MarkBarbieri
Semi-retired
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2006
- Messages
- 6,171
When taking shots with long exposures (typical when shooting night shots), you need something that will hold your camera steady. Most people use a tripod for this.
Tripods come in all sizes and price ranges. Differences between tripods include, their size, their capacity, the weight, and their features. It is not uncommon for serious photographers to have several tripods to handle different situations.
First ask yourself if you really want a tripod. If you're serious about photography, the answer is almost certainly yes. If you just want to take a few snapshots after dark, consider the alternatives.
The simplest alternative is to use nothing. Just rest your camera on something firm and flat and use it for support. I've used trash cans, fences, cars, and even conveniently located rocks.
One step up from nothing is a beanbag. Some people just use a bag filled with sand. Others use products specifically designed for this use, such as The Pod. These still require that you find something to support it on, but they can help dampen vibration and do some adjustments to your camera angle.
Another option is a mini-tripod. There are tripods that are less than a foot tall. Again, they are designed to be used on top of something. The advantage is that you can more precisely control the angle of your camera with a mini-tripod on a trash can rather than relying on a beanbag.
One of the hottest items in the mini-tripod category is the Gorillapod. This is a mini tripod with bendable legs. You can wrap the legs around poles, branches, or other protuberances to use it on all sorts of unusual places.
There are also a variety of specialty tripods designed to clamp onto things. You can by "tripods" that fit into bottle tops, clamp onto bars, sit on car window sills, etc.
If you really want the flexibility to set up your camera wherever you want and you want top notch stability, there is no substitute for a good tripod.
A major consideration when picking a tripod is the load that it will have to carry. The lighter your camera and the less zoom you use, the lighter and cheaper you can go with your tripod. If you want to use a 600mm lens on your full sized SLR, you'll need something a little bulkier.
Most tripod makers include some indication of their capacity (usually a weight rating or a camera class rating). These ratings tend to be optimistic. If it says that it can handle an SLR, it is probably assuming that you aren't using a heavy lens, that you on level ground, that you aren't zoomed in a long way, and that it isn't windy. If you want something that will work in more difficult conditions, buy something rated for much more weight or a much larger camera than you plan to use. The lower-end makers tend to be more optimistic with their ratings than the high-end makers.
Tripods are made from a variety of materials. Metal (usually aluminum or steel) tripods are the workhorses of the photographic world. They can be made light or heavy, depending on the load that they need to bear. One downside I've found with metal tripods is that they are painfully cold to handle in cold weather. A good set of leg wraps can mitigate that problem.
If you really want a heavy-duty tripod that isn't heavy, you need to turn to more exotic materials. The most common of these is carbon fiber. It's incredibly light and stiff, but also incredibly expensive. Also, it is only used for the supports themselves, and not the joints. So part of the weight of a CF (carbon fiber) tripod is still the weight of those steel joints. CF tripods typically cost at least twice as much as equivalent metal tripods and only save 20%-25% of the weight.
In addition to the load capacity of the tripod, you need to consider other structural factors as well. How tall will the tripod set up? If you are shooting pictures for a long period of time, being able to stand straight and use it is much better than having to hunch over.
How big is the tripod when it is folded? A smaller folding tripod is easier to store in your suitcase or locker. It's easier to carry around. It probably also has more leg sections, which means it takes longer to set up and might not be quite as stable.
How flexible is it? Cheap tripods often require that the legs all be extended to the same angle. Nicer tripods let you extend different legs at different angles. That can be essential when setting up on rough ground.
Tripods can also have interesting features like a center column that reverses, allowing you to hang your camera under your tripod. Another cool feature is a center column that can be rotated to extend sideways. That allows you to set up your tripod in one place, but shift your camera a foot in another direction.
Once you get above the low end of tripods, another decision you need to make is the head that you want to use. Better tripods are typically sold just as a set of legs with a screw mount on top. You then purchase a head to use on top of that.
By far the most popular type of head with photographers is the ball head. With a ball head, you loosen one knob (or lever) and you can twist, tilt, turn, or lean you camera any way that you want. When you've got it in the orientation that you want, you tighten the knob to fix that position.
I often see three-way heads advertised. I've never really understood what advantages they bring, so perhaps someone can enlighten me. With these, you have three knobs/levers. Each one controls an axis - rotation (twisting), tilting, and rolling (tilting from side-to-side).
A popular head for videography is a fluid head. These heads generally have a control stick that you use to tilt the camera up and down or side to side. You can also lock either axis or adjust the amount of force required to move along that axis. I suppose that a fluid head would work for photography, but they are more suited to video because they are designed for smooth panning.
If you shoot with really big lenses, you want a wimberly head. These heads are designed to hold the camera by the lens. You adjust it so that the center of mass of the camera/lens combination is at the center of the head. That allows you to easily aim your big, heavy setup in any direction with almost no effort.
As with tripods, getting a head that is suited for your camera size is also important. You don't want to overload your head or you'll find it hard to use. If you put a monster lens on a little ball head, you'll find that you cannot tighten the head enought to keep the camera from moving.
One more thing to consider is how your camera will attach to the head. On really simple tripods and heads, you have to screw the tripod to the bottom of your camera every time you want to use it. Better tripods typically come with a quick release plate. You screw that into your camera and then you can easily pop that onto the tripod. At the high end of tripod heads, a standard has developed for these connectors (usually called Arca-Swiss type connectors). The advantage of an Arca-Swiss connector is that you'll be able to use the same quick release plate on a variety of heads. You can also buy these connectors designed to fit very snugly to your particular camera body.
If you find yourself shooting a lot of portrait shots with normal lenses, you might even want to get yourself a L-plate. I've only seen these offered by Really Right Stuff and they are breathtakingly expensive. Still, if you want to stick your camera on a tripod and want it mounted vertically, it's the way to go. This isn't an issue with most big lenses because you mount the lens to a tripod rather than the camera and the mount on the lens is designed to rotate.
After you've picked the right equipment for your situtation, there are still some techniques you need to be aware of. First, you might want to add weight to stabilize your tripod. If it's windy or you are loading a tripod near its maximum capacity, try hanging some weight from the bottom of the center column. Many tripods come with a hook for this purpose. The extra weight can help steady the tripod.
You also want to avoid touching the camera when you take a picture. When you press the shutter button on your camera, you are also shaking the camera. The best way to avoid that is to use a remote shutter release. This is a small device that connects to your camera with a cable. It has a shutter button on it.
If you don't have a remote cable release, use the timer mode on your camera. Many cameras have a 2 second or 10 second delay mode. That will give you a chance to press the shutter, let the camera stop vibrating, and then take the picture.
If you really want to get picky about elminating vibration and you have an SLR, try using mirror lockup. When you take a picture with an SLR, the first thing that happens is the mirror in front of the sensor flips up. That little movement adds a bit of vibration. It is most noticeable for shots between 1/60s and 2 seconds. For quicker shots, there really isn't time for the vibration to affect anything. For longer shots, the vibration has stopped for most of the duration of the picture.
If you are taking pictures with your camera on a tripod and you aren't looking through the viewfinder when you take the shot, you may have one more problem that you need to address. Light can get into the camera through the viewfinder and confuse your exposure meter. This can cause you to underexpose some shots. You can get around this by setting the exposure in manual mode while you are still looking through the viewfinder. If you don't want to hassle with manual mode, you can also cover your viewfinder. In fact, some cameras come with a cover that you can slide over the viewfinder for just that purpose. If you really want to do it with minimal fuss, just make sure that you don't have much light getting into the viewfinder by shading it with your hand.
It is a common myth that you need to cover your viewfinder to prevent glare in your picture. That's not true. During the picture, the mirror is up and no light is getting in through the viewfinder. It is when the exposure meter is determining exposure that light coming in from the viewfinder is a problem. That's why there is no need to cover the viewfinder if you are metering manually.
One other little accessory that you might want is a bubble level. Lots of tripods have one built in, but that doesn't help much if you are using a ballhead. Sure, your tripod is level, but is your camera? You can get little bubble levels that slip into your hot shoe. They can be really handy for leveling your camera.
There are a lot of different tripod makers. In my limited experience, it looks like Slik and Velbon cover the low-end to mid-range. Bogen/Manfrotto (same tripods, different branding) cover the mid-range and low high-end. Gitzo (also owned by Bogen) tends to be mid-range to high-end. I'm sure that someone will take exception to those characterizations and produce great evidence of a high-end Slik or a major company that I left off. I'm just giving my very limited impression of the market, not a scientific survey. Please feel free to disagree. I guess that my main point is that while Slik and Velbon make some good tripods, they also make some stuff that should be limited strictly to ultra-light cameras in good conditions. Bogen rarely makes anything awful. Gitzo stuff is outrageously expensive (but quite nice).
I've also started seeing stuff on a company called Benro. It appears to be a Chinese company that is copying the Gitzo line. They are much cheaper. I haven't the slightest idea whether they are as good or not.
Well, that's pretty much a dump of my limited tripod knowledge. I figured I'd put this out because there have been a lot of tripod questions lately. Feel free to correct, elaborate, disagree with, or enhance anything I've written.
For the record, I've owned two tripods. The first was an old steel Bogen that seemed a strong as a tank (and colder than ice when camping). I somehow managed to break it. The other is a Gitzo G2227 Explorer, which I'm quite fond of. I'm in the market for a slightly smaller tripod better suited for travel. I also want two because I want one for the camera and one for the video camera. For heads, I use an Acratech Ultimate Ballhead (their name, not necessarily my opinion) and a Gitzo G2380 fluid head. I also use an Acratech level base, but generally only with the G2380 and not the ball head.
Oh, I neglected to go into panorama gear. That's a whole different can of worms.
Tripods come in all sizes and price ranges. Differences between tripods include, their size, their capacity, the weight, and their features. It is not uncommon for serious photographers to have several tripods to handle different situations.
First ask yourself if you really want a tripod. If you're serious about photography, the answer is almost certainly yes. If you just want to take a few snapshots after dark, consider the alternatives.
The simplest alternative is to use nothing. Just rest your camera on something firm and flat and use it for support. I've used trash cans, fences, cars, and even conveniently located rocks.
One step up from nothing is a beanbag. Some people just use a bag filled with sand. Others use products specifically designed for this use, such as The Pod. These still require that you find something to support it on, but they can help dampen vibration and do some adjustments to your camera angle.
Another option is a mini-tripod. There are tripods that are less than a foot tall. Again, they are designed to be used on top of something. The advantage is that you can more precisely control the angle of your camera with a mini-tripod on a trash can rather than relying on a beanbag.
One of the hottest items in the mini-tripod category is the Gorillapod. This is a mini tripod with bendable legs. You can wrap the legs around poles, branches, or other protuberances to use it on all sorts of unusual places.
There are also a variety of specialty tripods designed to clamp onto things. You can by "tripods" that fit into bottle tops, clamp onto bars, sit on car window sills, etc.
If you really want the flexibility to set up your camera wherever you want and you want top notch stability, there is no substitute for a good tripod.
A major consideration when picking a tripod is the load that it will have to carry. The lighter your camera and the less zoom you use, the lighter and cheaper you can go with your tripod. If you want to use a 600mm lens on your full sized SLR, you'll need something a little bulkier.
Most tripod makers include some indication of their capacity (usually a weight rating or a camera class rating). These ratings tend to be optimistic. If it says that it can handle an SLR, it is probably assuming that you aren't using a heavy lens, that you on level ground, that you aren't zoomed in a long way, and that it isn't windy. If you want something that will work in more difficult conditions, buy something rated for much more weight or a much larger camera than you plan to use. The lower-end makers tend to be more optimistic with their ratings than the high-end makers.
Tripods are made from a variety of materials. Metal (usually aluminum or steel) tripods are the workhorses of the photographic world. They can be made light or heavy, depending on the load that they need to bear. One downside I've found with metal tripods is that they are painfully cold to handle in cold weather. A good set of leg wraps can mitigate that problem.
If you really want a heavy-duty tripod that isn't heavy, you need to turn to more exotic materials. The most common of these is carbon fiber. It's incredibly light and stiff, but also incredibly expensive. Also, it is only used for the supports themselves, and not the joints. So part of the weight of a CF (carbon fiber) tripod is still the weight of those steel joints. CF tripods typically cost at least twice as much as equivalent metal tripods and only save 20%-25% of the weight.
In addition to the load capacity of the tripod, you need to consider other structural factors as well. How tall will the tripod set up? If you are shooting pictures for a long period of time, being able to stand straight and use it is much better than having to hunch over.
How big is the tripod when it is folded? A smaller folding tripod is easier to store in your suitcase or locker. It's easier to carry around. It probably also has more leg sections, which means it takes longer to set up and might not be quite as stable.
How flexible is it? Cheap tripods often require that the legs all be extended to the same angle. Nicer tripods let you extend different legs at different angles. That can be essential when setting up on rough ground.
Tripods can also have interesting features like a center column that reverses, allowing you to hang your camera under your tripod. Another cool feature is a center column that can be rotated to extend sideways. That allows you to set up your tripod in one place, but shift your camera a foot in another direction.
Once you get above the low end of tripods, another decision you need to make is the head that you want to use. Better tripods are typically sold just as a set of legs with a screw mount on top. You then purchase a head to use on top of that.
By far the most popular type of head with photographers is the ball head. With a ball head, you loosen one knob (or lever) and you can twist, tilt, turn, or lean you camera any way that you want. When you've got it in the orientation that you want, you tighten the knob to fix that position.
I often see three-way heads advertised. I've never really understood what advantages they bring, so perhaps someone can enlighten me. With these, you have three knobs/levers. Each one controls an axis - rotation (twisting), tilting, and rolling (tilting from side-to-side).
A popular head for videography is a fluid head. These heads generally have a control stick that you use to tilt the camera up and down or side to side. You can also lock either axis or adjust the amount of force required to move along that axis. I suppose that a fluid head would work for photography, but they are more suited to video because they are designed for smooth panning.
If you shoot with really big lenses, you want a wimberly head. These heads are designed to hold the camera by the lens. You adjust it so that the center of mass of the camera/lens combination is at the center of the head. That allows you to easily aim your big, heavy setup in any direction with almost no effort.
As with tripods, getting a head that is suited for your camera size is also important. You don't want to overload your head or you'll find it hard to use. If you put a monster lens on a little ball head, you'll find that you cannot tighten the head enought to keep the camera from moving.
One more thing to consider is how your camera will attach to the head. On really simple tripods and heads, you have to screw the tripod to the bottom of your camera every time you want to use it. Better tripods typically come with a quick release plate. You screw that into your camera and then you can easily pop that onto the tripod. At the high end of tripod heads, a standard has developed for these connectors (usually called Arca-Swiss type connectors). The advantage of an Arca-Swiss connector is that you'll be able to use the same quick release plate on a variety of heads. You can also buy these connectors designed to fit very snugly to your particular camera body.
If you find yourself shooting a lot of portrait shots with normal lenses, you might even want to get yourself a L-plate. I've only seen these offered by Really Right Stuff and they are breathtakingly expensive. Still, if you want to stick your camera on a tripod and want it mounted vertically, it's the way to go. This isn't an issue with most big lenses because you mount the lens to a tripod rather than the camera and the mount on the lens is designed to rotate.
After you've picked the right equipment for your situtation, there are still some techniques you need to be aware of. First, you might want to add weight to stabilize your tripod. If it's windy or you are loading a tripod near its maximum capacity, try hanging some weight from the bottom of the center column. Many tripods come with a hook for this purpose. The extra weight can help steady the tripod.
You also want to avoid touching the camera when you take a picture. When you press the shutter button on your camera, you are also shaking the camera. The best way to avoid that is to use a remote shutter release. This is a small device that connects to your camera with a cable. It has a shutter button on it.
If you don't have a remote cable release, use the timer mode on your camera. Many cameras have a 2 second or 10 second delay mode. That will give you a chance to press the shutter, let the camera stop vibrating, and then take the picture.
If you really want to get picky about elminating vibration and you have an SLR, try using mirror lockup. When you take a picture with an SLR, the first thing that happens is the mirror in front of the sensor flips up. That little movement adds a bit of vibration. It is most noticeable for shots between 1/60s and 2 seconds. For quicker shots, there really isn't time for the vibration to affect anything. For longer shots, the vibration has stopped for most of the duration of the picture.
If you are taking pictures with your camera on a tripod and you aren't looking through the viewfinder when you take the shot, you may have one more problem that you need to address. Light can get into the camera through the viewfinder and confuse your exposure meter. This can cause you to underexpose some shots. You can get around this by setting the exposure in manual mode while you are still looking through the viewfinder. If you don't want to hassle with manual mode, you can also cover your viewfinder. In fact, some cameras come with a cover that you can slide over the viewfinder for just that purpose. If you really want to do it with minimal fuss, just make sure that you don't have much light getting into the viewfinder by shading it with your hand.
It is a common myth that you need to cover your viewfinder to prevent glare in your picture. That's not true. During the picture, the mirror is up and no light is getting in through the viewfinder. It is when the exposure meter is determining exposure that light coming in from the viewfinder is a problem. That's why there is no need to cover the viewfinder if you are metering manually.
One other little accessory that you might want is a bubble level. Lots of tripods have one built in, but that doesn't help much if you are using a ballhead. Sure, your tripod is level, but is your camera? You can get little bubble levels that slip into your hot shoe. They can be really handy for leveling your camera.
There are a lot of different tripod makers. In my limited experience, it looks like Slik and Velbon cover the low-end to mid-range. Bogen/Manfrotto (same tripods, different branding) cover the mid-range and low high-end. Gitzo (also owned by Bogen) tends to be mid-range to high-end. I'm sure that someone will take exception to those characterizations and produce great evidence of a high-end Slik or a major company that I left off. I'm just giving my very limited impression of the market, not a scientific survey. Please feel free to disagree. I guess that my main point is that while Slik and Velbon make some good tripods, they also make some stuff that should be limited strictly to ultra-light cameras in good conditions. Bogen rarely makes anything awful. Gitzo stuff is outrageously expensive (but quite nice).
I've also started seeing stuff on a company called Benro. It appears to be a Chinese company that is copying the Gitzo line. They are much cheaper. I haven't the slightest idea whether they are as good or not.
Well, that's pretty much a dump of my limited tripod knowledge. I figured I'd put this out because there have been a lot of tripod questions lately. Feel free to correct, elaborate, disagree with, or enhance anything I've written.
For the record, I've owned two tripods. The first was an old steel Bogen that seemed a strong as a tank (and colder than ice when camping). I somehow managed to break it. The other is a Gitzo G2227 Explorer, which I'm quite fond of. I'm in the market for a slightly smaller tripod better suited for travel. I also want two because I want one for the camera and one for the video camera. For heads, I use an Acratech Ultimate Ballhead (their name, not necessarily my opinion) and a Gitzo G2380 fluid head. I also use an Acratech level base, but generally only with the G2380 and not the ball head.
Oh, I neglected to go into panorama gear. That's a whole different can of worms.
