Tripod  
                                              

The tripod may be the most important photographic tool you ever purchase aside from the camera, lens and film. No other tool will have as great an impact on the quality and composition of your photographs. Yet, strangely, a quality tripod and tripod head are often the last items new photographers buy. Good tripods can keep camera shake from creating un-sharp photos when shooting at slow shutter speeds ( in low light or at night) or with lenses that are heavy or at great magnifications. Also, tripods allow you to create a composition, step away from the camera, and return without shifting your composition - valuable in landscape, architectural and close-up photography.

Tripod Anatomy - A tripod is composed of a head (where the camera or lens mounts) a collar or neck (additionally this area may include a post), three legs and feet. Each of these components plays a vital role in the overall functioning of the tripod. Starting from the head, here is a brief explanation of the role of each:

Head - Many versions of tripod heads have been created over the years. The head's main function is to offer fluid forward-backward and side-to-side tilt, and to swivel or be panned 360°, all while being capable of firmly locking into any resulting position. Some heads - pan & tilt types - accomplish this via individually controlled handles, with each controlling movement on one of three axes of operation. Others, called ballheads, allow a full range of motion from a single knob that tightens or releases tension on a ball joint. In either case, all locks and handles should operate easily and smoothly. Tripod heads should easily permit use of the camera in both horizontal and vertical positions. Most photographers quickly realize that high quality tripods are capable of accepting various heads, either from the tripod's manufacturer or another. I, for example, use an Bogen ball-head atop a Gitzo 320 tripod.

Heads themselves offer two basic forms for attaching the camera or lens: either via a threaded screw rising out of a flat plate atop the head, or via a separate plate that attaches directly to the bottom of the camera or lens and can be slid into place.

Regardless of head type, you should buy one with a quick-release mechanism, which allows you to quickly remove the camera or lens from the tripod for hand-held shooting, or quickly attach it when you require the tripod's sturdiness.

Legs - The primary requirement for a tripod is sturdiness. If the tripod is too flimsy to firmly support your camera, it's not going to serve its purpose. Construction material is key: Most legs are either made from aluminum alloys, wood, or high tech composites such as carbon fiber (the strongest, lightest, and most expensive). Leg-tube diameter is also important to the legs' overall strength; fatter legs offer more strength. (Also, round tube legs are generally more comfortable to work with and carry.)

Legs telescope, commonly in three segments, though four and five segments can also be found. Choose the number of segments you want in a tripod based on how high you wish the tripod to extend and how compactly you want it to collapse. In general, better-quality tripods offer the best height flexibility while still maintaining strength and stability. But it's important to remember that no matter how good your tripod, basic physics dictates that the farther from the ground you extend your tripod, the less stable it will be.

Collar - this significant, yet often overlooked, area of the tripod is very important. The broader this piece, the more stable the tripod. Most are disc-shaped with three bolt sites where the legs attach. Generally, the collar contains a center post or column. The center post is designed to give additional height flexibility, raising the camera from the collar an additional foot or 18 inches. This center column is best used for fine-tuning. A small number of center-post designs allow a head to be mounted in the inverted position on the bottom of the post; there are also other solutions for this such as clamps. On professional-type tripods, collars with and without a center post may be interchanged.

Feet - Generally, feet are pretty simple. Most are rubber knobs that allow the leg to grip firmly on general surfaces. Watch out for feet with retractable metal spikes as they may damage surfaces such as wooden or tile floors, car rooftops, etc. I prefer feet that can be removed in case I am working in water and need to empty the legs to dry them out.

Deciding on a Tripod

I think of choosing a tripod based on four factors - flexibility, stability, weight, and cost.

Flexibility & Stability - These two factors really go hand in hand. A rock steady tripod is great, but with little flexibility it is pretty useless. Flexibility is critical to your ability to create. By flexibility I mean: How high can the tripod extend and still remain stable? How low can it go? And what are the odd contortions it allows?

A tripod should extend up to your chin when all leg segments are fully extended but the center post isn't extended at all, with the camera mounted on the head sitting at a comfortable eye-level. When evaluating a tripod, partially extend its legs and center column, secure them in place, mark their positions with pencil lines on the legs, then press down on the camera mount with the palm of your hand. There should be no slipping (the pencil lines will indicate this) or bowing of the legs. Try this also with the center post extended. Extend the legs and center column to maximum height and check the tripod for stability by pushing on the camera mount. Does it topple easily? If you still have questions about the stability, ask a store employee to mount a camera and lens similar to your own (don't use your own!) and then have the employee try the same test. If he or she is nervous about trying the test, then that says it all.

Weight - Most people's initial reason for not using a tripod is the weight. Granted, tripods are heavier than using nothing at all, but then again, nothing at all is often the exact result you'll get when you don't use one. Weight means strength, but if it's so heavy that you don't bother taking it along, it also does you no good. The trick is to find the tripod that suits all your needs. Just accept now that if you want better pictures you and your tripod need to get along.

As mentioned earlier, tripods are constructed from a variety of materials. Metal alloys are the most common. Heavy wooden legs have always been the favorite of large-format photographers because their weight insures stability. In the past few years companies such as Gitzo have begun experimenting with carbon fiber and other high-tech, low-weight solutions. As a result, some quality lightweight tripods, excellent for backpacking, are now available but at about twice the price of a similar-quality, metal-alloy tripod.

Cost - Finally, remember that a cheap tripod is worse than no tripod at all. I've seen many a cheap tripod come crashing down, destroying the camera mounted on them. Quality tripods are a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. So spend the money now and improve your picture-taking enjoyment for years.