Old Montreal at Night

[Mars Observer]

Had a difficult time getting a good 'hand held' 5 second night shot (braced against a lamp post). Is hand-held a 'lost cause' at this shutter speed? Maybe I should have gone for a higher/noisier film speed???

[Jason]

I would definitely go with a tripod at that speed. It's just about impossible to hand hold for 5 seconds. Another thing you could try is using one of the benches, or the top of a covered trash can and having the camera sit on that if you don't have a tripod handy. You could use the timer so that you don't get any vibration from pushing the shutter button.

[Bambi]

not sure if a string tripod might help but at least you can carry it in your pocket

String Tripod

[Mad Aussie]

Rough rule of thumb ... match your shutter speed to your focal length as a minimum requirement.
In other words ... if you are shooting 100mm ... then 1/100th or faster ... if you are shooting 35mm then 1/35th or faster.
Having IS or VR etc helps to extend this rule a little.
Also remember that many people (human or animal subjects) can't hold still enough to remain sharp under about 1/60th.

[Mad Aussie]

A bean bag is another cheap option. You can sew up a small rectangle or triangle bean bag for very few dollars that is handy as a tripod where you can sit it on something.
Bean bags are light, small enough to fit into your camera bag if it's a good size bag and double as a cushion.

[Mars Observer]

Thanks for the tips all! I'd looking forward to trying some of the 'improv tripod' ideas (beanbag, string, etc.). Thanks again!

[scorpio_e]

Even a using a camera bag as a stationary mount might work in the self timer mode.