How to Use a Bogen Tripod

Bogen tripods stabilize cameras and camcorders.

A tripod is a valuable tool for amateur and professional photographers, providing stabilization of a camera or camcorder by attaching to the tripod's base. Stability eliminates camera shake, which is necessary for low-light or nighttime conditions, or long-exposure shots that require you to leave the shutter open for a long time. Bogen tripods also pan and tilt, allowing for smooth camera movement when filming or taking still shots.

Instructions

1. Extend the tripod's legs to the desired length. Turn each leg knob counterclockwise to loosen it, and pull out the legs until they reach the desired length.

2. Tighten each knob by turning clockwise until you feel resistance. Securely tighten the knobs or the tripod will be unstable.

3. Unscrew the platform on the top of the tripod and screw it into the hole in the bottom of your camera. Make sure it's screwed on tightly.

4. Reattach the platform by screwing it back into the tripod. Secure the locking lever on the side of the platform.

5. Loosen the pan knob to pan the camera left and right. The pan knob is a silver circular knob positioned along the rear bottom of the tripod head. Re-tighten to immobilize the panning mechanism.

6. Loosen the tilt knob to tilt the camera upward or downward. The tilt knob is a two-inch black handle located at the side of the tripod head. Tighten again once the camera is in the desired position. Keep a steady hand on the camera while tilting, because the force of gravity will drop the camera to the lowest position when the tilt knob is loose.

7. Release the camera by reversing Steps 3 and 4. In other words, unclasp the locking knob, unscrew the platform, and then unscrew the platform from the camera. Hold the camera carefully while detaching it from the tripod.

References

• Northwestern University: Bogen 3160 "Cukor" Tripod Instructions