![\"Main](\"http:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/cold_columbus_morning3.jpg\")
<\/a> Main Street Bridge – Fujifilm X-T1 with Fujinon XF 16-55mm f\/2.8 @ 16mm, f\/8, 1.9s<\/figure>\nOf course, one of the biggest reasons to shoot with a tripod is to allow for shooting with slow shutter speeds. Whether shooting landscapes and cityscapes at night, long exposures to show movement of people or exposures in conjunction with dark ND filters to show movement during daylight scenes, slow shutter speeds open up a world of shooting that you simply can’t do without a tripod or other stable support system.<\/p>\n
If you’ve never shot at night, you’re missing out on a huge world of shooting. Places look different at night. Cities light up with streetlights, windows glow and signs blare in rich vivid color. The motion of headlights and tail lights add interesting trails to your images. Using a tripod makes capturing these scenes easy, and the rich color of twilight is one of the ideal times to be out shooting. Sure, with today’s sensors and fast glass, you can capture scenes at night while shooting handheld, but this invariably means very high ISOs and shallower depth of field. This can be great in the right circumstances, but often you’ll want the added depth of field and sharpness from shooting at f\/8 or f\/11, combined with the silky smooth images and better tonal and color response of shooting at base ISO instead of ISO 6400 or 12,800.<\/p>\n Another key reason to use slow shutter speeds is to convey movement. Whether showing the motion of flowing water to obtain that silky look to waterfalls, blurring the movement of people while the background stay sharp or capturing the sweep of clouds over time, long exposures can add a dynamic element to your photos. This can open a new avenue for creativity that isn’t there when you’re limited to shutter speeds of 1\/4 second or faster, even with the very best image stabilizer systems.<\/p>\n Precise framing can be done handheld, but having a tripod allows you to truly crop in camera, making sure the camera is positioned exactly where you want it. It also allows you to get shots that are dangerous or uncomfortable to get otherwise. The image to the right is a key example.<\/p>\n I’d taken shots of this little pool in the middle of a waterfall on several occasions, but this angle is nearly impossible to get without a tripod, at least without putting yourself at serious risk for harm. There’s no easy access to the front of this waterfall, as the water empties into a deep gorge pool before the stream continuous on and thins out. The ground level area where shooting is available is in a much lower position, and the pool becomes invisible. There’s a bridge (that forms the top of the image) that allows shots from above, and shots from behind the falls are also easy to get. But this angle? There’s no position to get there shooting handheld.<\/p>\n My tripod allows the center column to come out and swivel, providing a boom arm of sorts. It’s not the most stable in this position, but it works fine if there’s no wind. I braced two of the tripod legs against the side of the gorge wall, then held the third with my hands against the rock on top. The camera was then pushed out away from me over the center of the gorge. Doing this handheld would have put me at extreme risk of falling into the gorge. Instead, I was able to position the camera perfectly and stably (this is a 15 second exposure).<\/p>\n Position is also important when shooting low to the ground. It’s very awkward to try to shoot low to the ground without a tripod, but with today’s mirrorless cameras, it’s easy. Tilt screens add visibility from above, and in the worst cases, remote shooting with your phone allows you to see the scene and position your tripod for the exact composition you desire. The image below was just such a shot.<\/p>\n Slowing yourself down is often a good thing. You pay more attention to precise composition and you have time to sweep the frame for distracting elements and adjust. This is something that all photographers should do, and having time to evaluate the image on the rear LCD or in the viewfinder makes a world of difference. If I go out for an hour shooting handheld, I might come back with 50-60 images. If I go out with a tripod for an hour, I might only come back with 10-20. And invariably, I have more keepers in the 20 shots from a tripod, predominantly due to better composition.<\/p>\n One thing I do to save time and that I find improves my shooting: I find the spot and framing before setting up the tripod. I look for the perspective I want by adjusting my distance to the subject. Then I move my head up and down, from side to side, refining the alignment of elements in the frame and finding the best angle from which to shoot with the field of view I plan on capturing in the back of my mind as a consideration. Then<\/i> I set my tripod up in that exact position, select the focal length I want to capture the field of view I want, fine tune the composition and take the photo.<\/p>\n So, while shooting with a tripod isn’t always practical or desirable, I find it an essential piece of kit, especially for landscape work, and may other types of shooting benefit greatly when a tripod is added to the mix.<\/p>\n However, there are tons of tripods out there: How do you pick one?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tripods come in many different sizes, are made from many different materials, and come at many different price points. Which should you choose? For many photographers, different needs, desires and budgets will lead to different choices, but there are several things to consider, and several things that I feel are essential in choosing a good tripod. There are two parts of a tripod, and if you’re getting something good, you’ll likely buy them separately: Legs, which are the tripod platform and the three supporting legs, and the head, on which the camera sits and is positioned. For both, there is one hard and fast rule:<\/p>\n This is the number one rule in purchasing a tripod. It doesn’t mean you can’t get great value for your money, but it is essential to not go for dirt cheap tripods. When choosing a budget for a good everyday tripod, I think the absolute lowest number that you should really consider is about $400 for the head and legs combined. This is a good starting price point if you’re OK knowing you’ll likely upgrade that set later on. If you go for a quality carbon fiber tripod with a good ball head, you’ll likely start around the $700 range, which is about what my main tripod and head cost together.<\/p>\n If you read a lot about photography, you may have come across a rather good article<\/a> by Thom Hogan that states, “You can spend US$1700 to buy a good tripod and head, or you can spend US$1000 and do the same thing.” It’s definitely worth a read. The point is: those $30-$50 aluminum tripods with the joined legs and plastic pan\/tilt heads? They are complete and utter junk and should never be purchased. Just stay away…far away.<\/p>\n While I don’t think it’s essential to spend $1000 on your tripod, the points he makes are very good. Skimp now, and you’ll eventually upgrade later, by choice or by necessity. Buy good quality now, and your tripod will serve you for years and years…maybe even decades. Not only will good tripods last, but they are much more stable, are often easier to work with in the field and will be a joy to use rather than a frustrating experience. So let’s dive in.<\/p>\n The legs are often what people refer to as the tripod proper. They include three legs with telescoping sections to adjust height, a platform for the head, and may or may not have a center column for further adjustment of height (or positioning in the case of some models). There are two key features that every set of legs should have:<\/p>\n First, they should be independently adjustable. Any tripod set that links the legs isn’t going to work well in the field, and almost all of them that do (except for some specialty huge sets of legs) are super cheap. The legs should be able to be set to different angles, and should have at least three different angle settings, from about a 25 degree angle, to essentially horizontal, to allow for level positioning on a variety of terrain. Often, you’ll be on a slope, or a ledge, or some other area where one or two legs need to be out at a more severe angle than another leg, and this ability will make all the difference for both stability of the shot, and the security of your gear.<\/p>\n Second, the legs should either have no center column, a short center column, or a long center column that can be positioned horizontally. This is key, as it will allow you to set the tripod low to the ground. If a long center column can’t be removed or positioned horizontally, the lowest you will be able to set up is around 2.5 feet above the ground. With a short column, no column, or horizontally positioned column, that height can drop to around 4-6 inches, when the height of the ball head is considered. For the absolute greatest stability, a set of legs with no center column is best, but for what I shoot, I find the difference between no column and a column that isn’t extended to be negligible, and when there isn’t wind, the minor quick height adjustment that a center column provides can be valuable. I very rarely shoot with the column extended, however.<\/p>\n Two key consideration when choosing tripod legs are the height and the number of sections in the legs. More sections in the legs means a smaller size when collapsed, but also means a bit less stability while in-use. For my main tripod, I’ve always preferred three section legs (meaning two extending leg locks). Two locks are faster to set up in the field and the whole tripod remains very sturdy even when the legs are fully extended.<\/p>\n My travel tripod uses 5 leg sections, which allows it to fold up to only 15″ in length, which is fantastic for airplane travel, as it easily fits in my carry-on bag, but the legs flex a bit more than I’d like when stability is key. However, that’s one of the reasons I own two tripods: my main pod is great for most everything I regularly shoot, and the compact size of my travel tripod is handy for the times I’m flying, especially if photography isn’t the primary reason for my trip.<\/p>\n Height is very important in choosing a tripod. I prefer to have my main tripod be able to put the camera at or very near my eye level when standing, without the center column extended. This allows me to shoot from a stable platform without stooping, and it gives me freedom of composition with regards to camera height.<\/p>\n There are lots of different materials with which to make a tripod, but the two most common are aluminum and carbon fiber.<\/p>\n Aluminum is a relatively lightweight and very strong metal that has been used for decades for tripods. Aluminum tripods can be extremely stable and generally are affordable. A decent aluminum tripod from a good manufacturer with plenty of height and solid leg sections can run as little as $250. The big downside is weight. Compared to their carbon fiber brethren, aluminum tripods are pretty heavy. I still have my first tripod, a Manfrotto 3021BPro Aluminum pod. It served me pretty well for about 4 or 5 years, but I simply got sick of the weight and left it at home more often than not.<\/p>\n Carbon fiber, on the other hand, is significantly lighter and has comparable strength with a much thinner leg wall. Carbon fiber also has the added benefit of transmitting fewer vibrations through the legs, so you’ll get a stabler platform with a carbon fiber tripod as well, though in most cases, the difference won’t be noticeable. However, it could have an impact with long glass if it’s windy, or if the legs are in a moving stream.<\/p>\n The down side to carbon fiber is cost. The ‘bargain brand’ carbon fiber tripods of good quality start at around $400 for a set of legs and move up from there. Moving to the high-end with something like the Really Right Stuff TVC-33 will set you back $925 just for the legs. Is carbon fiber worth the price? In my opinion, yes. The weight savings alone is worth the extra expense (though in my case I got my legs in a clearance sale and paid similar to what I’d have paid for a good aluminum tripod.)<\/p>\n Also worth considering is the type of leg lock that is used. Some people really love flip lock levers, while others strongly prefer twist locks. I was originally in the former category, but have been converted to the twist-lock line of thought. I find twist locks to be faster in the field, as it’s easy to simply unlock everything on each leg with one twist. Tension also doesn’t need to be periodically adjusted since the amount of locking force is determined when you twist the lock down.<\/p>\n There are a lot of good tripod brands, with many manufacturers at a range of price points creating very high quality stuff. The top of the line may have a bit finer workmanship, but I don’t know if it’s worth that extra cost in many situations. Some would argue otherwise. The top-tier manufacturers are Gitzo and Really Right Stuff. Both have extremely good reputations for reliability and craftsmanship. They are also extremely expensive. A number of other brands sit ‘below’ the top two in reputation, but have tripods that are extremely competitive. Benro, Feisol, Induro and Sirui have made a positive impact in the space, producing relatively high quality products at much lower prices. Manfrotto is a maker that spans from the low-end to the high-end, and generally makes good gear as well. Some would argue that brands like Benro and Induro make stuff that simply wont last. These makers are new enough to the mainstream that their pods haven’t been stress tested for decades in the field to see whether that’s the case, but in my experience with Induro, it’s not something to worry too much about.<\/p>\n My own main tripod is an Induro CX-213 carbon fiber 3 section tripod with a center column that can be moved horizontally. I’ve had these legs for about 5 years now, and they are still in fantastic shape, operate smoothly and quickly and provide a very stable platform for my shooting. If I were shooting with f\/2.8 supertelephotos, I may want something a bit more robust, but for my mirrorless kit, even with some heavy adapted glass, it is more than enough. The current model that is similar to mine, the CT213, is only $389 for the legs. I’ve had no complaints at all with reliability or wear. While there are nicks and dents here and there in some of the metal fittings, and some scuffs on the carbon fiber, it operates and locks like it did the day I brought it home.<\/p>\n My travel tripod, is from MeFoto, which is a brand of Benro. These little tripods come in a range of sizes and a wide range of different colors as well. I have the RoadTrip, which is a 5 section pod that goes up to about 46″ without the column extended, and supports my mirrorless kit well. The 5 sections compromise stability when its windy, but I’ve had great success in calm environments. I chose the aluminum version of the RoadTrip, since it’s already quite light, and it isn’t my main pod.<\/p>\n My two tripods aren’t the ‘best’ tripods out there, but they were carefully considered and fit my budget, while providing durable, solid pods that fit how I shoot. There are a lot of choices out there, and research is essential, but as I’ve outlined above, knowing what you want can help a lot. So now let’s move on to heads.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Choosing a tripod head can be even more difficult than choosing a set of legs. There are a tremendous number of heads available, and several different types. I’m going to briefly go over a few types of heads here, and then concentrate on the one type that most photographers are going to end up with.<\/p>\n There are four main types of photographic tripod heads. There’s the Pan\/Tilt head, the Ball Head, the Geared Head and the Gimbal Head.<\/p>\n Pan\/Tilt:<\/strong><\/span> Pan\/Tilt heads provide a flat platform to mount the camera, and then the camera position is independently adjusted in three different axes. One pans, or rotates horizontally, the others ’tilt’ or move up an down and over to the side. Pan\/tilt heads are commonly found on the ultra-cheapo tripods you get at Wal-Mart, but you can also get really nice pan\/tilt heads as well. Pan\/tilt heads are generally preferred by videographers, as control over one axis of motion is very desirable. Fluid pan\/tilt heads are ideal for video. They also can provide some degree of deliberate control. I personally find them to be too fiddly in the field for still photography and they make fine adjustments slower than with a Ball Head.<\/p>\n Ball Head<\/strong><\/span> The ball head is the most popular type of head, and the one that I would recommend for the vast majority of photographers. A ball head uses a platform mounted on a metal or resin ball that is within a cup. The locking knob, when released, allows the photographer to move the camera in any direction in all axes simultaneously. This aids in precise framing and speed. Twisting the locking knob locks everything down tight. Most ball heads also have a separate panning control, which is used when positioning the camera to utilize the drop notch for horizontals, as well as for easy panning once a composition has been made for panorama shooting or for quick horizontal adjustments without releasing the ball. Ball heads are fast and secure and very easy to use.<\/p>\n Geared Head<\/strong><\/span> A geared head is a fairly specialized head that is used for extremely precise positioning of a camera, and is especially useful with large and heavy cameras, such as medium and large format systems. Geared heads are similar to pan\/tilt heads, but instead of a locking position and general movement by the photographer, the movement of each axis is controlled by a geared knob, which allows for pinpoint precision in adjustment, at the expense of speed. A good geared heads is generally very expensive, but can be worth it if you need its capabilities or the support it can provide.<\/p>\n Gimbal Head<\/strong><\/span> A gimbal head is also a specialized head, but one that can be essential for wildlife shooters. Gimbal heads are made for use with large supertelephoto lenses, and provide a pivoting ‘cradle’ if you will, that allows for extremely quick adjustment of position with lenses such as a 600mm f\/4. The lens can be balanced in the head to allow for adjustment with very gentle pushes on the camera and lens, but yet retain strong and steady support.<\/p>\n I am not particularly well versed in the many varieties of the other tripod heads mentioned above, and since the vast majority of serious photographers use ball heads for everyday use, I’m going to stay focused on this type. A quality ball head is going to cost you generally between $250 and $500. Ball heads come in all sorts of sizes and capabilities, but there are a few key considerations when purchasing. First, you want to buy a head that is well made and locks solidly. Cheaper ball heads can sometimes have a bit of movement after locking the ball, and at worst, they can slip out altogether. A good head will hold the rated load rock solid at any angle that you wish.<\/p>\n A key feature that I view as very important is a separate friction control All ball heads have a main locking knob and a panning lock, but not all of them have friction control. Friction control is a third knob (or sometimes a dial inside the main locking knob) that sets how loose the ball head is when the main lock is fully released. A ball head without friction control will release the ball to complete slop when unlocked. This isn’t ideal, as it can cause your camera to slam down suddenly, hitting the lens against the tripod legs or another object, or even worse, causing your tripod to go over if it isn’t solidly positioned. The knob allows you to set a friction that you like that will keep some tension in the head, preventing the camera from flopping, while still allowing you to position the camera where you need it deliberately.<\/p>\n In my opinion, one of the very most important things you can do when choosing a head is to choose one that uses the Arca-Swiss style quick release system. There are many head manufacturers that use proprietary quick release clamps and plates, and I don’t recommend using those QR systems. First of all, the plates are often awkward in size, or they don’t grip very well on some bodies or lenses, and can cause shifting and rotation in the quick release plate. If you like one of the heads from these makers, it is often possible to replace the clamp. I did so on my first ballhead, which was a Manfrotto 488RC2. I replaced the RC2 clamp with an Arca-Swiss style clamp from Kirk.<\/p>\n The Arca-Swiss style quick release is used by most of the top-tier ball head manufacturers and for good reason: The plates can be custom-made to fit your specific camera or lens, which allows for direct metal to metal contact and absolutely zero flex between the tripod and your camera. This reduces droop after locking down the tripod and prevents the plate from twisting off your camera in use. It’s also extremely secure.<\/p>\n The Arca-Swiss style quick release uses two jaws that clamp onto an angled dovetail plate to securely mate the camera and the head. Generally the jaws are tightened with a screw-knob, though lever style releases are made by Really Right Stuff. The custom plates for an A\/S style system can get somewhat expensive, with body plates starting around $50 and moving up to $150 or so for some L-bracket styles, but in my opinion, it’s not worth getting a serious tripod without an A\/S style quick release system.<\/p>\n There are many great ball head makers, and most of them have a similar style to the head. In my opinion, the manufacturers with which to start your search for a good head are Really Right Stuff, Kirk, Markins, Arca-Swiss, Photo Clam and Acratech. All of these makers have quality heads that should last years and years and hold the gear solid. All of them also use Arca-Swiss style quick releases.<\/p>\n It’s worth noting that while all these brands are good, many brands, even the excellent ones, tend to exaggerate the load capacity of their heads a bit. Take some of the extreme capacities with a grain of salt. It may be technically capable of holding such a load, but not without a bit of creep or poor handling. Kirk and Really Right Stuff seem to be exceptions to this rule: they generally are right on with their expected capacities.<\/p>\n The two ball heads I use are the Really Right Stuff BH-40, which sits on my main tripod, and the Photo Clam PC-36, which I use on my MeFoto Road Trip. Both are very good heads. The Photo Clam is a bargain price with great stability, silky smooth action in most environments and decent capacity. It’s not perfect: it can get a bit sticky in extreme cold, and the pan lock isn’t super strong, but it does a nice job. The BH-40, on the other hand, has a few ergonomic concerns, but it simply locks down like a rock with a quick 1\/4 turn of the locking lever. It’s great for the moderate loads I use with my mirrorless systems. For those who use heavier gear, especially larger telephoto lenses, the BH-55 may be worth a look as well. When I purchased the BH-40, the Kirk BH-3 was also very high on my list. The Kirk heads are simple, with no frills, but from all accounts, they are absolutely rock solid and last forever.<\/p>\n While I really like the two heads I use most often, I definitely would recommend exploring the options in this space. Read reviews and if you’re lucky enough to live near a photo store that caters to pros, see if you can get your hands on some of them. Unfortunately, many of the best brands only sell direct, so trying before buying can be difficult, but research can help a lot here.<\/p>\n There’s a lot to consider when buying a tripod. It can be a significant investment and the number of choices is mind-boggling. Exploring all the options is daunting, but take care to research and find what works for your gear and your shooting, and dive in. A good tripod can not only enable sharp pictures in most any situation, but it can make the experience of shooting easier and more fun as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ahh, tripods. Those stalwart things from times of yore, still fundamentally the same as those used over a hundred years ago. Of course, the materials have changed, the heads have improved dramatically, and there’s more choice than ever before. A lot of people, especially newer shooters with small kits, don’t want to carry around a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-shop"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/tripod_top.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p28RGq-1et","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4741","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4741"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4741\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9946,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4741\/revisions\/9946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4741"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4741"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admiringlight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4741"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a> Fallsville Falls – Fujifilm X-T1 with Fujinon XF 18-55mm f\/2.8-4 @ 30mm, f\/16, 40s, ISO 200 with Polarizer<\/figure>\nPrecise Framing<\/h4>\n
<\/a> Devil’s Bathtub – Sony a7 II with Carl Zeiss FE 16-35mm f\/4 OSS @ 16mm, f\/11, 15s, ISO 100<\/figure>\n<\/a> Fire and Ice – Samsung NX1 with Samsung 16-50mm f\/2-2.8 @ 16mm, f\/14, 1\/10s, ISO 100<\/figure>\nIt slows you down<\/h4>\n
Continue: Choosing the Right Tripod<\/a><\/h4>\n
<\/a> Choosing a tripod can be daunting<\/figure>\nChoosing the Right Tripod<\/h3>\n
Don’t Cheap Out<\/h4>\n
Tripod Legs<\/h4>\n
<\/a> Carbon Fiber or Aluminum?<\/figure>\nMaterial<\/h4>\n
<\/a> My Induro CX-213 with Really Right Stuff BH-40 ballhead<\/figure>\nBrands<\/h4>\n
<\/a> MeFoto RoadTrip with PhotoClam PC-36 ballhead<\/figure>\nContinue: Tripod Heads<\/a><\/h4>\n
Choosing a Tripod Head<\/h3>\n
Types of heads<\/h4>\n
<\/a> A Pan\/Tilt head (Manfrotto MHXPro, left) and a Ball Head (Photo Clam Pro Gold II, right)<\/figure>\nChoosing a Ball Head<\/h3>\n
<\/a> My main ball head, the Really Right Stuff BH-40<\/figure>\nQuick Release System<\/h4>\n
Brands<\/h4>\n
Conclusion<\/h4>\n