How to Buy a Versatile Tripod
- The head:
There are two types of heads: ball-heads and 3-way heads.
- The ball-head: The ball-head goes on top of the legs. It helps to easily position your camera and lock it in place. If you were to place your camera directly on top of the tripod’s legs, you wouldn't be able to rotate or tilt it as required by the scene. To connect your camera to the ball head, attach a quick-release plate to the bottom of your camera. Then, lock the quick-release plate onto the top of the ball head.
- The 3-way head: The 3-way head has separate controls for panning, tilting and switching the camera from a horizontal to vertical position. They are very useful when working with level setups, but may not be as easy to align when the tripod is at an angle. Having two different knobs to set pan and tilt position is slower than the single locking knob of a ball head.
- The legs: The legs should be made of good material for stability. The most common materials are aluminum and carbon fiber. Aluminum is a robust, economical material. Carbon fiber is lighter, stronger and reduces vibrations but, it’s also more expensive.
- Legs can be tall or short. If you buy a tall tripod, you’ll get more stability because you won’t need to extend its legs too high. However, taller tripods can be heavier, difficult to carry around and may not fit in your camera bag, carry-on bag or suitcase.
- Leg locking mechanism: There are two common mechanisms: Flip locks and twist locks. Both designs are available from Sirui.
- Legs can be tall or short. If you buy a tall tripod, you’ll get more stability because you won’t need to extend its legs too high. However, taller tripods can be heavier, difficult to carry around and may not fit in your camera bag, carry-on bag or suitcase.
- The center Column: The center column can increase the maximum height of your tripod. However, if you extend the column too high, you’ll lose some stability. Also, some columns can be inverted or switched with a short center column for low angle shots.
- The feet: If you like to go outdoors, you need a tripod with spiked feet.
There are many articles and books that talk about photo gear. However, very few of them talk about tripods. Tripods are meant to provide a stable shooting platform for your camera. Your hands often can’t provide enough stability to achieve sharp photos. Especially when you are shooting in low light conditions or using heavy equipment. Every photographer should at least own two tripods. However, if you can only buy one, choose a versatile tripod that can adjust to most of your needs.
A TRIPOD’S ANATOMY
There are several categories of tripods. However, they all share the same anatomy.
Learning about their anatomy can help you choose the right tripod:
TRIPOD CATEGORIES:
When buying a tripod, it’s also important to know that there are several categories. For instance, there are travel tripods. Those tripods tend to be small and compact. Their big advantage is being small enough to take with you anywhere. The downside of these tripods is they can’t hold too much weight.
There are also full sized tripods that are taller and can hold more weight. However, they tend to be bulky, longer than travel tripods when folded and heavy.
There is no tripod that has it all. However, you can find one that can adjust to most of your needs. For instance, Sirui has a great option. If you are looking for a full-size tripod that’s also portable, check out Sirui T-P Series Professional Tripod Kits. It comes with a ball head, a quick release plate and a short center column.
These tripods were designed with the traveler in mind. They are made of Aircraft Grade Aluminum Alloy. For easy storage and transport, the tripod can fold as small as 13.8 in (35 cm.) —about the size of a 2L water bottle. It weighs as little as 3.8 lb (1.7kg). A TP tripod fits inside a backpack, camera bag or carry-on luggage. The 3 position leg angle locks allow easy setup on any terrain. These tripods also feature a short center column for low angle or macro shooting. If you are a landscape photographer, the Sirui T-2005P tripod comes with retractable spiked feet for added stability.
For more information about these tripods visit: http://argraph.com/Sirui-T-X-Tripod-Model-Kits.html