Once upon a time it seems just about everyone used
a tripod. Certainly, if you were a serious photographer you wouldn't be seen
dead without a good tripod.
So what's happened? My admittedly limited observations
suggest use of the tripod has diminished considerably, at least amongst amateur
photographers.
Why? I don't know, but suspect it has something to do with photography being
so easy these days. Autofocus, auto exposure etc. have all made the production
of acceptable pictures such a quick and easy event that I believe many are
lulled into a false sense of photo-quality security.
Note I said "acceptable",
not "excellent" nor even "good". It would be very easy
to think that today's hi-tech cameras make it almost impossible to produce a
technically poor image, and indeed the systems in modern cameras do give the
user a much
better chance of technical success than older "manual" cameras.
There are still
some things however that are beyond the ability of the camera to assist, and
vibration is often one of them (although vibration reduction systems
and warning lights can help).
Tripods have been around virtually as long as cameras
themselves, but the ease with which today's cameras may be used tends to make
the user overlook the advantages of some accessories.
Of all the causes of photo "failures", fuzziness due to camera shake must be
high on the list.
Auto Program systems in cameras try to select the ideal combination
of aperture and shutter speed for any situation, however this often results in
the shutter firing at a relatively slow speed which can give rise to blurry photos.
You may think you have a very steady hand and can hold your camera sufficiently
still to avoid shake in most situations, however you may be in for an unpleasant
surprise.
Practical tests I performed years ago while preparing a magazine article
proved pictures can suffer from camera shake even at quite high shutter speeds
such
as 1/1000 sec., and many photos taken under average conditions will be at speeds
much longer than that.
The first thing most think about tripods is, "inconvenience".
No argument. The
terms "small & light" and "good" seldom go together when it comes to tripods.
As an ex-retailer I have used many tripods and can assure you this is one case
where size and weight are usually a guide to quality and stability. As always,
there are of course exceptions, so "try before you buy" is a must.
One very popular
misconception is, "the lighter the camera you have, the lighter
the tripod you need". Whilst one would obviously not use a lightweight tripod
designed only to support a 35mm camera for a 4x5 view camera, remember that a
heavy tripod is inherently more stable due to its sheer weight alone, so any
camera will tend to be more stable on a big, heavy tripod than a small, light
one. Tripod design also plays a large part in overall stability, regardless of
the weight of camera supported, within reason.
I have seen many "heavier" tripods which were less stable than some "lighter" ones,
even from the same maker. So, what do you look for when buying a tripod?
CONSTRUCTION QUALITY:
Cheaper tripods are often held together with rivets instead
of nuts & bolts. If rivets come loose they can't be easily tightened, and if
a riveted-on part breaks off it sometimes can't be replaced (or not economically).
I would personally never buy a riveted-together tripod.
Leg-extension locks should
operate easily without fear of breaking your fingers, and should lock the legs
firmly when extended; extend the legs fully, lock them, then push down on the
top. If there's any slippage, avoid that tripod, for the slip will almost certainly
become worse with age/wear, and one day may cause the tripod to topple over with
your camera attached.
Leg hinges should be strong, work smoothly, and should be replaceable if damaged
or worn.
In my camera store we had a "standard tripod test" we often performed
on the sample tripods brought to us by hapless reps. We'd remove the tripod
head (if
removable), collapse the legs fully, splay the legs out and then.... stand
on the tripod. Tripods are generally not designed to support 70kg+ weights
(!) but
we figured if it could support a person without breaking, it should stand up
to any camera weight easily. We smashed quite a few tripods that way - much
to the horror of the reps concerned - but simply thought of it as good quality-control
on behalf of our customers.
I don't recommend you should exactly emulate our "testing
procedure" at your local camera store, but I do suggest you place your hands
on the top of a tripod and apply reasonably firm downwards pressure; if the
tripod twists, flexes, bends, creaks or groans, give it a miss.
CENTRE COLUMN. Most tripods have an extending centre column, some with a rack-and-pinion
drive for easy height adjustment. Regardless whether it's a rack-and-pinion or
a manual column, the centre column should travel up and down smoothly and shudder
free. Important: When locked at any position, the centre column should be very
firm and rigid with no sign of movement in any direction.
LEG BRACES: Some tripods
have leg braces, i.e. an extra arm attached to each leg at one end and to the
tripod top or a sliding ring around the centre column. Those attached to a ring
around the centre column are usually there to force all three legs to splay out
equally. The braces attached to the top (or adjustable ones attached to the column)
are intended to make the legs more stable, and therefore the entire tripod more
stable.
As far as the "more stable" function goes, some work, some don't! A tripod
with leg braces is not automatically more stable than one without, it just
may be. I have found good design and quality of construction to be far more
important than simply "adding leg braces". If a salesperson says, "This is a
better tripod because it's got leg braces", take it with a pinch of salt.
I personally
feel there exists an argument for NOT having leg braces, and it goes like this:
Most tripods with leg braces cannot have the leg splay (the angle
the leg is "sticking out") adjusted independently - adjust one and you adjust
all three legs equally. Now that's fine on level ground, but if you're using
the tripod outdoors where the ground is often anything but level, leg braces
can actually make it slower and harder to "level up" the tripod (i.e. adjust
the tripod so the centre column is vertical); sometimes the only way is to
adjust the length of one leg, and that can be fiddly on some units.
If the tripod does
NOT have leg braces, the splay of legs can be quickly adjusted independently,
which can make leveling the whole unit much faster on uneven surfaces.
HEADS: Here's where you separate the kids from
the grownups in tripods. Tripods I'll
loosely call "cheaper amateur" units nearly always come complete with head. The "head" is
the part that sits at the top of the tripod and actually supports your camera;
it's the part with handles sticking out which enable you to easily rotate,
tilt and twist the aim of the camera.
You screw your camera onto a flat plate on the
Head, the Head is attached to the Centre Column, and the Centre Column is held
by a collar at the apex of the three Legs. Just as with the tripod itself,
the head should operate smoothly and freely without jerking or sticking. When
the
control handles or knobs are locked, it should be absolutely rigid with *no* "slip" whatsoever.
TRIPOD-WITH-HEAD
Vs. TRIPOD-PLUS-HEAD: As I said, cheaper tripods nearly always come
complete with a head fitted - you simply don't have a choice. Better tripods
can be purchased as "tripod + head", in other words you select a tripod (the
legs & column assembly), then select a head to go with it; you simply screw the
head onto the tripod and away you go.
Whilst there are a few very good "tripod-with-head" units around, as a general
rule you are better, in my opinion, to choose a respected brand of "tripod-plus-head" combination
as this provides the ability to select a tripod of the size/weight you want,
plus a head which is most suited to your camera and needs, and is comfortable
for you to use (something often overlooked when selecting a tripod).
THE PERFECT
TRIPOD: Sorry - it doesn't exist. All tripods are a compromise (isn't all of
life?); if it's super-strong and rigid it's also probably too damn heavy to carry
on that two-day bush walking trek. If it's light enough for your backpack it's
probably not very strong (unless it's one of the light-and-strong-but-expensive
carbon-fibre / magnesium / titanium types).
If the head's designed for a still camera
(as most are) it may not "pan" smoothly if you put your video camera on it. Conversely,
a "video head" may not have the range of movements you want for your still
camera. ALWAYS take your camera(s) to a store when shopping for a tripod/head
and try
them out.
WHERE / WHAT TO BUY: I'm no longer a retailer, and whilst I'm friends
with many wholesalers I have no financial relationship with any, so I can shoot
my mouth off without fear or favor.
Most of the chain-stores and bulk-stores seem to cater for the low end of the
market, so you're less likely to find semi-pro or pro tripods there. Computer
stores selling digital cameras may also sell tripods as an add-on sale, but again
their range will probably be limited to lower-end units.
I would suggest going
to a good camera store, preferably one which caters to "pro" photographers.
Brands I would suggest looking at include Slik, Velbon, Manfrotto and Gitzo,
all of which have been in business a very long time, and which are handled in
Australia by reputable importers. Slik and Velbon make quality tripods aimed
at the amateur and "prosumer" market, Manfrotto makes a wide range of tripods
and heads from "prosumer" to top-end professional usage, and most Gitzo units
are "Pro". I've personally owned units from all four of these makers and have
been pleased with the quality in any given price category.
And how much do have
to pay for a decent tripod & head? Well, that can vary greatly depending on your
needs and budget, however if you're serious about your photography and want to
put your $2000 camera on a tripod it deserves, I'd suggest budgeting on at least
AU$200 as a starting point. My own tripod? Currently a Manfrotto #055B + #410
Head - about AU$600 total.
Here are links to info about the above tripods:
VELBON http://www.maxwell.com.au/photo/velbon/velbon_index.html
SLIK http://www.daymen.com/Slik/slik.htm
MANFROTTO http://www.adeal.com.au/Kayell/manfrotto_b.html
GITZO http://www.gitzo.com/
Oh, and remember, the best tripod in the world won't help your photography one
bit unless you take the trouble to actually use it; but then I didn't have to
tell you that, did I.