Tripod Required for Full Frame?

I heard something awhile back, and I'm not sure whether I misheard it or whether it was misinformation.

For a full-frame sensor digital camera, is it true that you absolutely need a tripod, that you can't handhold it if you want good pictures? I ask this specifically with the Nikon D800 in mind (I currently shoot with a D5100).

I think have a tripod will be very helpful
THere's a forum,
http://photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00aIFE?start=10
this guy's suggestion.

Probably a good idea, but absolutely not necessary!

It would depend on what lens you were using on the D800 and the conditions you were shooting in. Your camera holding skills would also play a part. I'd venture to say that if you were using a 50mm lens or a wide angle lens or even a modest telephoto lens outdoors on a sunny day you should be able to hand hold the D800. If you were using, say, a 70-200mm f2.8 or a 300mm prime you'd probably want a tripod. When shooting landscapes with any DSLR - crop sensor or full-frame - a tripod should be used.

Go to a camera store and try hand holding a D800 with a 50mm lens and a 70-200mm f2.8 zoom and see for yourself.

Missinformation

Any camera benefits from being on a tripod as it totally eliminates camera shake. Camera shake will take the edge off the sharpness, images can be slightly blurred.

If you have plenty of light then the camera can use a faster shutter speed that makes hand holding possible, but in low light conditions, when shutter speeds have to be slower to get a correct exposure, then camera shake is much more of a problem.

Extreme Telephoto and Macro lenses make the problem worse, they magnify the image and magnify any camera movement by the same amount and hand holding is almost impossible.

The larger the sensor the smaller the magnification and the cameras are larger and heavier, all these help with reducing camera shake. Good holding technique and practice helps too. Just leaning heavily on a solid object reduces upper body movement.

A tripod totally eliminates the problem of camera shake with any camera.

This holds a little merit with the D800. Camera shake will be more pronounced in the D800's images due to its high resolution. The small details will be blurred by the slightest of camera shake. This will be most noticed while pixel peeping or making extreme enlargements.

But as for absolutely necessary? No.

You must ask yourself, "do I need the D800?"

No.

In fact just the opposite is true. A full frame camera increases the field of view thereby decreasing the lens magnification. That means you can use slower shutter speeds at any given focal length compared to a crop frame camera.

The result it that a tripod is less necessary for a full frame camera than a crop framed camera.