Basic Training: Breaking it Down (page 2)

Some pricier tripod heads have what's called "counterbalancing" which is a series of springs that even out tension when you move the camera, this keeps the relative weight of the camera the same when you, say, tilt down. An ordinary tripod would get front heavy when this happened, counterbalancing adds spring tension to assure that your camera feels and reacts the same, no matter how it's tilted. It will also take over if you remove an interchangeable lens from the camera which would ordinarily make the camera tilt backwards.

You want to really think about your needs when you're buying a tripod because it is a device which is going to stay with you for a long time, and it's not something you should skimp on.

There are three important measurements on a tripod: the maximum working height, the minimum working height and the length when collapsed. Ideally, you want the tripod that allows you to get your camcorder the highest and the lowest, and which packs the smallest. There are obviously trade-offs with all of these.

I'm not the kind of person who puts a tripod in a case because I'm afraid it'll get scratches on it, but oftentimes it is more convenient to carry a tripod in a case because the case has a shoulder strap. You can also get a shoulder strap that attaches to the tripod without a case. Both of these are preferable to carrying it without a strap, if you're going any distance. Also, some camcorder bags have straps made for holding tripods; keep this in mind next time you're pricing new bags.

These are usually available for a few dollars in camcorder and video stores. They're usually not terribly sturdy, but they will serve to hold the camcorder a few inches off a surface and point it in a particular direction.

A monopod is essentially one leg of a tripod. Some monopods have heads on them, but not always. Some heads are as robust as those on a tripod... but not always. Monopods aren't nearly as sturdy as tripods and won't reduce vibration and motion blur nearly as much, but they're better than nothing, and they're very portable. Sometimes it's possible to brace your monopod, like between your knees while sitting in a chair which can create a relatively stable foundation.

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