Feature: What You Should Know About Tripods

There's nothing quite as impressive as seeing a professional photographer shooting wild lions through a 3-foot-long lens, the massive camera perched on a tripod big enough to stop a charging rhino (indeed, that may be the tripod's backup function, considering where the photographer is). Sights like that inspired me to pursue photography as a teenager. But a lot of folks assume they don't really need a tripod since their digital camera is smaller and lighter than typical 35mm SLRs. And tripods are "serious" gear anyway--only pros need them.

Nothing could be further from the truth. You can find yourself in situations that need a tripod just as easily with a digital camera as with a film camera, and I've found that tripods have improved my shots more times than I can count. So this week let's take a good, hard look at this mysterious three-legged camera gadget.

When Tripods Attack

A tripod is a tool that helps steady the camera, allowing you to shoot sharp photographs in a variety of conditions that might otherwise blur your images. Specifically, you want the services of a tripod when you can't shoot at a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action. Very long focal lengths--like what you'd get from an add-on telephoto lens--may require a tripod. Low-light situations, such as evening and night photography, benefit from a tripod as well.

Here's a little test: What shutter speed does your camera want to use? If your camera can only muster 1/30 of a second or longer in a given shooting situation, then a tripod is essential. In general, you can hand-hold at 1/60 of a second at moderate focal lengths without a problem. If you zoom way in with a 3X or 4X optical zoom, though, you'll need faster shutter speeds to freeze the action--you may need 1/100 or 1/250 to avoid a blurry picture.

Traveling Light

Not all tripods need to be so large and heavy that they qualify as deadly weapons. Personally, I have two: a lightweight model that I hardly notice in my hands, and a heavy monster that could be used for weight training.

In general, the heavier your tripod, the better. The function of a tripod is to anchor the camera, and a heavy tripod is simply more stable than a lighter model. Heavy tripods protect cameras from vibration, wind buffeting, and other environmental factors that can shake a camera during exposure.

Of course, this is where having a lightweight digital camera can come in handy. A lighter camera puts fewer demands on the tripod, so you can get away with a lighter tripod than someone who needs to support a goliath, all-metal 35mm SLR.

So what should you buy? Get a tripod that's heavy enough to adequately support your camera outdoors, in a moderate breeze. Also keep in mind that you'll need to carry your tripod around--if it's too heavy you'll probably end up leaving it at home. The name of the game is compromise. I recently visited Honduras and, since I was already carrying hundreds of pounds of scuba gear and three cameras, I opted to leave my tripod behind. It was a stupid decision: Not having a tripod prevented me from shooting any late afternoon or night photos.

Tripod Anatomy

Visit any camera shop and you'll find a dozen models to choose from, made by such popular tripod manufacturers as Bogen Photo Corp., Gruppo Manfrotto, and Slik.

Your tripod should be sturdy and rigid, yet also set up and break down quickly. Some tripods use quick-release hinged latches that let you open and close the legs rapidly. When it comes to extending the legs of a tripod, there's almost nothing faster than these latches--but they can't support as much weight as screw-type leg locks. You might want something stronger; it depends largely upon how heavy your digital camera is and what kind of photography you plan to do.

The bottoms of the legs come in different flavors as well: Some have pins or spikes that dig into the ground; most have flat bottoms with rubber pads that grip both indoor and outdoor surfaces.

One of the most important parts of a tripod is the head assembly. While some folks might think this is about as exciting as how a car's transmission works, it's important to know that there are several kinds of head assemblies. You can buy the tripod and head separately at many camera shops, so you can get exactly what you want in both components.

A ball head lets the camera "float" on top of a big ball bearing. A single control loosens and tightens the head in every direction. This is a good choice if you like to quickly re-position the camera.

However, I prefer three-way heads, which provide three separate, screw-like controls to tighten each of the three X, Y, and Z axes. The advantage? It's easier to more precisely control your camera. Suppose the camera is cock-eyed so that the horizon isn't level in the picture. You can use one of the head controls to level the camera without worrying about twisting it around in the other directions at the same time, as you would with a ball head.

Quick Getaway

The slowest part of setting up a tripod is connecting the camera to the tripod's head assembly. All tripods use a standard 1/4-inch screw to connect to the bottom of the camera, which means you can use the same tripod for all of your cameras and camcorder. Unfortunately, threading it in place eats up precious moments as you watch the space aliens experimenting on a cow in a deserted field.

Instead, look for a tripod that uses a quick-release camera plate. That's a little pad that screws into the bottom of the camera and stays there. You can leave the plate connected to your camera all the time, even when you have no intention of using the tripod. When it is time to shoot that charging rhino, the camera plate snaps and locks into place in the tripod head assembly in just a second or two. A flick of your thumb on a quick-release lever releases the camera again when you're done with the tripod. You can buy several spare camera plates and attach them to your digital camera, 35mm camera, and camcorder, making all of your gadgets tripod-ready.

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