Love your tripod

Love your tripod

One of the finest tools that you can have is a tripod. It makes certain aspects of photography a breeze. In fact without a tripod certain shots would be virtually impossible. Photographing flowers with superb depth of field for example often requires long exposures. For example I recently shot some Lillie's at F32 for 8 seconds with a macro 100mm lens. A tripod was vital.

Some people think that with the advent of digital photography the tripod is dead. They point to impressive high ISO settings as the answer. But the higher the ISO setting used the lesser the quality of the image becomes. There is no way around this. High ISO settings can get you the shot in some situations but a tripod will often accomplish much more and allow you to achieve a higher quality with sometimes greater creativity. In fact using digital cameras and a tripod you can do more than you dreamed of.

Some point to the anti vibration settings in lenses. these are great. My standard walk around lens has anti vibration technology built in.  This is great but still has significant limitations. Tripods can let you do much much more.  For example perspective alters greatly depending on the height of the camera. If you take all your shots at head height you miss a lot. Sure, at full height we are stable and bending down may make us unstable but there are lots of photo's that look very good from a lower position. A tripod is the key. It gives you a full range of shooting positions.


Are you convinced? So what do you look for?

Look at how well it is made. I use three tripods in the field. Each are light weight but very stable.


So ask the questions.

Is this stable?
How well do the leg mechanisms work? Do they lock easily and have no play?
Is this sturdy? Is it still light enough to carry?
Does the size suit what you are doing when both open or closed?
Is the tripod one that you can carry around all day if that is it's use?

Stability is a given??? Right? Not always. Some tripods have a lot of play. There is no point in having a tripod that you don't use because you can't trust it or it is too difficult to use. If the salesman won't let you check it over then go somewhere else. It's your money and a poor choice could cost you twice if it causes you to miss a great image.

Some of the very light tripods are not so well made. When they get loose there is no way to tighten them up. A good ball head will often have a point at which to tighten the head as it wears in. Worth checking. Two of mine incorporate spirit levels and I use them all the time.On uneven ground the levels are very useful. The concern with some heads is that they add a lot of weight. They feel strong and are smooth but the extra weight can be a drawback to successful photography. Look at the weight carefully. In a studio setting I use a heavy ball head tripod that is really superb but its far too heavy to use in the field.

Leg mechanisms are very interesting. Some twist and lock whereas others have plastic locks. Some loosen easily whereas others can lock up and become hard to use. Careful choices are needed. Cheap plastic locks break easily. I use three tripods in the field. From a mini which is very light to a medium and a large. None of them have cheap locks on the legs. [I was given a very light weight tripod which has cheap locks and it never travels with me. I do actually use it but never on site. I wouldn't trust it.]

So take your time and get a good one. They will last you a long time and often save the shot!