Video is Big – So Choose the Right Tripod
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- By 2017, video content will be approximately 70 percent of all global consumer Web traffic.
- Consumers retain the information presented in visual content at a rate of 65 percent, but only 10 percent for text.
- Research has shown that providing consumers with a video presentation of a product, which they view before making a purchase, results in less than a 50-percent return rate.
- During December 2013, the average American spent almost 20 hours watching online videos.
My how times change! It was just a few years ago that a significant number of professional photographers had no interest in shooting video with their DSLRs. In fact, many considered its video capabilities a nuisance. During the interim, however, digital media and marketing – social media, in particular – have driven a huge demand for video content.
With this explosion in online video content, it has been proven again and again that people respond better to a professionally produced video, which means there is a huge market for professional photographers and videographers and aspiring part-timers. Competition will compel businesses large and small to hire professionals to shoot their video content.
Whether you’re a professional ready to grab your share of this burgeoning market or a hobbyist, enthusiast or serious amateur that wants to shoot better quality video with your DSLR, using a video tripod is essential.
Think of a video tripod as a standard tripod on steroids: it’s more ruggedly constructed, heavier (but not too heavy), stronger, more stable and enhanced with many features specifically for the video-shooting environment.
Although the design and construction of a video tripod’s legs are extremely important, the most important part is the ball head or gimbal head you attached to the top. Unlike still photography, videography requires camera movement in both the horizontal plane, or panning, and vertical plane, or tilting. You may have to invest a bit more money, but it’s best to buy a video tripod and the best, compatible head separately. You want the motion of your DSLR or camcorder to be as smooth and as fluid as possible if your goal is high quality, professional-grade video capture.
The conundrum for many photographers is that they now find themselves shooting both stills and video, which might lead them to believe they need two different tripods – and they’d be correct. Argraph has a much better solution, however, the Sirui R-X Series Photo/Video Tripod. It has been designed and manufactured to serve both needs.
Undoubtedly, your first impression of any of the Sirui R-X photo/video tripods is its strength and stability. Most standard tripods built with carbon fiber are usually manufactured with 8 layers. The Sirui R-X tripods, however, are 10-layer carbon fiber; and, of course, carbon fiber is not only known for its strength, but also its lighter weight. Even the largest R-X model, the R-5214XL, only weighs 6.2 lbs. (2.8kg). This strength translates into another important feature of a video tripod, its load capacity. DSLRs and camcorders with big telephoto lens can pack on the pounds, but the Sirui R-X tripods have a load-capacity range of 55.1 lbs. (25kg) to 66.1 lbs. (30kg).
What is likely to excite you the most about the Sirui R-X Series is that the top platform accepts either the Sirui K-40X Professional Ball Head or the Sirui PH-20 Gimbal Head for still photography. For video, you can remove the top platform and attach the optional Y75B 75mm Leveling Ball Set, and then any of the Sirui Professional Fluid Video Heads.
Argraph has built the Sirui R-X tripods with what it calls the Pull-Out Leg Angle Locking System. You’ll spend less time adjusting the angle of the separate legs; and they automatically lock. If you expect to be shooting more landscapes and nature images, then you can replace the standard rubber feet with the optional stainless steel spikes to anchor your Sirui R-X tripods securely to any natural surface and keep it still during windy conditions.
All this attention to the details of the leg construction results in a photo/video tripod that can operate very stable at maximum height – and these Sirui R-X Series tripods range from just shy of 5 feet, or 59.1 inches (1.5m), to a just bit more than 6’ 6”, or 78.7 inches (2m). All four of the Sirui R-X Series of photo/video tripod kits include a custom case, padded shoulder strap and a set of tools. When purchased from a US authorized dealer, your Sirui video tripod is covered by Sirui’s 6-year US warranty.
There is much more to discover about the Sirui R-X Series when you visithttp://argraph.com/Sirui-RX-Broadcast-Tripod-Series.html#top2.