Choosing the right tripod

Among the first things you’ll need to consider when choosing your tripod is the size and weight of your camera equipment. Your new tripod must be capable of supporting it. Look at the tripod’s stated load capacity to check this and, if you can, test your camera and lens combination on the tripod before purchasing to ensure it feels right.

Although the lightness of a tripod itself is not related to how much weight it can carry (since this has more to do with the construction methods and materials used), some photographers – especially those who are studio bound, prefer heavier tripods. The weight makes the tripod inherently more solidly stuck to the ground.

But if you travel or enjoy shooting nature photography, lightness and transportability may be critical factors in your choice. New technologies and construction materials have allowed Manfrotto to offer very sturdy tripods that are incredibly sturdy, yet light and very easily transported.

Typical construction materials include Carbon Fiber, Magnesium and Aluminum. The lightest tripods are made entirely of carbon fiber with magnesium castings. But surprisingly, the main advantage of carbon fiber in tripod construction is not its reduced weight, but its increased rigidity and strength along the leg’s vertical axes. Of course, the fact that the overall weight of the tripod is reduced by 30% without sacrificing any strength is a huge plus.

Aluminum is the most common material used in tripod construction, offering great support at a typically lower price. Manfrotto also makes tripods that fall somewhere between the two, offering weight-saving features and common materials at a mid price range.

At the other extreme of the Manfrotto range are the Pro Tripods made of larger diameter aluminum tubing and heavy-duty castings. Typically used in the studio for medium and large format equipment like 4X5 and 8X10 view cameras, these tripods can weigh in excess of 20 pounds.

Figure 3 shows five examples of tripods. These are only a few of the many choices offered by Manfrotto.

Don’t Forget The Head

The head you get for your tripod is just as important as the legs. Unless you buy a kit, the head is generally not included with your tripod. You can pick the type and model that suits you best, and interchange heads for different needs if you wish.

There are quite a few different models to choose from, each having their strong and weak points. There are basically two styles of heads used in still photography: the 3-way head and the Ball Head (plus a subcategory of ball heads first introduced by Manfrotto called “Grip Action” heads, where control is more ergonomic, like that of a joystick).

Nature photographers and users of spotting scopes or long telephoto lenses may also opt for video heads for the extra counterbalance and adjustable friction controls they offer.

The key points to remember when selecting a head are how smoothly it moves, how much weight it can safely support, and whether it has a quick release plate. Make sure you purchase a head that is matched to the size and weight of the heaviest gear you will mount on it.

Manfrotto heads are almost all equipped with a quick release camera mounting device that makes changing or replacing the camera a snap and secures the camera very well to the tripod.

Extending and Locking the Tripod Legs

When you have arrived at you location or on the set and are ready to set up your tripod, I feel it best to extend the legs before you spread them into position. By setting up in this manner, you will get the legs into roughly the same length with no need to try to eyeball the leg length.

To extend the legs, un-lock the first section of the tripod and extend the leg to the desired position (figures 4 and 5).

Press the locking tab back into the closed position (figure 6). Repeat these steps for the remaining legs.

The “proper” way of extending tripod legs is top down, so that the thinnest leg section is the last to be extended.

Fine tuning the camera height can be done with the center column. Once you have established the desired height , loosen the locking knob on the center column and lift the camera into position (figures 7 and 8).

With the camera in the position you want re-tighten the locking knob to secure the column into position (figure 9).

Bear in mind that the center column is the part of the tripod most subject to torsion and vibration – many professional photographers choose never to use it at all. Manfrotto’s three-faceted tubing on many models helps cut twisting to a minimum, but you should still use the center column as fine-tuning after the legs are set close to the height you want.

Exceptions to this rule are when you use the column to swing the camera under the tripod for macro work or when using mirror-image large or medium format cameras, or when using the horizontal center column to get the camera out off-center away from the tripod legs.

Many of the tripod models from Manfrotto have the ability position the center column in either a side position or in an inverted position. To perform this action, you must remove the center column from the tripod and reposition it through the top yoke of the tripod. Each of the tripods series has a specific way to accomplish this action.

Here we see the center column in the side position. We could use this position to lower the camera closer to the floor or to get an overhead camera position when we need to look straight down onto a subject (figure 10).

Here we see the center column in the inverted position, allowing us to get the camera right on the deck for that ultra low camera angle (figure 11).

Mounting the Head to the Tripod

The basic procedure to attach a head to a tripod is the same for most of the products from Manfrotto. The head is mounted on the top of the center column of the tripod. New tripods are shipped with a rubber protection cap on the mounting screw. To install the head first remove the cap, then place the head over the center column lining up the screw with the threaded hole on the head (figures 12 and 13).

Be careful not to cross-thread the stud. Once you have it started, spin the head until it is secure on the center column. Hand tighten to secure (do not over-tighten the head).

To secure the head and the tripod together use a slot screwdriver to tighten the three set screws on the bottom of the mounting plate on the center column (figures 14 and 15).

Basic Movements

Each head requires different actions to change or adjust the position of the camera. Grip Action Heads let you simply grip it to move the camera, then release it to lock into the new position. Ball Heads require only one knob to release and secure the camera.Three-Way Heads require adjusting each movement independently from the others.

Figures 16 and 17 are examples of Grip Action Heads from Manfrotto.

Figures 18 and 19 are examples of Ball Heads from Manfrotto.

Figures 20 and 21 are examples of three-way heads from Manfrotto.

The 3-Way Head Adjustments

On the base of each of the 3-way heads, you will find both a single knob and a level bubble. To level the head, you must make micro adjustments to the tripod legs until the head is level. To rotate the head in a horizontal plane, parallel to the floor or the ground loosen the knob on the base of the head and spin the head into the desired position (figure 22 and 23).

Here we see a comparison of positions at the four points of the compass (figure 24).

To rotate the camera in a vertical plane, loosen the large side knob, move the head into the desired position, and tighten the knob to secure the camera in the new position (figures 25, 26, and 27).

To tip the camera down toward the ground or up toward the sky, loosen the back large knob, move the head into position, then tighten the knob to secure the head in the new spot (figure 28, 29, and 30).