Tripods are the best equipment available for a photographer to reduce or even completely eliminate camera shakes. There are many varieties available in market which may lead to confusion in buying the right one. Tripods are ideal for nature and macro photography where the subject should be as clear as possible and it is not restricted for that alone. They are good for long shots, shots where a slow shutter speed is required and also for low light situations. Some tripods even allow photographers to set up their camera as low as inches from the ground by extending the legs widely.
While buying a tripod stability and construction should be checked thoroughly. Stability could be checked by spreading the legs along with adjusting the height suitable for the photographer. If it wobbles or in loose conditions then obviously it is not the right one to buy. An important point to be considered is the weight of camera, lens and flash it is going to hold. Will it bear those weights?
Height of the tripod, whether minimum, maximum or folded height to be considered and whether is it suitable for the photographer? Tripod manufactured from carbon fiber, titanium alloy and magnesium alloy are really good but could be very expensive and a photographer should stay away from plastic ones even though they are light weighted and economical.
The head of the tripod which is attached to the camera is very important as some are available with one that is removable and the other is a fixed one. The two varieties available are the pan and tilt heads and the ball and socket heads as each has its own pros and cons. The pan and tilt heads move left and right, up and down. It doesn’t have as much fluid movement as the ball and socket type and setting up vertical shots are more time consuming but it is economical. The ball and socket is very flexible as it can move in any direction with different positions.
So a tripod is a necessary accessory for capturing nice photographs and a friendly equipment to any photographer.