Research before you buy,ask others, try equipment out, join a camera club and
swap with friends.Shop around for prices but never buy substandard equipment.
Always use a tripod when possible. When the tripod can be placed on a surface that
is stable, not moving, and safe, so that you have the optimum conditions to get a
sharp image.
These are some of the things you should consider when looking or trying a tripod:
1. Buy the sturdiest tripod you can carry and afford. 2. Choose a tripod that will extend to a height that fits your body. You want to
be able to stand up straight also the tripod needs to be able to extend higher than your
head for time when you are shooting into the sky. 3. Having a level on the tripod is valuable for many kinds of shots. 4. Do you need or want a center post. I use a tripod without a center post its
lighter and I can drop the tripod all the way down. 5. Make sure you can turn the adjustment knobs with ease. I like the feature on
my old metal Gitzo, a wing nut type of knob. New carbon tripods have a flatter grip which
is harder for me to loosen but other features like the light weight carbon construction
offset that difficulty. 6. When traveling, I put my tripod in my luggage, so having one that folds down
to a shorter dimension is important.
Tripods are a personal choice really, the one that works for me might not be the
one for you, and that could be because we are a different size or have different equipment.
