Camera Tripods

You spend some serious money on a great new camera or camcorder but your images still aren't eliciting the rave reviews you would like among family and friends. How can it be?

Obviously, there can be a number of reasons but one common cause is the failure to adequately steady the camera or camcorder resulting in blurry photographs and unsteady and even downright undulating home movies. The solution is simple: use a camera tripod.

Camera tripods with dual-stanchioned legs tend to provide a more stable, strong base for your digital camera or camcorder.

Tripods with rivets tend to be less durable and therefore, those with nuts and bolts are generally preferable.

If a tripod is difficult or time consuming to set up, most people will avoid using them, choosing instead to leave them setting in the closet. This of course, renders them completely ineffective!

Thus, it can be important to select a camera tripod that is easy to set up; those which have lever type leg locks versus twist locks tend to be faster and easier to manipulate.

In addition to ease of set up and use, the weight of a tripod can be another factor that either encourages or discourages use. Clearly, an overweight camera tripod is not one that users wish to tote everywhere they go and often sits neglected in the corner.

On the other hand of course, strength can be critical. Thus, carbon fiber and titanium are often preferred in the construction of top rated tripods. Aluminum however, can provide adequate strength for the average amateur with a light weight camcorder or digital camera during light to moderate use. Certainly, aluminum also reduces the expense.

Camera tripods with a bubble level can help assure a level shot. Other features that can be useful in this regard are legs that allow independent height/length adjustment or, in the instance of outdoor filming, a spike to deal with uneven terrain.

When using a tripod with a camcorder it can be particularly important to assure the tripod offers smooth movement as you may wish to pan horizontally to follow action while filming.

A ball head tends to provide optimal movement on a tripod.

Introduction Photo Credit: F 5.6.