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Tripod (photography)
Encyclopedia
In photography
, a tripod is used to stabilize and elevate a camera
, or to support flashes or other photographic equipment. All photographic tripods have three legs and a mounting head to couple with a camera. The mounting head usually includes a 1/4"
diameter, 20 threads per inch (1/4-20) thumbscrew which couples to a female receptor located on the vast majority of cameras, as well as a mechanism to be able to rotate and tilt the camera when it is mounted on the tripod. Tripod legs are usually collapsible towards the height axis and telescoping
, in order to save space when not in use. Tripods are usually made from aluminum, carbon fiber
, steel, wood or plastic.
Tripods are used for both still and motion photography to prevent camera movement. They are necessary when slow-speed exposures are being made, or when telephoto lenses are used, as any camera movement while the shutter is open will produce a blurred image. In the same vein, they reduce camera shake, and thus are instrumental in achieving maximum sharpness. A tripod is also helpful in achieving precise framing of the image, or when more than one image is being made of the same scene, for example when bracketing the exposure. Use of a tripod may also allow for a more thoughtful approach to photography. For all of these reasons a tripod of some sort is often necessary for professional photography as well as certain video uses. Tripods are also used as an alternative to C-Stands to photographic accessories.
ing for the bolt that attaches the camera to the tripod is 1/4"
-20tpi (threads per inch) British Standard Whitworth
(Whitworth or BSW) for smaller cameras or 3/8"-16tpi BSW for larger cameras and pan/tilt heads.
Currently, the tripod connection standard (ISO 1222:2010 "Photography - Tripod connections" ) calls for a 1/4-20 UNC or 3/8-16 UNC thread
There are several types of tripod. The least expensive, generally made of aluminium 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
. Often included is a small pin on front of the mounting screw that is used to stabilize camcorder
s. This is not found on the more expensive photographic tripods.
More expensive tripods are sturdier, stronger, and usually come with no integrated head. The separate heads allow a tripod-head combination to be customized to the photographer's needs. There are expensive carbon fiber tripods, used for applications where the tripod needs to be lightweight. 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 can cost up to $800 USD and can support up to 68 kg (150 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
.
Another technique involves forming a string triangle held taut around the two feet of the photographer and linked to the camera. This negative string 'tripod' can stabilize the camera sufficiently to use a shutter speed three stops slower.
A ball head
utilizes a ball and socket joint
to allow movement of all axes of rotation
from a single point. Some ball heads also have a separate panoramic rotation axis on the base of the head. The head has two main parts, the ball, which attaches to the camera and the socket, which attaches to the tripod. The camera is attached to the ball via quick release plate, or a simple UNC 1/4"-20 screw. The socket is where the ball rotates in, and also contains the controls for locking the ball. The socket has a slot on the side, to allow the camera to be rotated to the portrait orientation. Ball heads come in varying styles of complexity. Some have only one control for both ball and pan lock. While others have individual controls for the ball, pan, and also ball friction. Ball heads are used when a free-flow movement of the camera is needed. They are also more stable, and can hold heavier loads, than pan-tilt heads. However, ball heads have the disadvantage that only one control is available to allow or prevent movement of all axes of rotation, so if the camera is tilted on one axis, there may be risk of tilting on the other axes as well. When movement of one, or two axes or rotation is needed, a pan-tilt head is used.
The pan-tilt head has separate axes and controls for tilting
and panning
, so that a certain axis can be controlled without risk of affecting the other axes. These heads come in two types, 2-way and 3-way. 2-way heads have 2 axes and controls, one for panoramic rotation, and one for front tilt. 3-way heads have 3 axes and controls, one for panoramic rotation, front tilt, and lateral tilt. The controls on these heads, are usually handles
that can be turned, to loosen or tighten the certain axis. This allows movement in one, a few, or none of the axes. When movement of all axes of rotation is needed, a ball head is used. There are some pan-tilt heads that use gear
s, for precision control of each axis. This is helpful for some types of photography, such as macro photography
.
Other head types include the gimbal head, fluid head, gear head, alt-azimuth
, and equatorial
heads. Fluid heads and gear heads move very smoothly, avoiding the jerkiness caused by the stick-slip effect
found in other types of tripod head. Gimbal
heads are single-axis heads used in order to allow a balanced movement for camera and lenses. This proves useful in wildlife photography as well as in any other case where very long and heavy telephoto lenses are adopted: a gimbal head rotates a lens around its center of gravity, thus allowing for easy and smooth manipulation while tracking moving subjects.
In place of or to supplement a tripod, some 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 monopod reduces the number of degrees of freedom of the camera, and also because the photographer no longer has to support the full weight of the camera, it can provide some of the same stabilization advantages as a tripod.
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, a tripod is used to stabilize and elevate a camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
, or to support flashes or other photographic equipment. All photographic tripods have three legs and a mounting head to couple with a camera. The mounting head usually includes a 1/4"
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
diameter, 20 threads per inch (1/4-20) thumbscrew which couples to a female receptor located on the vast majority of cameras, as well as a mechanism to be able to rotate and tilt the camera when it is mounted on the tripod. Tripod legs are usually collapsible towards the height axis and telescoping
Telescoping (mechanics)
Telescoping in mechanics describes the movement of one part sliding out from another, lengthening an object from its rest state. In modern equipment, this is often done by hydraulics....
, in order to save space when not in use. Tripods are usually made from aluminum, carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
, steel, wood or plastic.
Usage
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, rotate 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.Screw thread
The historic standard threadScrew thread
A screw thread, often shortened to thread, is a helical structure used to convert between rotational and linear movement or force. A screw thread is a ridge wrapped around a cylinder or cone in the form of a helix, with the former being called a straight thread and the latter called a tapered thread...
ing for the bolt that attaches the camera to the tripod is 1/4"
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
-20tpi (threads per inch) British Standard Whitworth
British Standard Whitworth
British Standard Whitworth is one of a number of imperial unit based screw thread standards which use the same bolt heads and nut hexagonal sizes, the others being British Standard Fine thread and British Standard Cycle...
(Whitworth or BSW) for smaller cameras or 3/8"-16tpi BSW for larger cameras and pan/tilt heads.
Currently, the tripod connection standard (ISO 1222:2010 "Photography - Tripod connections" ) calls for a 1/4-20 UNC or 3/8-16 UNC thread
Variations
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
. 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
Page orientation
Page orientation is the way in which a rectangular page is oriented for normal viewing. The two most common types of orientation are portrait and landscape...
format rather than landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
. Often included is a small pin on front of the mounting screw that is used to stabilize camcorder
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
s. This is not found on the more expensive photographic tripods.
More expensive tripods are sturdier, stronger, and usually come with no integrated head. The separate heads allow a tripod-head combination to be customized to the photographer's needs. There are expensive carbon fiber tripods, used for applications where the tripod needs to be lightweight. 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 can cost up to $800 USD and can support up to 68 kg (150 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
Ball head
A ball head is a metal or plastic apparatus placed on top of a tripod that increases stability and provides faster, more accurate rotation for the photographer. They are also lighter than traditional three-way pan-tilt tripod heads. With fewer parts and a much simpler mechanism, ball heads are...
attached to a C-clamp
C-clamp
A C-clamp is a type of clamp device typically used to hold a wood or metal workpiece, and are often used in, but are not limited to, carpentry and welding...
.
Another technique involves forming a string triangle held taut around the two feet of the photographer and linked to the camera. This negative string 'tripod' can stabilize the camera sufficiently to use a shutter speed three stops slower.
Heads
The head is the part of the tripod that attaches to the camera and allows it to be aimed. It may be integrated into the tripod, or a separate part. There are generally two different types of heads available.Ball head
A ball head is a metal or plastic apparatus placed on top of a tripod that increases stability and provides faster, more accurate rotation for the photographer. They are also lighter than traditional three-way pan-tilt tripod heads. With fewer parts and a much simpler mechanism, ball heads are...
utilizes a ball and socket joint
Ball and socket joint
A ball and socket joint is a joint in which the distal bone is capable of motion around an indefinite number of axes, which have one common center...
to allow movement of all axes of rotation
Rotation
A rotation is a circular movement of an object around a center of rotation. A three-dimensional object rotates always around an imaginary line called a rotation axis. If the axis is within the body, and passes through its center of mass the body is said to rotate upon itself, or spin. A rotation...
from a single point. Some ball heads also have a separate panoramic rotation axis on the base of the head. The head has two main parts, the ball, which attaches to the camera and the socket, which attaches to the tripod. The camera is attached to the ball via quick release plate, or a simple UNC 1/4"-20 screw. The socket is where the ball rotates in, and also contains the controls for locking the ball. The socket has a slot on the side, to allow the camera to be rotated to the portrait orientation. Ball heads come in varying styles of complexity. Some have only one control for both ball and pan lock. While others have individual controls for the ball, pan, and also ball friction. Ball heads are used when a free-flow movement of the camera is needed. They are also more stable, and can hold heavier loads, than pan-tilt heads. However, ball heads have the disadvantage that only one control is available to allow or prevent movement of all axes of rotation, so if the camera is tilted on one axis, there may be risk of tilting on the other axes as well. When movement of one, or two axes or rotation is needed, a pan-tilt head is used.
Tilt (camera)
Tilting is a cinematographic technique in which the camera is stationary and rotates in a vertical plane . A rotation in a horizontal plane is known as panning...
and panning
Panning (camera)
In photography, panning refers to the horizontal movement or rotation of a still or video camera, or the scanning of a subject horizontally on video or a display device...
, so that a certain axis can be controlled without risk of affecting the other axes. These heads come in two types, 2-way and 3-way. 2-way heads have 2 axes and controls, one for panoramic rotation, and one for front tilt. 3-way heads have 3 axes and controls, one for panoramic rotation, front tilt, and lateral tilt. The controls on these heads, are usually handles
Handle (grip)
A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that can be moved or used by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt with intuitively or by following tradition...
that can be turned, to loosen or tighten the certain axis. This allows movement in one, a few, or none of the axes. When movement of all axes of rotation is needed, a ball head is used. There are some pan-tilt heads that use gear
Gear
A gear is a rotating machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to transmit torque. Two or more gears working in tandem are called a transmission and can produce a mechanical advantage through a gear ratio and thus may be considered a simple machine....
s, for precision control of each axis. This is helpful for some types of photography, such as macro photography
Macro photography
Macrophotography is close-up photography, usually of very small subjects. Classically a macrophotograph is one in which the size of the subject on the negative is greater than life size. However in modern use it refers to a finished photograph of a subject at greater than life size...
.
Other head types include the gimbal head, fluid head, gear head, alt-azimuth
Altazimuth mount
An altazimuth or alt-azimuth mount is a simple two-axis mount for supporting and rotating an instrument about two mutually perpendicular axes; one vertical and the other horizontal. Rotation about the vertical axis varies the azimuth of the pointing direction of the instrument...
, and equatorial
Equatorial mount
An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that follows the rotation of the sky by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras...
heads. Fluid heads and gear heads move very smoothly, avoiding the jerkiness caused by the stick-slip effect
Stick-slip phenomenon
The stick-slip phenomenon, also known as the slip-stick phenomenon or simply stick-slip, is the spontaneous jerking motion that can occur while two objects are sliding over each other.- Cause :...
found in other types of tripod head. Gimbal
Gimbal
A gimbal is a pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis. A set of two gimbals, one mounted on the other with pivot axes orthogonal, may be used to allow an object mounted on the innermost gimbal to remain immobile regardless of the motion of its support...
heads are single-axis heads used in order to allow a balanced movement for camera and lenses. This proves useful in wildlife photography as well as in any other case where very long and heavy telephoto lenses are adopted: a gimbal head rotates a lens around its center of gravity, thus allowing for easy and smooth manipulation while tracking moving subjects.
Monopod
In place of or to supplement a tripod, some photographers use a one-legged telescoping stand called a monopod
Monopod
A monopod, also called a unipod, is a single staff or pole used to help support cameras, video cameras, binoculars, rifles or other precision instruments in the field.-Camera and imaging use:...
for convenience in setup and breakdown. A monopod requires the photographer to hold the camera in place, but because the monopod reduces the number of degrees of freedom of the camera, and also because the photographer no longer has to support the full weight of the camera, it can provide some of the same stabilization advantages as a tripod.
See also
- Camera angleCamera angleThe camera angle marks the specific location at which a camera is placed to take a shot. A scene may be shot from several camera angles. This will give different experience and sometimes emotion. the different camera angles will have different effects on the viewer and how they perceive the scene...
- Close-upClose-upIn filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots . Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene...
- Long shotLong shotIn photography, filmmaking and video production, a long shot typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings...
- Low-angle shotLow-angle shotIn cinematography, a low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eyeline, looking up.-Famous examples:...
- Medium shotMedium shotIn film, a medium shot is a camera shot from a medium distance. The dividing line between "long shot" and "medium shot" is fuzzy, as is the line between "medium shot" and "close-up"...
- Point of view shotPoint of view shotA point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking at . It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction...