Tripod Head Buyer's Guide: Which Type is Best for Your Needs?
- All the Varied Tripods (and a Tripod Head List)
- For Video: Fluid Tripod Head
- The Gimbal Tripod Head - Which one?
- Geared Tripod Head for Perfection
- Tripod Ball Head Is Close to Do-It-All
- 3-Way Tripod Head
- Tripod Accessories? Yes, They Exist!
- Other Recommended Photography Gear
- The Benefits of Investing In a Quality Tripod for Your Photography
- Carbon Fiber Tripod Vs Aluminum: Which Is Best?
- What Is the Best Tripod Head for Your Needs?
How many of us buy a camera and only one lens? The fact is, many long-term photographers buy a camera body only a lot of the time. We often have several lens needs and wants that won’t be satisfied by one do-it-all lens.
But sometimes, we get a bit of a price break when purchasing a body and lens together; this is a good deal as long as it’s a lens we can use.
A similar situation exists concerning a tripod and the tripod head attached. There are some great do-it-all tripod heads, and we often purchase our tripod with a head already on it.
However, just as there are different types of tripods, there are also different types of tripod heads. Some are designed for a very specific use; others are more multi-purpose. Admittedly, all the choices and options can be confusing at times.
Let’s see what we can find to help clear up any lingering confusion about what tripod head or heads you will want for your photography or videography.
Table of Contents:
All the Varied Tripods and a Tripod Head List
First, we should list some of the most common tripod types and what tripod heads could go with them. Besides the types of tripods, the materials are varied as well. Wood, metal (usually aluminum), and carbon fiber are common construction materials.
General Purpose Tripods are often sold together as tripod legs and a tripod head. In fact, many people probably don’t realize that these are a combination of a tripod head and legs with a center column that raises and lowers.
Many general-purpose tripods are sold at a lower price point and perhaps included in an all-encompassing beginner photography kit. But these can also include very heavy-duty tripod legs for professional use and have pro features such as a horizontal use capability for the center column.
The Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ 263AB100 tripod kit pictured above is an excellent example of a general-purpose tripod.
Video Tripods can be similar to a general-purpose tripod in that they can be on the lower end of the price scale, include a simple video tripod head such as a fluid tripod head, and have an adjustable center column.
Other tripods made for video or cinema use will be different because they do not have a center column but a bowl with leveling adjustments to which we mount a tripod head.
The Vanguard VEO 2 PRO 263CV pictured above is a carbon fiber version of a general-purpose video tripod with a fluid video tripod head.
Travel Tripods are usually general-purpose tripods but more compact and lighter weight. Many of these will also collapse into a very compact size for travel and carrying on photo outings.
Look at the Vanguard VEO 2 S 204AB for an idea of how compact a travel tripod usually is.
Monopods have only one leg, but we still put them in the tripod family because they’re meant for steadying a camera. These can be super heavy-duty and double as a hiking stick, super light, or anywhere in between. Most will hall a simple tripod ball head, but you add any other type of head for your needs.
Tripod Alternatives include anything else meant for steadying a camera rig that doesn’t fall under the tripod or monopod label. Clamps, discs, window mounts, action mounts, bean bags, and other things fit under this label.
A Tripod Ball Head is a simple, durable, and easy-to-adjust tripod head found in small sizes up to large, heavy-duty versions. It is basically a ball and socket, much like your hip and shoulder joints. A subcategory is the Pistol Grip Ball Head.
A 3-Way Tripod Head has separate controls for adjusting along two major axes of movement. Often included as part of a basic, general-purpose tripod. Some manufacturers will call their versions a 2-Way Pan Head, but they’re generally the same thing.
A Fluid Tripod Head is designed primarily for videography and cinematography, such as movie making. These usually don’t have an adjustment in one axis, the one where we turn the camera to portrait orientation. A heavy, viscous fluid for smooth movement dampens the up and down and panning left to right motion.
A Geared Tripod Head is used in both still photography and video or movie making. A full range of motion is common, though these can also be made for videography and lack that one movement referred to earlier. These are made for super precise and repeatable placement and movement.
A Gimbal Tripod Head is a specialty head designed for rapid but steady camera and lens orientation that is beneficial for using ultra-long telephoto lenses. It’s pretty much a heavy-duty camera cradle. Not to be confused with the hand-held Video Stabilization Mounts, which are also called gimbals.
Here is a video from the Vanguard YouTube channel describing one of their tripods that will shed some light on a few of the terms used when describing a tripod or a tripod head:
Vanguard manufactures premium tripods, tripod heads, camera bags, and other accessories that have long been a favorite here at PhotographyTalk. Many types of tripod heads and tripods we discuss in this guide will be illustrated by their fine products.
For Video: Fluid Tripod Head
The fluid tripod head is an important piece of a serious videographer’s gear kit since making smooth video is vital. Not only do we want our video to be steady, but any added movement needs to be well-controlled and dampened for smoothness.
The 2-Way Fluid Head included in the Vanguard Alta Pro 2V 263CVP pictured above is an excellent example of a higher-end fluid tripod head. The Vanguard Alta PH-114V is a lightweight fluid tripod head that can be mounted on many general-purpose tripods.
The Gimbal Tripod Head - Which One?
A gimbal stabilizer is a generic term for a Steadicam video stabilizer for hand-held video or cinema. So it’s not really a tripod head; it’s an all-in-one unit for holding a video rig instead of it being mounted on a tripod.
Geared Tripod Head for Perfection
A geared tripod head is a fairly specialized tool used when repeatability of a setup or very smooth movement is required. Slower in operation than most other tripod head types, these are invaluable when perfection in repeatability of settings is vital, such as in product or technical photography.
Tripod Ball Head Is Close to All-In-One Tripod Head
The tripod head that could be considered a contender for an all-around, general-purpose, all-in-one tripod head is the ball and socket head. These are super easy and swift to adjust because you can change just about everything with one lever lock, moving the rig around as needed.
The image above shows the ball fitting into the socket, which gives these tripod heads their name. The ball tripod head pictured is the super heavy-duty Vanguard VEO BH-250S ball head suitable for professional use.
3-Way Tripod Head
The 3-Way tripod head is another contender for the title of an all-around, general-purpose, all-in-one tripod head. The significant difference between it and the ball and socket tripod head is the separate controls and movements for the different camera positioning axis.
Our example above is the Vanguard VEO PH-36S three-way pan head. When you look at the photography rigs used by us at PhotographyTalk, the tripod head will often be a ball tripod head or a 3-Way tripod head unless we’re doing video.
Tripod Accessories? Yes, They Exist!
Your tripod and a tripod head are already considered accessory items, but there are accessories made especially for tripods as well. Carrying bags, horizontal arms, quick-release mounts, remote shutter releases, and other items help make using these valuable tools easier and better.
Use this tripod and tripod head buyer’s guide to help narrow down what you need for your own photography and videography.
