The one camera accessory which provides great stability and leveled height to each shoot would be those of tripods. This piece of photography accessory is being produced by a number of companies. These come in a variety of designs, features, and other forms of utility. To a great number of photographers, a tripod can be considered to be quite essential. And finding the correct one is a very crucial step to make.
Photo captured by Jeff Laitila (Click Image to See More From Jeff Laitila)
The tripod head holds the camera in position. There are several kinds of heads of which are available to photography enthusiasts. Some of these are permanent fixtures to the tripod while others are marketed as a separate or optional addition to the equipment.
Tripod heads come in different types. Some of these are meant for specific purposes while others are more versatile. The pan-tilt head is aptly named; it can be moved accordingly to either side to be able to accommodate both vertical and horizontal orientations. These come featured with a trigger to gain control to the head. This is found on the handle which you can use to properly position the head as you tighten it in place. Should you wish to remove or adjust it, you can simply loosen it and reposition as you see fit.
A fluid head is one which is filled with lubricating liquid. The motion on the manageable parts is smoothly moved as well. This particular kind is best known to be suitable for panning.
A ball head is known to be the easiest and quickest to adjust. It supports even heavy cameras and lenses. Ball heads have a smooth motion when being adjusted and can just as quickly be locked in position the same way they can be loosened. While this is rather stable and easy to use, it does have a tendency to produce less precise results.
Finally, the geared head is probably the most stable and heavy duty head type there is. This is meant to support the heaviest cameras and lenses out there is. With this kind of head, you gain pristine control over your settings, as it can accommodate fine adjustments and settings to cater to the exact frame you require. It is also easy and accurate to control, which means it has very little to no room for error.
The four above mentioned head types are used by various photography enthusiasts. The features and the controls vary according to an individual’s preference, so it’s important to determine what kind of photography you will be doing before you decide on a head to invest on.
About the Author
Visit us for more information about tripods for cameras and tripods for digital cameras.
Like This Article?
Don't Miss The Next One!
Join over 100,000 photographers of all experience levels who receive our free photography tips and articles to stay current:
I thought this article would be useful but it comes across as being written by a high school student. =/
Very useful! thank you .
I am very disappointed that an article on camera tripods makes no mention of Gimbal heads or the so called side-kick attachments. For birders and nature photographers using the Super Telephoto Lenses these are a must have item. I am just venturing into this area and saving for one of these lenses, so I need information on these tripods. I will need to buy one when I upgrade to a 500mm f/4.0 lens since my current tripods won’t be strong enough for the weight.