What to look for in a tripod!

Over the last few weeks, I have had the pleasure of being with a number of enthusiastic student photographers who have wanted to get into some afternoon/dusk shots and the requirement is the use of a tripod. Tripods come in a number of different sizes but moreover they come in a number of different qualities. Tripods are used so as to get the best image results from landscape ,portrait and especially closeup photography without having to turn up the ISO setting which can be a detriment to the overall image. Whether using a lens to shoot the insides of a flower or trying to capture a bird in a tree with a telephoto lens, positioning the camera to get the right angle is not easy on low quality tripod. What people look at when buying a tripod is the weight in most cases but what needs to be looked at more importantly is the head that the camera attaches to. Apart from making sure the tripod has a detachable plate so as to be able to release the camera easily, look at the head and see how easy(or not easy) it is to adjust for smaller adjustments. When positioning your shot with a tripod, the frustration can be the minute movements you need to make to get the right compostion and the quality of tripod you get can make this a easy or very difficult process. Lower quality tripods have a tendency to "jerk" around when releasing the controls to move the head which becomes an infuriating process and makes you "not" want to use the tripod. Cheaper tripod heads are made of cheaper plastics and quite frankly a waste of money. You can get better "quality" plastic heads which will have a very smooth action and makes the composing of the shot quite easy. Metal heads tend to add weight to the overall tripod but also tend to be tougher especially if you use equipment in a less careful way! Apart from the head, the way the legs extend can also be a factor for frustration.Better quality brands will either use a "clip" style that can be a quick and easy way to lift or lower your tripod or some of the VELBON type have a "twist and turn" style which can make this tripod quite compact to carry. Make sure the tripod you buy suits the weight of your camera and be ready to get some great "sharp" photo everytime!