Camcorder Tripod Basics

A camcorder tripod is an essential accessory every camcorder owner should own, and are one of the most important tools for making great videos to add to your website as [tag-tec]video content[/tag-tec].

For maximum strength and stability, most videographic tripods are braced around a center post, with collapsible telescoping legs and a telescoping section at the top that can be raised or lowered. At the top of the tripod is the head, which includes the camera mount, usually a detachable plate with a thumbscrew to hold onto the camcorder, several joints to allow the camcorder to pan and tilt, and usually a handle to allow the operator to do so without shaking the camera. Some tripods also feature integrated remote control thats lets you steady the camcorder or digital camera and operate directly from the tripod grip to control the camcorder, though these usually only work with the same brand camcorder.

There are several different types of tripod. The cheapest, generally made of aluminum tubing and costing $100 at the most, are used for consumer still and video cameras. These generally come with an attached head and rubber feet. The head is very basic, and often not entirely suitable for smooth panning of a camcorder.

More expensive tripods come with changeable heads and usually feature fluid heads, which are designed to move more smoothly than the basic heads on inexpensive tripods.

Many tripods, even some cheaper consumer quality ones, also include leveling indicators for the legs of the tripod and the head. There are also expensive carbon fiber tripods.

There are generally two different types of head available.
The panhead style has separate controls for tilt and panning, so that the camcorder may be panned from side to side without risk of tilting movement. These heads usually have two different handles to control each of the movements. The handles can be turned to loosen or tighten the head, so as to allow movement in one, both or none of the directions.

The ballhead utilizes a ball and socket joint to allow movement in different dimensions. The camcorder is attached to a clamp that comes off the ball, and the socket has a slot in one side to allow the camcorder to be rotated to the portrait orientation. This style has the disadvantage that only one control is available to allow or prevent movement of the head, and so if the camera is panned, there may be some tilting as well.

If, at this stage of your video making career, you like me are only using a consumer type lightweight camcorder, there is no need to go overboard when buying a tripod. There are good tripods available with leveling and smooth head operation at a reasonable price. Just search online for ‘camcorder tripod’