All About Tripod

Salam.

Today I would answer the frequently asked question about tripod.

“Why do I need a tripod?”

“Do I really need a tripod?”

“It’s heavy and expensive. I wouldn’t want that!”

Yeah right. You shouldn’t get a tripod if you have such words running across your mind. Besides, a good tripod for DSLR is quite a burden on your cash. Apart from that, it’s also heavy. Like 2 – 3 kg on one’s back. Faq all of that bullshit you people have thrown to those poor and sturdy tripods. I am a tripod hugger and having one is like having a stand for your sniper.

Tripod is actually use for certain types of photography that require stability and exposure. For example, landscape photography which requires several shots from different exposure to create that detailed shot. Also macro photography which requires shots to be taken from different depth of focus to get that super-detailed shot. So why don’t you want one?

It has been a great debate of the use of tripod among forumers and photographers alike upon the importance of this three-legged-metal. Some would just state that they could also get great shots without a tripod. For me, I just have it by pure coincidence. Yes. More of like accidentally.

I kid. Actually for me, tripod is one of my must-have gears when I travel. Mine is a Manfrotto 190XDB paired with a 390RC2 ballhead and yes, it’s about 5kg altogether. Why do I get such heavy and expensive tripod? I get it because I know I’m going to need it for my shots. Unlike most photographers, I am not keen into taking portraiture or any picture with human in the frame. I prefer my shots to be filled with nature and scenery rather than human.

Therefore, macro and landscape photography suits me better and I have been photographing them since 2008. Yes. My first tripod that I received sucks because it couldn’t support the weight of my gears. Therefore I made my own research and come across Manfrotto and some other manufacturers that made high quality tripod. 2009 and 2010 are years where I’ve been doing quite a lot of videography and having a tripod helps a lot. Now, although I’m a teacher, I did travel a lot especially across the Borneo. Tripod does help me a lot during my photo shoot.

If you’re thinking of getting a hold of a tripod for photography, let me advise you. Get a worthy one. When you get something, you are going to use it until it breaks and surely you don’t want your gears to break. So you better get a worthy one. I’ve been using my tripod on numerous challenging situations such as in the river, near the beaches and on top of one of the highest peak in the world! The best thing is, my tripod never breaks! It does its job completely fine and since I’ve purchased it in 2009, the only broken parts is the ballhead because I travelled to a place so cold (-24°C), all my gadgets were not working well! Even my camera! So, it wouldn’t surprise me if the metal ballhead have a crack due to the change in temperature.

There is also something called monopods which only have 1 leg. Some latest tripods have this ability where you can take off two legs of the tripod and you’ll get a monopod. Monopod is quite essential but it might not give you the stability compared to a tripod. Most sports photographers use monopod because it gave them the speed to move the frame as quickly as possible. I’m not really into sports photography so I avoided monopod for good.

Besides, having a tripod will give you some exercise because you will end up carrying it around and build up your biceps and triceps. Some of us are not getting enough exercise so by getting a tripod, you get exercise as well as a great shot. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

If you’re getting a tripod just for the sake of getting it, you will end up keeping it rather than using it. Stuff that has been kept without use for a long time will surely be torn apart by time. If you have one, use it well. People have been talking bad and laughing when they saw me carrying a big ass tripod around. Well, I don’t care. Laugh at me while your tripod in the closet rots to dust.

I use my gears at least once every fortnight except my camera where I use it most of the time.

That’s it from me rumbling about a tripod. I’m no great photographer. I’m just a teacher who loves to go the extra mile. I hope those who have tripod in their arsenal would put it into good use rather than keeping it.

Salam.