Tripod (photography)
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In photography, a tripod, is a three-legged stand for a camera, used to stabilize and elevate the camera.
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[edit] Necessity and usage
Tripods are used for both still and motion photography. A tripod of some sort is often necessary for professional photography as well as certain video uses; HDTV video in particular, due to peculiarities inherent in the MPEG-2 algorithms used, tends to be almost unwatchable without some sort of stabilization. Similar devices are used to support small to medium-sized telescopes, camp cooking equipment, large firearms, and similar applications.
[edit] Construction
For maximum strength and stability, most photographic tripods are braced around a center post, with collapsible telescoping legs and a telescoping section at the top that can be raised or lowered. At the top of the tripod is the head, which includes the camera mount (usually a detachable plate with a thumbscrew to hold onto the camera), several joints to allow the camera to pan and tilt, and usually a handle to allow the operator to do so without jostling the camera. Some tripods also feature integrated remote controls to control a camcorder or camera, though these are usually proprietary to the company that built the camera.
[edit] Varieties
There are several different types of tripod. The least expensive, generally made of aluminum tubing and costing less than US$100, is used primarily for consumer still and video cameras; these generally come with an attached head and rubber feet. The head is very basic, and often not entirely suitable for smooth panning of a camcorder. A common feature, mostly designed for still cameras, allows the head to flip sideways 90 degrees to allow the camera to take pictures in portrait format rather than landscape.
More expensive tripods come with swappable heads and optional spiked feet for rough ground, and usually feature "fluid" heads, which are designed to move more smoothly than the basic heads on inexpensive tripods. The most expensive of all are wooden tripods designed for use with film-based movie cameras and studio still cameras.There are also expensive carbon fiber tripods, used for applications where the tripod needs to be lightweight, such as news-gathering. Many tripods, even some relatively inexpensive ones, also include leveling indicators for the legs of the tripod and the head.
Many of the more expensive tripods have additional features, such as a reversible center post so that the camera may be mounted between the legs, allowing for shots from low positions, and legs that can open to several different angles.
Small "tabletop" tripods (sometimes called "tablepods") are also available, ranging from relatively flimsy models costing less than US$20, to professional models that cost $50-80 and can support up to 25 kg (50 lb). They are used in situations where a full sized tripod would be too bulky to carry. An alternative is a "clamp-pod", which is a ball head attached to a C-clamp.
[edit] Head types
There are generally two different types of head available.
The panhead style has seperate controls for tilt and panning, so that the camera may be panned from side to side without risk of tilting movement. These cameras usually have two different handles to control each dimension of movement. These handles can be turned to loosen or tighten the head, so as to allow movement in one, both or none of the dimensions.
The ballhead utilises a ball and socket joint to allow movement in different dimensions. The camera is attached to a clamp that comes off the ball, and the socket has a slot in one side to allow the camera to be rotated to the portrait orientation. This style has the disadvantage that only one control is available to allow or prevent movement of the head, and so if the camera is panned, there may be some tilting as well.
[edit] Monopod
In addition, some professional photographers use a one-legged telescoping stand called a monopod for convenience in setup and breakdown. A monopod requires the photographer to hold the camera in place, but because the photographer no longer has to support the full weight of the camera, it can provide many of the same stabilization advantages as a tripod.
