Les trépieds pour appareil photo sont-ils universels ?
Un trépied est un élément essentiel de l'équipement de chaque photographe. Il est utilisé par tous les types de photographes, amateurs ou professionnels, quelle que soit leur spécialité. Lorsque vous commencerez à chercher un trépied, vous remarquerez qu'il existe des milliers de trépieds disponibles dans différentes marques et à différents prix. Ce qui nous amène au sujet de cet article :les trépieds pour appareils photo sont-ils universels ?
La réponse courte est oui; les trépieds d'appareil photo sont universels. Mais c'est un peu plus compliqué que cela, et vous voudrez peut-être lire l'article complet avant de partir et d'en acheter un pour votre appareil photo.
Qu'est-ce qui rend les trépieds pour appareil photo universels ?
Presque tous les trépieds modernes ont un filetage de 1/4 de pouce sur lequel vous monteriez une caméra. Presque tous les appareils photo grand public et prosommateurs ont également un filetage femelle de 1/4 de pouce, qui techniquement signifie que toutes les caméras peuvent être montées sur tous les trépieds.
Mais ce n'est pas parce qu'un appareil photo peut être monté sur un trépied que le trépied fonctionnera comme prévu. Plusieurs autres facteurs doivent être pris en compte avant de prendre une décision d'achat.
Les trépieds d'appareil photo sont conçus pour un cas d'utilisation spécifique
Sauf si vous incluez des trépieds d'entrée de gamme, tous les trépieds sont conçus pour des cas d'utilisation spécifiques. Un trépied créé pour la réalisation de vidéos sera très différent d'un trépied créé uniquement pour la photographie.
Cela ne signifie pas que vous aurez besoin d'un trépied différent si vous faites différents types de photographie, mais cela signifie que vous devez avoir une idée raisonnable de la façon dont vous allez utiliser votre trépied, et plus important encore, ce que facteurs à prendre en compte avant d'en acheter un . Alors, quels sont ces facteurs ?
Facteurs à prendre en compte avant d'acheter un trépied
Hauteur maximale
Le moyen le plus simple d'avoir mal au dos est d'acheter un trépied trop court. J'ai fait cette erreur moi-même. Lorsque vous prenez des photos, votre appareil photo est principalement au niveau des yeux. C'est là que vous pouvez voir le viseur et ajuster confortablement les paramètres si nécessaire. C'est aussi la hauteur idéale d'un trépied.
At maximum height, your tripod should be extended enough so that the camera reaches your eye level. If you’re purchasing only the legs, then they should at least reach your shoulders. If it reaches your jaw, that’s even better.
Payload (Or Max Weight)
Every tripod has a maximum assigned payload, which is the maximum weight it can handle while keeping stable — knowing this crucial, as you run the risk of damaging your precious equipment if your tripod cannot support its weight.
Make sure that your tripod can support your rig (including accessories) comfortably, leaving some room for extra weight. Also, consider the weight of your current and future lenses, as they will make up a majority of the weight of the setup.
Another thing to remember is that the legs and the head, both have to support the weight. So, if you’re purchasing the legs and the head separately, make sure that they both individually support the payload.
Build and Type
The build includes the material types, the weight of the tripod, and the actual build quality—all of which will affect how you will use your tripod.
First, consider the weight. Having a heavy tripod is great for stability, but bad for mobility. The materials used for construction will heavily affect the overall weight, and you will have to find the right balance between stability and weight.
Stability
A tripod’s primary job is to keep your camera stable, so obviously, you need to ensure that the tripod you choose is stable in all the conditions you shoot in. A good tripod should handle bumps, vibrations, and light knocks without any problems.
When testing for stability, you should also consider all the different positions you’ll place the tripod in. Make sure the head and the legs are stable in a variety of shooting positions. You should also know that a heavy tripod does not always mean a more stable tripod. In most cases, a heavier tripod will be more stable, but there are exceptions.
Reliability
A better-built tripod may be expensive, but it is going to be reliable for a long time. A cheap tripod, on the other hand, will not. A well-maintained tripod can easily last a decade and will be a better deal than buying many cheap tripods over that time. However, there is some value in purchasing cheaper tripods, as they can allow to understand which features you value in a tripod.
Head Features
The head is where you will mount your camera, and similar to the other things I’ve talked about, you’ll need to consider your needs first. Depending on the type of photographs you’ll take, you might need a head that supports vertical mode, a quick-release function, pan or tilt features, or more. You should also consider the max weight limit that the head will support, which I already mentioned.
While most modern cameras will also have a level function built-in, you should not ignore having a bubble level in the head you purchase. It will help you level your camera quickly, without fiddling around in your camera’s settings.
Feet Features
The tripod’s feet are often ignored, but they are also very important to consider as they are the sole point of contact with the ground.
Most tripods come with rubber feet, while some might have plastic feet. Tripods built for outdoor use will also have metal spikes that can dig into the ground for a better grip.
Some tripods will come with a mix of 2 types of feet. For example, the feet might have rubber tips, but upon twisting them, they will reveal metal spikes. Tripods with these type of feet will obviously be a little more versatile than others.
Other Niche Features
Nowadays, you’d find some tripods with some interesting features that might be useful for certain situations. It is worthwhile to know that these features exist before you can think of getting a tripod has them.
For example, some tripods’ legs’ can spread wide, allowing the head to be close to the ground. Some tripods can be maneuvered to have the camera perfectly parallel to the ground—which is great for flat-lay photography.
Some tripods, like this one, also feature a built-in monopod, which can be useful for a bunch of other use cases.
There are plenty of similar features that can make a tripod much more useful than it already is.
Speciality Tripods
Apart from the tripods that we already discussed, there are few kinds of tripods that can’t be categorized into a single category. They serve a different purpose, but they can also be used by serious photographers in some cases. Here are some of those tripods.
Flexible Tripods
Also called “GorrilaPods”, these tripods have flexible legs that can be bent and twisted to achieve complex shapes. This offers many advantages. Not only are these tripods small and easy to carry, but they can also be used to place the camera in places that would not be possible with traditional tripods; like a tree branch, a meta rail, etc.
These tripods are commonly used by vloggers and casual photographers, who value the flexibility and small form factor over stability.
Mini Tripods
Mini Tripods are also popular amongst casual photographers and vloggers, with the Manfrotto Pixi Mini being the most popular. Because of their small size, they are easy to travel with, and also great to use at family gatherings where you just need something to hold the camera steady.
User Experience
Arguably, the user experience of using a tripod should be on the top of the list of priorities. You could have the perfect tripod feature-wise, but if the experience of using it isn’t great, it’s going to end up on the shelf, collecting dust. No matter which tripod you decide to buy, spend some time with it and get familiar with it. Only when you enjoy using the tripod should you consider purchasing it.
What Tripod Should You Buy?
If you’re about to purchase your first tripod, then you should definitely buy a decent, cheap tripod instead of trying to find the best tripod that would fit your needs.
That is because unless you’ve been practicing your craft for a while, you’d want to explore different types of photography. Even if you don’t, then finding out the limitations of a cheap tripod is a great way to know what you prefer in a tripod. And, once you know that, it will be easy to find a tripod that checks all the boxes, hopefully.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now understand that camera tripods are universal, but that does not matter. What does matter is that you understand your needs as a photographer and find the tripod that fits those needs. There are plenty of factors to consider, but it ultimately boils down to what and how you prefer to shoot.
Check out this link to learn tricks to steady your shots without a tripod.