I too am going to Paris in March. My 2nd trip, but the first one by myself!! I wondered if any of you photographers would recommend taking a tripod. I'm not sure if it is worth carrying around at night, even though I am really interested in getting night shots. Are the metros too crowded that I would be banging people? I have never used a monopod, but would be willing to buy one if it would be a better option. Thanks! Loved all of the photo op info...I can't wait, a whole week of taking pictures and no one waiting for me to hurry up!!!! Thanks

Much better than a regular tripod is a mini table top model with a C-clamp attached. For more on photography and gear for the road in Europe see my page at www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap12/12-302.htm<BR>John

We tour on bikes and every ounce of gear counts but we take our tripod. Why?<BR>Because we got tired of asking people to take our picture after we had carefully set it up and have them at once change focus, aperture and composition. We have returned with pictures of no heads, legs cut off, Mont St. Michel a blur, a corner of the Trevi showing etc.

I also use a mini tripod - mine doesn't have a C-clamp tho'. It is about the size of a Cigar tube and the legs store inside the tube. It has a screw on the top which fits just about any camera. I've used it with a tiny Pentax UC-1, a heavy Pentax ME and a canon Rebel and it works fine with all of them. Not big enough with heavy telephoto lenses however.<BR><BR>You might want to try some black and white in Paris. I took a couple of rolls of B&W on my last trip to Paris and they turned out fabulous - some of the best photos I've ever taken.

I use a Bogen table top model. It's small enough to fit in a camera bag and sturdy enough for a medium sized zoom lens. I believe they now sell for around $40.00. It comes with a small ballhead attached. Very handy!<BR><BR>Also carry a small flashlight at night. It helps a lot to see your camera adjustments. Monopods don't work for me...you still to need to keep a hand on the camera so it doesn't fall over.<BR><BR>Paris Photos...http://www.jimtardio.com/paris,france.html