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The heart of your camera tripod
will be the head, this is the the part that you'll be constantly
dealing with. Unlike the common tripod pictured above right next to
my Bogen, the ball head will give you the freedom to aim your lens
practically anywhere you want. Once you get used to the ball head,
you will wonder how you did it with the pan-and-scan type tripod.
Up., down, left, right, tilted, it is just a plain and easy action
using your tripod's ball head's level, you'll be in shooting position
in no time.
Do you see how your tripod legs
are tied up by the center column on picture 3 from the set above?
This will limit the ability to use the camera in ackward positions,
it is also a big hassle to secure and compose a picture over uneven
surfaces. See in picture 1 (left) how I was able to spread my
tripod's legs without being restricted like the regular and more
traditional camera tripods. The other benefit of your new tripod
investment is stability. I was once in old San Juan, Puerto Rico
shooting the Christmas decorations and creating long tail lights from
the passing cars in the streets by using long shutter speeds. I have
a friend that went with one of those generic tripods, he had a hard
time to get sharp pictures because of the wind. The tripod was not
steady enough to withstand small wind gusts coming from the Atlantic
Ocean at night. While using my Bogen tripod made my picture taking a
''breeze'' he had the heck of a hard time to go back home with a few
keepers. See the pictures below. If you are also into nature
photography and scenics, you need small apertures thus slow shutter
speeds join the party, another reason why you need a steady camera
tripod. If you shoot water falls, the falling water displaces the air
around producing a slight breeze that can blur your pictures if you
don't use a steady support for your camera.
If you are using a modest camera
set-up, there are the tripods I can recommend. Note that tyou can buy
the tripod and ball head of your choice separate. The ones below are
ready to go kits. They cost around $160 to $200 for a basic yet
effective support system. Again, have in mind that a tripod is an
camera accessory for years to come. Having one or two extra mounting
plates is quite versatile and won't hurt your pocket :o)
-Bogen / Manfrotto 3011BN
Tripod Legs (Black) with 486RC2 Compact Ball Head (supports 13.2 lbs).
-Bogen / Manfrotto 3021BN
Tripod Legs (Black) with 3025 3D Head - Supports 6.60 lb (2.99 kg)
-Bogen / Manfrotto 190XB
Tripod Legs (Black) with 486RC2 Compact Ballhead (Quick Release) -
Supports 10 lbs (4.5 kg) |
