How to choose a tripod ?
 
 Six things you should consider before buying your tripod

	Quick summary points
1) Height & weight	Tripod ideally should be extended to your height without the center post. The weight should be light enough to be carried everywhere you go yet sturdy enough to support your camera and lenses. In general heavier camera system requires heavier tripod. For most compact digital camera, since they are light and have smaller CCD size, they can use more light weight tripod.
2) Material	Carbon tripod is about 30 % lighter in weight but much cost much more.
3) No of sections	More sections means less stable ( everything else being equal ). More sections also mean shorter foldable size. If you have a choice of buying a 3 section versus a 4 section tripod, I would recommend a 3 section.
4) Low angle	Low angle tripod is very useful for close up subject near the ground. It  is a very important feature if you take lots of macro , close-up or architectural subjects. It is an option that won't cost you much more.
5) Tripod head	Ball head for action photography with one button or 3 way pan head with 3 independent controls for general use and landscape. Very good ball head that can support heavy camera and lenses ( i.e. 400 mm lens f/5.6 ) are expensive but a must for serious photographers Select heads with quick release if you change camera often and have a habit of using 2 camera bodies.
6) Price	Price of a tripod can range from just S$ 30 to S$ 1000 or more depending on your requirements and applications.

Tripod is one of the most important assets  and one of the first accessories that a photographer should invest after purchasing a camera. How to select the right tripod  ? Here are the questions you should ask ;

• What kind of camera system will I be using ? And how long of a telephoto lens will I  be using i.e. 200 mm or 600 mm mega lens ?

• What is my  height ?

• What kind of subject  do I  photograph, i.e. landscape, building, or macro work ?

• Lastly what is my budget ?

1) What camera system would I be using and  type of lens  ?

• Basically it boiled down to "weight" and "magnification" . If you use a very heavy camera, you need a stronger and more sturdy tripod. If you use long telephoto lenses it is not only "heavy" , it also has high magnification. A flimsy tripod and a heavy long telephoto lens combination is the worst thing you want to avoid.

• If you use digital camera especially compact type, they are light weight and there is not much need for a very sturdy camera. Digital camera also has smaller CCD and  it can tolerate more error. Therefore, digital compact camera does not need very heavy tripod.

2) What is my  height ?

• Your height determines the length of the tripod.

• Your tripod fully extended without extending the centre column should put your camera at the eye level. You should not have to bend your back. Too much back bending may hurt your back.

• If you shoot a lot of telephoto lens of 400mm and above, your centre column should be as low as possible because extending the centre column too much will make the tripod like a 3 legged monopod.

3) What is your subject matter ?

• Most people think that tripod is used at the eye level. However, the best angle may not be at the eye level.

• If you shoot building and close-up, you need a tripod that can go low down. That means the legs can be opened to lower the camera to the ground.

4) What is your budget ?

• High end tripod can be expensive and you can buy them with separate head.

• There are 2 main types of heads ; 3 way pan head and ball head.

• 3 Way pan head is great for precision work like close-up but it is slow for action like bird photography or sport photography

• Ball head is great for action photography.

• If you change your camera and lenses often, you should consider "quick release " that will allow you to snap your equipment in  and out of the tripod quickly.

• Exposure meter

• TTL fill-in flash

• TTL flash macro

• Selecting a tripod