Choosing a Tripod
By Patty Hankins & Bill Lawrence
In several of our previous articles, we have recommended (and will
continue to recommend) that one way to improve your photography is to
use a tripod to stabilize your camera. If you don't have a tripod, or
aren't happy with the one that you have, what should you look for when
buying a new one? There are many different brands of tripods, in many
different styles and with wildly different prices. A quick scan of B&H
Photo shows tripods ranging from $18 for the entire system, to over
$2000 for just the legs! How do you know which one is right for you?
Here are a few things to consider that
might help you find one that you're happy with.
Some things to consider are:
Tripod Usage: In an ideal world, photographers would
use a tripod every time they take a photo. Using one can improve almost
every image you take. Some situations where a tripod is particularly
useful include
* when you are taking a long exposure (image subject to "camera
shake"), or
* when you are taking a telephoto shot (long lenses magnify movement
problems) or * when you are taking macro/close-up shots (movement can
be magnified and small depth of field makes focus a challenge).
Support: The purpose of having a tripod is to provide
steady support for your camera. If your tripod can't do this, what's
the point of using it?
The degree of support you will need depends on your camera system.
Make sure that your tripod is rated to support the weight of the biggest
camera and lens combination you're going to put on it.
Our first tripod was an inexpensive light weight one we got at a local
camera store. The first time we took it out with our 35 mm camera and
a 35-70 zoom lens, we watched the camera and tripod shake in a light
breeze. We now use that tripod for our 8 oz. mini digital camera, a
Nikon 775. If you are going to be in conditions such as brisk winds,
you may need a tripod with a little extra support, or a mechanism with
which to steady the tripod (e.g. hanging a weight from the tripod to
plant it more firmly).
Height: If you spend much time working with a camera
on a tripod, hunching over a short tripod gets uncomfortable quickly.
However, if you don't need extra height, why bother with the extra weight
and expense of a taller tripod? Many tripods have a center column that
will raise the camera higher than it would be if only the legs are extended
- however, the camera will be much less steady when raised on a center
column than it will be if the tripod head is sitting directly on top
of the legs without any center column extension.
Weight: Unless you are working in a studio or have an
assistant to carry your tripod for you, chances are you're going to
have to lug your tripod with you to get your shots. Typically, the sturdier
a tripod, the heavier the tripod - so while you might want one with
some extra capacity for sturdiness (who knows when that perfect shot
will happen on a windy day?), you will want a light enough tripod that
you can carry it with you. Believe us, the further you carry your tripod,
the heavier it gets.
For those who really need to avoid the extra weight, you can get a
carbon fiber tripod instead of the more usual aluminum one. While carbon
fiber is lighter than metal, when we last purchased a tripod, the carbon
fiber version was over twice the price of the aluminum
version - so the tradeoff here is for weight is the cost of the tripod.
Flexibility of Movements: This is especially important
in macro photography. Do you need a tripod that goes flat to the ground?
If so, then you may want to look for a tripod that can do this. We have
one tripod that, while it works fine for general use, is the one specifically
set aside for macro work, because it will easily go flat to the ground,
and can be extended out from a flat position to get low angle shots
low to the ground (e.g. flower shots). For
those of you doing photo restoration and copy work, some tripods will
let you mount the camera under the tripod center, so that you can point
the camera at the ground between the legs - this can make a convenient
copy stand to use your camera to copy photographs or documents.
Tripod Head: It was not until we seriously got into photography
that we realized that for many good tripods, the tripod head (the part
that attaches your camera to the tripod legs) is frequently sold separately
from the legs. This makes a lot of sense - just because
the legs meet your requirements doesn't mean that the standard head
will. You want the head to be able to let you move the camera in a number
of ways, so that you can tilt it up or down, put it in portrait or landscape
orientation, and adjust for any tilts of the tripod legs, and do all
this quickly enough that you can get the photo.
The two main types of heads are "pan heads", which usually
have two controls for two axis of movements (i.e. one for forward-back
tilt, and one for left-right tilt). The other usual type is a "ball
head" with which the camera is mounted on a ball that can be rotated
into
a number of positions, and when the camera is in the right position,
a screw or lever clamps the ball so the camera doesn't move. We're both
fans of ball heads - with a little practice they are much easier to
use to get the camera into a variety of positions quickly. Other people
prefer pan heads, though, so it is a matter of personal preference.
We've been quite happy with Acratech ballheads ( http://acratech.net
), which are sturdy ballheads that are also quite light.
Portability: Do you travel with your tripod? If you fly
with it, it will almost assuredly need to be in your checked baggage.
One of our criteria for tripods is that they fold up small enough to
fit in our medium size suitcase. If you backpack with a tripod, the
collapsed size of the tripod and the weight will be one of the driving
factors in the choice. On the other hand, if the tripod mainly goes
from the trunk of your car to a nearby location, this might not be as
important a factor in your choice.
Cost: As with any camera gear, you want to consider what
you can afford, and find the best tripod for you within your budget.
Tripod manufacturers are not stupid - typically, for the features listed
above, you will pay to get more performance. On the other hand, a
high-quality tripod can serve you for a number of years, so consider
getting one that meets your needs as much as possible, to avoid "outgrowing"
it in the future.
We have photos of our tripods on the web version of the article on
our site (www.hankinslawrenceimages.com
) - check them out!
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Patty Hankins & Bill Lawrence
are the co-owners of Hankins-Lawrence Images, LLC, a digital photography
company based in Maryland.
HLI Photonotes, their monthly ezine, provides
information andtips for photographers.
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with subscribe in the subject or visit www.hankinslawrenceimages.com.
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