What Is a Camera Tripod?
A camera tripod is a portable, three-legged stand that supports a photographer's camera when taking pictures. Although they aren't popular with amateurs, they are required equipment for the serious photographer wanting to capture the best images possible.
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Features
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Tripods are lightweight and collapsible for easy transport and ease of use. They can easily attach to any camera. The adjustable legs can be left unadjusted, allowing the camera sit low to the ground, or extended to raise the camera as high as 10 feet. Small tabletop models that can fit in your pocket or camera bag are also available.
Benefits
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Hand-holding the camera, especially when using slow shutter speeds, will often result in blurred photos due to an unsteady hand. Tripod mounted cameras eliminate camera shake. The resulting photos, even those made with long exposures, are razor sharp.
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Versatility
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The camera is mounted to the movable top or head of the tripod. This allows the photographer to quickly rotate the camera so he can take a landscape or portrait photo, and make camera angle adjustments without having to move the tripod.
Specialty Tripods
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Newer tripods can lower a camera to within an inch of the ground for close-up shots of bugs and flowers. Tripods with flexible legs can be wrapped around virtually any sturdy object to ensure steadiness. Monopods are one-legged tripods that are easy to move and very popular with sports photographers.
The Future
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The wave of the future is the lighter, sturdier tripod. There is already a four-legged version of the tripod, called a Quadropod, on the market.
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