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What camera tripod will work best for your photographic needs?Do you need a camera tripod? How do you know which one is best for your needs? What's with all the head styles?All landscape photographers need a reliable tripod to capture those great low-light moments. Maybe you're using a neutral density filter to simulate low light, so you can get that silky feel in a water photo. Maybe you want to be in your photograph, and are putting your camera on a tripod and using the self-timer. When shooting with a long focal length of a telephoto lens, small motion can result in a lot of blur. Regardless of which situation you're in, a camera tripod is a much better alternative to balancing your camera on a rock or log. I have two tripods. A mini-tripod which goes in my day-pack or backpack, and a full-size one that I keep in my car or truck. The latter comes in very handy for my night photos. When choosing the right camera tripod for your needs, there are many considerations. Weight, size (both fully-extended and packed up), the mechanisms for tightening the legs, style of head, and more. I recommend getting one with a quick-release plate, so you quickly attach and detach your camera as needed. I keep the plate on my camera at all times, so I don't need to screw it in when using my tripod. Many pros favor the "pistol-grip" feature that allows for easy adjustments to the orientation of the camera on the tripod. A level is nice, and practically a necessity for panorama photos, but you can always get a separate level that slides into your camera's hot shoe. One option, if you're concerned about weight, and don't shoot slower than 1/10 of a second, is a monopod. This has one leg instead of three, and is also helpful because of the minimal footprint. What's with all the different head styles?Tripods have mainly three different head styles available, each with it's own unique advantages.Pan & tilt, or axis head. This is most common with entry-level tripods. Separate knobs control two or three axes of movement. Panning is the horizontal rotation, or left and right movement. The tilt control is for the pitch, or up and down. Some will also have the third axis, a left and right tilt, or roll. With a two axis pan & tilt head, it's very important to get your tripod legs set so the center column is plumb. That's why the quick release legs are important, as you may have to shorten or lengthen one or more legs to get the camera just the way you want it. Ball head. A ball and socket combination allow for any position of the camera. If you want to pan between shots, or if you're tracking a horizontally moving object, having a rotating base below the head is necessary. Gimbal head. The gimbal head supports the lens, not the camera, which is especially useful when you have a heavy telephoto lens attached to your camera.
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