I am not a fan of tripods. I know I should be because they give you sharper images, but to be honest, I am a bit lazy when it comes to my shooting style. I like to catch a moment a grab the camera and go, and a tripod is normally the first thing I forget to bring! With that said though, if you want to be serious about your shooting, you have to get a tripod, and sometimes you have to use it. This picture is an example of why. I took this photo on a bird watching trip. I was locked onto a tripod and was able to smoothly pan along with this bird snapping photos. Because this little guy was a LONG way off, the tack sharp shot could be cropped down to accent the bird. It is in this times that I have to say, I love my tripod ;)