Why we use a tripod
Tripods are one of the most important pieces of gear after the camera and lens selection. They will allow for slow shutter speeds as well as focus and or exposure bracketing. There are other uses like if you want to be in the shot, you’re shooting lots of shots in the same location and you want them all to look the same, compositing several images together, panoramas, and macro or telephoto shots. Basically, anything where you don’t want the shake to cause a blurry photo or you are doing creative shooting that requires long exposures or multi exposures.
Tripod vs Monopods
We are talking tripods here, but I want to mention monopods and their differences and uses. As the names implies, a tripod has three legs,a monopod has only one. Tripods are used to stabilize your camera; a monopod is used to take the weight of your gear off you and put it onto the monopod. Yes, it gives a little more stability than hand holding, but it’s not meant as replacement for a tripod. It is mostly used by sports and wildlife photographers who move a lot and who uses big, heavy telephoto lens. Some wildlife photographers will still use a tripod with a gimbal head to take the weight of the gear, while still allow them to easily track the birds and animals. But they are usually not moving around but are in a fixed location that is camouflaged like a duck blind or deer stand.
Choosing the right tripod
This is often done by cost. They can range from around a $100 to well over $500. But there are other factors you should take into consideration when buying a tripod. What are you going to use it for? If you are traveling or hiking a lot, weight and size should be a big consideration. How much does your gear weight? A light travel setup from OM Systems will require less than a medium format Hasselblad or Fuji GFX system. What type a photography will you be doing and what are the conditions where you will be shooting? If shooting in a studio, weight isn’t as big of an issue, if you’re shooting sea stacks, weather resistance and low vibrations because of wind area big issue.
One big decision is whether to buy an aluminum or carbon fiber tripod. This is basically a cost issue, but here are some pros and cons of carbon fiber.
Lightweight by 20%-30%
Dampens vibrations
Better temperature stability
Corrosion resistant
Cons are cost of 60% - 100% more expensive
Brittle under sharp impacts like dropping
Hard to repair
Most tripods come with rubber feet. These are fine indoors and on hard rock surfaces. If you are on dirt, grass, sand or even carpeting, a spike foot or claw will allow for a better connection and less slipping or vibration. There are a good number of tripods that have rubber tips over spikes, so you have both. There are also plenty of add on feet that most tripods will easily allow you to switch between.
Tripod heads
This could be a whole blog by itself. Here are the basics.
Ball heads are the most common and easy to use. Make sure you buy one that can support your gear.
3-way Pan/Tilt Heads are the old school heads and some people still like them because they offer more predictable precision, but they are bigger and harder to pack.
Gimbal heads are used by sports and wildlife photographers because they allow you to easily track people or animals/birds in motion. They are big and heavy.
Gear heads allow for fine adjustments and are used mostly by studio and architecture photographers due to weight and cost. They are also slow to work with.
Video or fluid heads are designed to pan and tilt smoothly and are mostly used by videographers due to weight and cost.
Lastly, there are pistol grips. Great for ultra-fast re-positioning but they are known to suffer from wear compared to other heads and have fallen out of favor with most photographers.
Most tripods come with ball heads these days (unless you buy a video tripod which will come with a fluid head). But heads are easily changed because of standardized screw sizes making for easy swapping of heads. Some are sold only as legs (or often we call them sticks) allowing you to buy the head you want.
Standard setup
When setting up your tripod, it is common to start with the lowest and skinniest leg because it’s the first leg and the hardest to adjust once you have your tripod set up. It is also the skinniest and most likely to flex causing shake or vibrations. Always extend the thickest leg first and minimize the skinniest leg. Yes, this means bending down more but go the extra bit to ensure a sharp image.
Try never to use the center post. Using the center post is basically turning your tripod into a monopod. You are giving up a lot of stability. Some tripods do require you to use the center post to fully use the ball head, if yours is like this, only raise the center post enough to use your ball head.
Ensure your tripod is level. If you’re shooting panoramas, architecture, or landscapes with a horizon or water feature you will want to ensure your tripod is level or else you will need to level in post-production and that would cause you to crop your image some.
High wind issues
Here is where a lot of people run into issues and they often don’t realize it until they get home and pixel peek on their home computers. Even at 100% on your camera’s LCD screen, you may not notice camera shake.
Keep your tripod as low to the ground as you can. This may mean you need to get down low yourself (if possible, if you have physical limitations, work within them, but go as low as you can comfortably go down). This is the most stable and will keep you out of the wind as much as possible.
We are using the center hook wrong. A lot of us will hang our camera bags off the center hook to add weight, which it does, but it will also swing in the wind adding to the problem. Instead, bring a bungie cord and attach it to the hook and to your camera bag so the bag is sitting on the ground. This way it will not swing but still add more stability. A tripod apron is an even better option than using the center hook. They are small and light to carry. You can put whatever you find around you, like your gear or rocks to add wieght and stability, and they do not swing in the wind.
Hoods and filters can act like big sails. It makes sense to have your hood on to block light and keep rain or spray off the front of your lens, but it also acts like a sail in the wind. Square filter systems will also act like a sail. Think about switching to a magnetic filter system or screw on filters that add no more wind resistance than your lens already had.
A final item that causes issues is your camera’s strap. When it’s on the camera and the camera is on the tripod, all it is does is catch the wind and cause vibrations. Using a Peak Design strap with the quick release anchors, or other systems, allows you to quickly remove the strap before you shoot. Just take your strap off and you have no issues. Put it back on when you’re ready to take the camera off the tripod and move on to your next location. Easy peasy, no shacking and your camera is safe on the tripod, and on a strap when you’re hiking.
Maintenance
This is something most photographers never think of and then wonder why their tripod legs are hard to extend or collapse, or why they start slipping. This is broken into two sections. Field cleaning and annual cleaning.
Field cleaning
When you’re in wet condition, like in rain or at the beach, or when you’re in dusty areas like the Utah desert, you will want to clean your gear before packing it up.
1. Rinse off salt and grit, as soon as possible. Use freshwater to rinse off any saltwater, dirt, or dust. Keep some water in your vehicle along with your drinking water. If you get water in the tripod legs, loosen all the clamps and pump the legs in and out to remove as much water as you can, then rinse.
2. Use a damp rag with mild soap to clean off any salt, mud,or dust that doesn’t rinse off with clean water. Then rinse off one more time before drying.
3. Dry completely. Dry off the exterior of the tripod then leave it un-collapsed while you drive to allow the inside to also dry. This helps prevent corrosion and mildew.
Annual teardown (or as needed)
Perform this every year (every other year if it’s strictly a studio tripod or just light use outside).
1. Disassemble the legs: If you have a twist lock tripod, loosen and slide each leg out, be careful not to lose the shims or internal bushings and pay attention to how they are in the leg so you can re-assemble.
2. Scrub all the components: Use warm water with a mild soap and a soft toothbrush for the threads. A long, properly sized soft brush on along arm is also good for cleaning the inside of the legs. Avoid heavy degreaser. Then dry with a clean towel and let everything sit out to completely dry.
3. Inspect and lubricate: After everything is dried, apply a small amount of synthetic grease or dry PTFE/silicone spray to the threads and designated contact points. Never apply heavy wet grease or oil directly to carbon fiber leg or dirty surfaces, this attracts grit and creates a sandpaper like paste that will ruin your tripod.
4. Reassemble: Carefully replace the shims (replace them if needed) and align the tubes. Hand tighten and make sure nothing is cross threaded. Avoid over tightening.
In the end the tripod you choose will be dictated by what you like to shoot, how much you travel, and your budget. A good $200-$300tripod will fit most peoples need but you can easily spend over a $1,000 on a top-of-the-line carbon fiber tripod with a premium head.
Come in and we can walk you through your buying decision but be prepared to have a budget in mind and know what you want to shoot. Is lightweight travel gear your focus? These will be our first questions we ask you. Once you invest in a new tripod, make sure you keep them in good working condition, and it will last you for decades.