Let’s admit that tripods are a pain to carry, set up, and use. The Quick Shot Artist principle is to avoid them whenever possible. Despite the pain, however, there are times when you just have to have one. They are like lawyers in that regard. I endured the trauma recently —picking a tripod, that is— and have some tips to pass along. I ended up with a three-part assembly from Manfrotto: an aluminum tripod, a ball leveler, and a pan-and-tilt head.

Picking a tripod is more challenging than picking a camera. At least we have a good idea of what the specification items are for a camera, so we can compare choices to our needs. The basic tripod specs are:

• The size of the collapsed unit. Much more than 20 inches poses a suitcase challenge.
• The weight. Expensive carbon fiber tripods are nifty, but you probably need the exercise of carrying an aluminum one.
• The type of head. The head adjusts the pointing direction of the camera. A ball head adjusts quickly, but panning and tilting for video or panoramas is then problematic. A pan-and-tilt head is more difficult to level.
• The extended height. Short tripods fold compactly, but you may have to work hunched over … and avoid tall grass.
• The leg locking mechanism. Traditional twist locks are slow, but lever locks can be hard to snap.
• Cost. As with all things photographic, getting 10% closer to a miraculous solution doubles the price.

I need a tripod mainly for video, but also sometimes for making spliced panoramas and taking aligned multiple exposures for high dynamic range imagery. Most of my long exposures are indoors where I can find some to prop up the camera.

Most still cameras now come with video capability. If you haven’t tried the video yet, someday you will, and likely discover that video can be a wonderful thing. It is it is a lot less wonderful if the camera is bouncing around, so it comes down to either a supply of airsick bags or a tripod. My needs with video and panoramas lead to a pan-and-tilt head, but in keeping with QSA principles, quick set up is also important.

Set up means getting tripod the head leveled so panning keeps the horizon at the same level in the frame. Even with still images, a level horizon is nice. Leveling can be accomplished by adjusting the tripod legs, a time-consuming task. With a ball head, you plunk down the tripod and then level the camera on top. That’s quick but there is no level panning.

It turns out there is a way to get both quick set up and level panning. The principle is in a ball leveling tripod. Instead of the center column being fixed to leg assembly, the column goes through a ball. The ball is released to set the post vertically and then clamped into position. Ball-leveling tripods are expensive, but Manfrotto has developed a ball-leveler that accomplishes the same thing. The ball-leveler goes between the post and the head.

The least expensive tripods are built with the head permanently attached to the post. One step up in elegance, the head is attached to the post with a 3/8” screw. That allows changing heads and also sandwiching in the ball-leveler. The camera attaches to the head with a 1/4” screw. Actually, tripods now have quick-release mounts that accept a mounting plate screwed to the camera. This enables tripod manufacturers to sell a bunch of $15 tiny metal plates. Be sure to get a mounting plate for each camera.

The final assembly looks like something a satellite might extend in orbit, but it works very well indeed. The added height of the gadgetry adds to tripod height, a benefit, and yet it disassembles for packing. The lever-locks are a bit difficult to engage, but fast. After set up with the ball-leveler the horizon stays in the right place in the frame even when panning with a long telephoto.

I bought all three pieces from Manfrotto/Bogan, but in principle it is possible to get the leg assembly and head from different manufacturers. The trick is to make sure the mating surfaces have compatible diameters. A large upper surface might cover up a lower bubble level.

There are other tripod features. To hover over buttercups it’s good to be able to reverse the center post or mount it sideways. That gets the camera close to the ground. A tripod dolly allows the setup to roll around in a studio. Some care that the feet have retractable spikes, good on ice, I guess.

Not everyone needs a tripod, but if you do need a tripod, a good one is a worthwhile investment. Your camera with it’s zillion pixels is destined to be outdated by a new four zillion pixel model. Tripods can last for decades. I have a tripod that is forty years old and still works fine … although it weighs twenty-two pounds and is best adjusted with power tools. As far as I’m concerned the most important innovation is the ball leveler. It pays its way with time saved.