Unless you plan on shooting everything handheld, some sort of support is going to be a valuable addition to your video gear set. The great thing about a tripod is that you can set it up quickly and put your iPhone (or any other small, light weight camera) on it and leave it there, hands free, to record a shot or move it around to reframe with ease.

Just about every tripod comes complete with a pan/tilt head for doing smooth moves while recording.  This feature allows you to get closer in and follow the action with stability. It also makes changing from one locked down shot to another a fast and simple operation.

You will want to become familiar with all the ways in which your tripod can move and know where the lock down knobs are to avoid wearing out the mechanics of the pan/tilt head and support base. I made a short video to give you a few tips that can help, especially if you are just getting started using a tripod.

A Little Nostalgia…

I first used a tripod many years ago when I used to expose small gauge motion picture film with my dad’s standard 8mm Bell and Howell (spring powered) camera. Recently when I saw the tripod my daughter has for her DSLR it reminded me of the one I used way back in the days of my youth.

When I picked up my daughter’s tripod and started to work with it, operating it felt very familiar. The basic form and function of the two tripods are very similar. I think the old one had every feature my daughter’s does now (a Targus TGT-58TR) except for the handle on the center post and the quick release plate.

The main difference I noticed is that the one I had in the mid ‘70s was made almost entirely of metal whereas the new one has a lot of plastic in it, especially on the pan/tilt head. This can be an advantage because it makes it considerably lighter, however, I fear that the durability factor may be significantly less (although I did manage to break that all metal one before 1980 rolled around.)

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for other videos.

Who I am:

I’m Philip Quintas and I make it easier for customers to trust you before and after they buy from you by creating simple videos that help you help more people.

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