How to choose digital camera tripod

First of all, in the process of purchasing a tripod, we should not only consider its firmness and weight, but also consider how many legs it consists of. How to adjust? Is there a brace to reinforce it when driving? The performance of the central column should also be considered. These factors determine whether the tripod is easy to shake as mentioned above, and will also affect the convenience of operation. Unfortunately, many tripod manufacturers seem to ignore the feel of tripods. As far as the tripod is unfolded to the working height, there are three different methods: locking the rotating sleeve; Fix with fastening screws; Pull the lock with your thumb. However, the way the manufacturer chooses to fix the tripod may not fully reflect whether a tripod is efficient or not. Locking the tripod by clamping is not necessarily more effective than tightening. It depends on whether the tripod works well in the wild.

As far as the tripod fixed with screws is concerned, if the relevant knob is not big enough or inconvenient to tighten, it will be more laborious to put it up afterwards. Assuming that the knobs are arranged vertically (that is, the threads are arranged horizontally), some users will have a hard time remembering the direction of rotation. For example, few manufacturers bother to mark the position of the knob with arrows. Many people turn the knob in the wrong direction. They couldn't loosen the knob without tools because it was too tight. If these knobs are arranged horizontally, the user will not have any trouble in the tightening process, because he will instinctively tighten the knobs according to the method of turning off the faucet.

In fact, how to pull out and fix the tripod center column may be a cliche. On this issue, the most correct and positive method is to fix the center column with diagonal braces operated by crank arm. For the lighter tripod that travelers often use, just loosen the clamp, raise the tripod to a suitable height, and then re-clamp the tripod. If the locking device is located inside one leg, it will be difficult for the user to find the device among the three legs of the tripod, which is inconvenient.

A better solution is to use a sleeve device above the shoulder of the tripod. Tripods that lack friction locking devices to prevent the central column from sliding suddenly when the clamping device is loosened have potential safety hazards. More responsible tripod manufacturers choose to produce a rack-and-pinion device with an inclined plane to fix the center column, so that the original height can be maintained even if the locking device is loose, and the height can be easily adjusted at any time through the rocker arm, so that the friction degree of this tripod can be adjusted without interfering with the locking device. Some tripods can be turned out, or completely taken out and put back for close-up or as a monopod. It will be more practical if the center column is equipped with a bubble level, because this center column can aim at the horizon more accurately on the rugged ground. If the device for adjusting the leg length is located "above", that is, near the shoulder of the tripod, the user can adjust the leg length without bending down frequently.

Finally, it is a contradiction to keep the tripod stable and reduce the weight. Photographers who travel frequently can only accept compromise, that is, to maximize the balance between the two. Many professional photographers have a trick, that is, to increase the weight of the tripod, hanging heavy objects everywhere on the tripod. In order to do this, they put a small bag in the camera bag, filled with stones or sand, and tied it to the lower end of the central column of the tripod. Because the weight is increased at the center of gravity, the effect of reducing tripod shaking can be achieved.