In photography at what point (shutter speed) is using a tripod useless or wont make a difference?

rules of thumb:

consider the focal length:

- 1mm to 50mm -----> a shutter speed of 1/60th is good for hand held

- 50mm or greater -------> a shutter speed that is the inverse of the focal length

i.e. 200mm should use 1/200 sec; 80mm should use 1/80 sec

- lenses with IS.

this depends on the IS technology. and how effective it is. That being said, i've shot 300mm hand held at 1/60 seconds; and it was sharp.

With some lenses, a tripod is a must, no matter what speed. Try shooting with a 600mm lens handheld. For lenses, 300mm 2.8 can be handheld, but is better on a tripod.

For static composition, a tripod is almost always better. You can look at the frame, evaluate it, change as needed, and not worry about body movement. A geared tripod head is really useful for landscape photography.

With a standard lens, using a tripod will help the shots stay sharper for most people, at shutter speeds from 1/250 and lower. If you're standing up, comfortable position, the reciprocal rule is good to 1/60 of a second. 1/focal length is minimum shutter speed. so with a 100mm lens, 1/100 second minimum shutter. Anything below 1/60 is chancey, no matter what lens. If you start going for a low angle, then a tripod will help a lot. If it's cold or windy, then there's another case where a tripod will really help.

I shoot with a 300mm 2.8 handheld, and have gotten decent shots at 1/60 of a second, but it takes a lot more shots to get a sharp one.

here's some more info on tripods and heads:

http://www.cgipix.com/Tripods_Heads_Camera_Equipme...

At no point tripod is useless.

In hand held photography , the inverse of the focal length is recommended as shutter speed to avoid camera shake. So , if the focal length is 200mm shutter speed becomes 1/200 second.Beyond this it is only practice which can keep the camera shake off at lower shutter speeds.

BTW, Tripod is another way to do photography , irrespective of shutter speed and camera shake.

Basically anything over 1/60th doesn't need a tripod because the lens speed is fast enough that the motion of your hand won't fuzz the photo.