Poor Man's Photo Diary: Tripod System (2)

[Tripod at a very low position - Manfrotto 190CXPRO4]

The most visible part of a tripod systems is legs.

The legs actually consist of two parts: center column and legs. The materials used for the legs are mostly aluminum and carbon fiber. Legs made from Carbon fiber become more and more popular because of their light weight. However, the traditional aluminum legs, which provide a cheaper and equally reliable alternative, still dominate the market.

Each leg can have 3, 4, or even 5 sections. The leg can be extended or collapsed when needed. No matter the leg is being extended or collapsed, there needs to be a locking mechanism to lock the leg at a desirable height. The popular locking mechanisms are: lever lock and twist lock. I feel that the traditional lever lock is still the most reliable and easy to maintain mechanism. I once had a Velbon tripod with twist locks. I used it one time around the beach. The tiny sand particles got into the locking area. Since then, the locking is no longer secure and every time I extend the leg, the leg got scratched by the sand particles trapped inside the locking area. Now I stay away from twist lock legs as much as I can.

Another feature that also needs to be considered is the angles that three legs can be set. Some low-end tripods can only be set at a fixed angle for all three legs. Better tripods have the legs that can be independently set to different angles. This feature is important when working on uneven surfaces (which might be most of the cases).

The second part (of the legs of the tripod system), which has been overlooked by most of first-time buyers, is the central column. This is the part that provides a platform for heads to sit on. The platform needs to be sturdy and be able to work with various heads. Recently more and more thoughtful designs from different manufactures have been put on or around the central column. For instance, Manfrotto designed a mount around the platform which allows central column to be used in a horizontal way. Central column also decides how low the tripod can be set. If you want to shoot low angle shot, you need to set the camera really low. Some of the tripod systems offer fixed length central column and that limits the minimum height.

Some central column has a hook under it. The hook is used to hang some heavy object to secure the tripod during windy situation. This leads to a point I want to make: tripod can NOT be too light. It might give you hard time when you shoot outdoors.

Let's talk about heads next time!