Stop Moving, Darn You!

You'd think that studio photography - especially the little product or tabletop stuff - would be easy. I mean, you use a tripod and nothing moves...right? Hah. If I was taking pictures of the Rocky Mountains I'll bet the dang things would quiver on me. Atomic motion, probably. Everything smaller is practically a blur anyway. I have investigated the various means needed to still the life: a. Use a bigger tripod. My largest one is a Gitzo Studex 5 and it is so solid that using it is a chore. b. Use a studio stand. Ha ha. My studio stand is 7 feet tall and vibrates in time with the universe or the underground trains. You can position the cross arm, but any meaningful steadiness is only relative. c. Use a Camera Pod or a bean bag. Actually does help, but a nuisance to reposition. d. Use an OIS lens setting or IBIS. Can't comment on the latter, but the former doesn't help on a tripod as the thing starts to look for a jiggle and jiggles as it does so. I turn it off. e. Change the shutter to an electronic one. The mechanical ones have a miniscule vibration as they work. If you're doing focus bracketing shooting I suspect the vibration builds up. The electronic one is fine with most solid lighting. f. Decouple the tripod head from the legs with a silicone damping pad. g. Flood the thing with so much light or raise the ISO so high that the shutter speeds rise above any vibration. h. Drink less coffee. i. Tell everyone in the house to stop moving and stop the delivery vans from coming down the street. j. Espouse the " artistic " flavour of blur.