Buying a Camera Tripod

I’ve set myself a little photo assignment for the weekend and decided to treat myself to a tripod as I’ve been meaning to get one for a while and it will come in handy for this assignment.

So, which is the best tripod? Well the whole point of a tripod is to hold the camera still to minimise camera shake, especially with bigger lenses or in low light. So the best tripod is sturdy, strong and stable. Trouble is the most stable, sturdy tripod would be one that weighed a tonne. It would hold the camera perfectly still whatever you or nature threw at it. It wouldn’t be too practical though as you’d never be able to move it!

So, as with all things there is always a compromise and with tripods that compromise is between stability and weight. In general terms the heavier the tripod the more stable it will be, but the less portable it becomes. Of course, high end, expensive tripods made from exotic materials can help to a certain extent here, but there’s no getting away from the fact that heavy is stable, light isn’t whatever the materials it is made from. I decided that the cheaper models were a false economy as they simply wouldn’t hold an SLR with a big lens steady enough so just wouldn’t be worth using. The most expensive models, and as with all things photographic they can get very expensive, would be much more stable but they do tend to get a bit bulky. I therefore decided to go for a mid range model that is light enough to carry up a hill but will hopefully still hold the camera still as long as it isn’t blowing an absolute hoolie.

The Camlink pro series tripod seemed to fit the bill and was good value for money, so I bought one yesterday and will be trying it out at the weekend. I’ve played around with it and it has all the necessary features that you’d expect from a decent tripod. It seems pretty stable, is highly adjustable and is just about the right weight. It evens comes with its own little carrying bag which should help with lugging it up the hills.

My hands aren’t quite as steady as they used to be so hopefully it will help hold the camera still whatever the photographic situation and should help me play around with some low light and night shots. If I get any decent result I shall post them here.

Tags: Photography