't have to use nd filters when shooting open wide.

Sync's  a different issue, though. I also find that 1/160 is as high as it is reasonably safe to go with the 5D MkII.  For high synch speeds you need a camera with a leaf shutter which either means going to film or spending an awful lot of money.

Quote from: averil on September 27, 2010, 16:44

Yuri says he uses a monopod when shooting models because he can't guarantee to get the focus spot on if he hand holds the camera.

It's a shame he can't keep still, he's lucky to have models who can

I suppose if your focus is absolutely critical to within less than an inch, then using a tripod would halve the risk of error (only the model is swaying too and fro, not both the model and the photographer). However, a monopod doesn't reduce that problem, it still moves from side to side and back and forth with the photographer, so it would seem that Yuri is talking nonsense. Monopods are great for sports if you have a heavy set-up that you want to swivel too and fro, they are not for model shoots. Perhaps Yuri just wants to hamper all his potential rivals by persuading them to fix a stick to the bottom of their cameras.

I disagree, Monopods definately help to take sharper images with a slower shutterspeed. I know, because I have a monopod. Of course you still can move, but movement is less than hand holding. However if you are shooting reasonable wide open with a good prime or lets take the excellent Nikon 24-70 2,8 you usally do not need a tripod or a monopod if you have resonable light. Of course tripods and monopods help if you shoot at f8 at iso 100... All depends what you want to do.

I agree that in studio shoots with strobes the problem is not hand-shake but finding and maintaining focus.  But I'm not sure that a monopod is the best answer.  It may be if other factors are well controlled.  For example a good camera with a top-quality lens - not so much optical quality but speed and accuracy of focus.  Also I suspect that possibly a pro model is good at holding a pose yet still appearing spontaneous and natural.  If all these other factors are controlled, then maybe a monopod will help prevent one's hands from jiggling the camera enough to throw off focus in the split second between focus lock and exposure.  DOF is also a factor, shallow isolates the subject better and may be in the lens's "sweet spot" but deeper results in better sharpness of the subject.  A large studio probably helps so you can keep the subject well away from the background.  In other words while skill is important, $$$ makes the world go round.  You can see how an image factory has an advantage in this area because of better equipment, more space and better models.

In my shooting it seems that around 1/2 of the studio shots have to be discarded because the model's eyes are not "tack sharp" due to focus not being spot on.  I take a lot of shots of course but frequently a pose that I really like hasn't a single sharp image.  If I manage to stick in this industry and thrive, I will have to eventually move up to better equipment, bigger studio and then maybe a really good monopod.

Usually it is making your exposure at about double focal lenght of your lens. For example if you are shooting with 100mm (not crop), you'd need to make exposure at about 1/200s - lights and aperture are dependable here.

If you need slower shutter speeds then you'd need lens with lower focal lengths.

If you need to do some trick with making your exposure closer to lens focal length number then you'd surely need tripod or monopod to assure you get it all sharp as you wish.

Techniques of shooting with tripod/monopod are all similar and what is crucial is to minimize movement of shutter while exposing or to be more on spot: to minimize vibration.

I hope this helps.

The problem are sync speeds. They only go up to 250th or 200th. Even then you can sometimes see the shutter. I usually stay at 1/160th with my 5d II.

Correct. Even at 1/160, you can see a slight curtain effect, easily solved by a PS gradient. I would never go higher with the 5DII.
Flash might be only a few microseconds but the few studios I saw have "false" daylight. Your highlights might still have slight motion blur. A tripod is very awkward in studio but a monopod is as good. I have the carbon fiber Manfrotto which is very light to travel with. Press it firmly against your eye to exploit the inertia of your head in avoiding the click vibration.