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The 3 Best Tripods for DSLR Cameras in 2018

For many photographers and videographers, a tripod is an essential part of their equipment. However, there is not a single solution to choose the best DSLR tripods. If you know what you need with a tripod and what features are most important to you, you can choose the best tripod for your shooting style.

The 9 Best Tripods for DSLR

Do You Need a Tripod?

The purpose of a zomei z818 review is to stabilize your camera. Depending on what you record, a tripod may be vital or totally useless.

Photographers generally use tripods when they need long exposure times. For example, landscape photographers use tripods when they sometimes take pictures with low light or try to blur the movement of water or clouds.

Another reason to use a tripod as a still photographer is to make sure the camera is in the same place while paying attention to other parts of a photo. For example, a studio photographer can place his camera on a tripod so he can communicate face-to-face with a model and trigger the camera.

For videographers, tripods are essential in a variety of scenarios. Each camera movement becomes visible in a video. The use of a tripod is one of the easiest ways to avoid jerky materials. High quality video tripods allow you to pan and tilt (or even add a slider) while avoiding unwanted swings.

Choosing the Best Tripod

Basically, all tripods basically do the same thing: a portable stand that lets you mount and adjust your camera. These are just simple tools that hold your camera.

What makes a Carbon fiber vs Aluminum Tripod different from another? Why is the tripod you selected important?

A tripod consists of two main parts: the legs and the head. Both parts are available in different versions and each have certain advantages and disadvantages.

Legs and tripod heads can be purchased either together or separately. Each combination leads to remarkably different applications. This diversity makes it important to find the right configuration for your needs.

Tripod legs

The basis of a tripod are its legs. These provide the basic stability for your camera and allow you to determine the height of your camera. Various factors can influence your decision between the legs of the tripod.

Leg material

Most Aluminum vs carbon fiber tripod stands are now made of carbon fiber or aluminum. The carbon fiber feet are usually lighter and therefore more portable. Aluminum feet are usually cheaper and the extra weight sometimes makes them more stable.

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You can see two types of common tripod stands. Most tripods designed for still photography are tubular, with the lower segments being retracted into the upper segments. The tubular legs are generally lighter and take up less space, making them more portable. Although tubular legs are more common in still photography, there are other tripods for videographers.

As tubular legs become more popular, many zomei tripod designed for video graphers use a crutch style. In crutches, each segment consists of a pair of tubes with the tubes of the lower segments sliding upwards and between the tubes of the upper segments. The crutch legs are much heavier than the tubular legs, but much more stable. They are often used for bigger and heavier video cameras.

Locking mechanism

Almost every tripod will have a smaller shape to save space if you do not use it. There are two common locking mechanisms to keep your legs where you want them. Spring locks snap in faster, but they can break over time and become ineffective. Although a decent tripod allows you to tighten it again, you will need an Allen key or other tool. This can be a problem if you are in the field with a loose lock and can not be tightened.

Twist locks do not break as fast, but their tightening depends on how hard you turn them. Because of this essentially self-adaptive mechanism, you do not have to worry about becoming useless at the worst possible time.

Maximum Weight

All feet (and heads) of the tripod are rated for the maximum weight they should hold (referred to as "payload"). You must allow a window with sufficient weight so that the tripod will not be accidentally overloaded when using a larger lens or additional audio device. However, tripods with higher maximum weights tend to be much heavier. If you choose too high a maximum weight, the tripod may be less portable.

Minimum and maximum height

The minimum and maximum height of your tripod will affect the frame options and user comfort. In general, you want a tripod that's big enough to use your camera at eye level when you get up so you do not have to bend over.

Depending on what you record, you can choose a Best Monopod for Sports Photography with a higher maximum height or a lower minimum height. When you record live event videos, you may want a tripod that can easily reach over the masses. If you're a macro photographer, you might want one that can position the camera very close to the ground.

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