Tripod

what is tripod?....Tripod, a three-legged stand for a camera, used to stabilize and elevate the camera. There are several different types of tripod. The least expensive, generally made of aluminum tubing and costing less than RM500, 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 camcoder. 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 camscoder. This is not found on the more expensive photographic tripods.

More expensive tripods come with swappable heads and optional spiked feet for rough ground, and usually feature "fluid" heads, which are designed to move more smoothly than the basic heads on inexpensive tripods. The most expensive of all are wooden tripods designed for use with film-based movie cameras and studio still cameras.There are also expensive carbon fiber tripods, used for applications where the tripod needs to be lightweight, such as news-gathering.

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

In addition, some professional 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 photographer no longer has to support the full weight of the camera, it can provide many of the same stabilization advantages as a tripod.