44 22 June (^2019) Iwww.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
Testbench TRIPODS EXPLAINED
Onthetable
There’ssomethingtobesaidforcarryinga
smallbutsturdytable-toptripodwithyouall
thetime,whichyoucandeployin situations
wherefull-sizetripodscan’tbeused.The
keyliesin findingonethat’ssturdyenough.
ContendersincludetheCullmannMagnesit
Copter,whichcomeseitheralonefor £15 or
withthesmallbutsurprisingly
strongCB2headforaround
£30;theerstwhileand
much-copiedManfrotto
709B(£40),themulti-
functionalSirui3T-35(£80)
that’swell-suitedtovideo
aswellasstills,andthe
fantastic-but-pricey
GitzoMini
Traveller,which
features
dual-anglelegsand
a neatlydesigned
ballhead,but
cost s £189.
Arangeofalternativesupportsisavailableforthosetimes
when a full-size tripod isn’t the right answer
Specialist tripods
and accessories
Thefourobviousheadline
specificationswhen
comparingtripodsare
maximumheight,folded
length,weightandload
capacity.Butalsocheckthe
heightwithoutthecentre
columnextended– the
tallerthisis, themorestable
thetripodis likelytobe.
If you’reinterestedin
low-levelwork,alsopay
attentiontotheminimum
height,andhowmuch
disassemblyof thetripod’s
centrecolumnis required
togetthere– splitcolumns
arequickestandeasiestto
use.Butnotethatload
ratingsshouldbetakenas
a veryroughguideonly;
manufacturersdetermine
themin differentways,and
they tend to be optimistic.
ArcaSwissgrips and
L-brackets
Ultimately,theeffectivenessof anytripodis
onlyasgoodastheconnectionbetweenit
andthecamera.Thisexplainsthecurrent
ubiquityof theArcaSwisspattern
dovetailquick-releasesystem– the
clampdesignlocksthecamerafirmly
ontothehead.Withthispopularityhas
comea rangeof ArcaSwissbase-plates
tailor-madefordifferentmodelsof cameras,
whichoftenexpandthehandgripasan
addedbonus.Manyalsofunctionas
L-bracketsthatallowyoutoshootin portrait
formatwiththecamerapositionedoverthe
topof thehead,givingmuchbetter
stability.Universal-fi t L-brackets are
also available.
Monopods
Monopodsdon’tdo
thesamejobas
tripods;instead
they’regreatfor
providingextrasupport
withlensesthatare
tooheavytoshoot
handheldforlong
periods.Againthere’s
a vastrangetochoose
from,withdifferent
weights,heightsand
ratedloads;somealso
havesmalltripodfeet
forextrastability.Our
favouritesincludethe
VelbonUltraStickSuper
8 (£59),whichuses
an8-sectiondesign
toretractdowntoa
super-compact26cm,
andthelightweight,
sturdyandexcellent
valueVanguardVeo
AM-264(£59).For
demandingusers,
the£148Manfrotto
XPROPhoto5-section
carbon-fibremonopod
willsupportlarge
telephotoswithease;
it alsocomesin a kitwith
tripod feet for £179.
Phone holders
Withsmartphonesbecomingevermore
accomplishedphotographictools,it canbe
usefultobeabletofit themontoa tripod.As
theydon’thavetheirownsockets,somesort
of clampis necessary;lookforonesthatfold
flat whenthey’renotin use.Ourfavouriteis
probablytheJobyGriptightONE, which is
soldeitheronitsownfor
£14,orwiththereallyneat
MicroStandminitripodfor
£32.Alternatively,the
ManfrottoTwistgripis a heavier-
dutyoptionthatincludesa shoe
mountfora microphoneorLED
light,andcostsaround£29.If
youshoota lotof panoramaswith
yourphone,a motorisedrotating
headsuchastheCullmann
SmartPano360CP might
be useful.
Understanding
s p e c i fi c a t i o n s
Go any where
Somesituationsandlocationssimplyaren’t
amenabletoa conventionaltripod.For
instance,whenyou’reshootingat ground
levelorproppingyourcameraona wall,a
beanbagcanbeindispensable,withthe
dual-compartmentWildlifeWatching
SuppliesC14.3StandardDouble
BeanBagbeinganespecially
fineexample(£30).
Alternativelyif you’dliketobe
abletoattachyourcameratorailingsorthe
branchof a tree,thena bendy-leggedJoby
Gorillapodcouldbewhatyouneed.They’re
availablein severalsizesandvariouskits,
fromminithoughtoa largeversionwith
a 5kg rated load. Prices start at £20.
ThisOlympusECG-2
gripis specificallymade
for the OM-D EM5 II
Joby’stinyfolding
Griptightand
Microstand
Lookoutfora
tripod’sheight
withthecentre
column down
Folding
tripodfeet
canhelpkeepa
TheCullmann monopod stable
MagnesitCopter
is strongfora
table-top tripod
A beanbagcan
providesupport
whena tripod
is impractical
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