Tabletop tripods are merely one or two-foot-long and are generally used by enthusiasts for still photography. One can also use the equipment when they don’t have any help to take their pictures or achieve maximum stability and stillness in the picture. These tabletop tripods are available in different sizes and designs that are suitable for camera or mobile photography.
Some camera accessories tripod has bendable legs that make it more convenient for uneven surfaces or wrap the tripods around any object like handlebars of your bike or a branch of a tree or any pole.
For Entry-Level Photographers, There Are Some Entry-Level Tripod Kits
If you are buying your first tripod, then most of us are likely to buy an inexpensive one so that we can get familiar with it first and decide whether its functions are helpful for us or not. Various entry-level tripod kits are available with pan-and-tilt head and inseparable leg combinations. These tripods are generally made of aluminum which is lightweight and sturdy, and have rubber or plastic feet for better grip.
Understanding Tripod Heads And The Tripod System For Selection
- The essential tripods have the 3-way pan-tilt head, which has a very straightforward operation and generally has three different handles to control the three-way motion of the head, including vertical, horizontal tilt, and 360-degree pan.
- Then comes the ball-head tripods, which are more advanced and have better functionality than the former style. Firstly, these heads are small in size and offer high weight tolerance, which means you can mount heavy cameras on a ball-head tripod with ease.
- And finally, there are gimbal head tripods which are practically built for professionals and are suitable to support large lenses of a camera and offer better stability. These tripods allow easy tracking of moving objects in vertical and horizontal directions and stay still in any position.
Although there is one more head style for tripods, the fluid head, it is mainly used for videography and not for photography precisely. It offers vibration and jitters free movement of tripod head and eliminates any shakes allowing fluid-like motion of video camera.
Tripod Legs Styles Also Vary And Makes A Huge Difference
Camera accessories tripod legs commonly have either of the two lock styles: the flip lock or the twist lock. The flip-lock could be an easy and rapid setup choice for amateurs due to the simple mechanism. It makes the tripod setup quick and very much adjustable. But there are some demerits to the flip locks, which include the re-tightening and non-resistant to weather.
On the other hand, a tripod with twist locks can be challenging to operate initially but offers better range and adapt different forms quickly. Also, there is not re-tightening required, and they are easy to seal to prevent any moisture or debris from entering the body.
Some might think that the centerpost of the tripod could be more helpful, and it is the right choice to choose the one with a centerpost, but it is not valid in every situation, and it highly depends upon the terrain you choose for photography.
